Gothic literature originated in the 19th century and was a branch of the larger Romantic Movement. Like the Romantics, Gothic writers embraced the sublime nature and endeavored to evoke deep emotions in their readers. However, their motives were manifested in a fascination with the exotic and eerie human nature and the effects of guilt, evil, isolation and terror on a human being. Authors exploit isolated and grotesque settings, supernatural beings and events, combines romance and horror as well as highlighting overwrought emotions. The ability to captivate reader’s emotional experience through the exploration of human weakness has allowed the Gothic genre to continue into the twenty-first century, modifying to reflect current societal concerns.
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The literary vampire is often seen as a charismatic figure of sexual prowess, lordly authority and deep cunning, who lives for eternity and travels far and wide in search of victims. Published in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is often regarded as one of the most influential work in vampire literature. The work that follows witnessed a plethora of parodies and spin-offs; among these, the modern short story The Lady of the House of Love by Angela Carter. Both written by authors from the British Isles, Dracula and the Lady of the House of Love share the recurrent themes of entrapment, freedom and enclosure, the unattainability of desire, and the annihilation of the objectification of women in patriarchical societies. These works collectively challenge and trouble the idealization of romantic love by revealing that women’s ungovernable desire leave them poised for a costly fall from …show more content…
Twe see the consequences of women letting their desires go out of control. Although the fulfillment of desire is problematic and fraught with patriarchal residues, the female has not been passive in the process and she has achieved the decisive center. The discovery that hesitation between fear and desire of entrapment can be only an object of her own making, of her own mind, is a breakthrough, immediately giving her autonomy from male engulfment. Stoker and Carter’s attempt has been an intricate reading on female desire where hesitancy, unattainability and deferment undermine its performance and
The literary vampire is often seen as a charismatic figure of sexual prowess, lordly authority and deep cunning, who lives for eternity and travels far and wide in search of victims. Published in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is often regarded as one of the most influential work in vampire literature. The work that follows witnessed a plethora of parodies and spin-offs; among these, the modern short story The Lady of the House of Love by Angela Carter. Both written by authors from the British Isles, Dracula and the Lady of the House of Love share the recurrent themes of entrapment, freedom and enclosure, the unattainability of desire, and the annihilation of the objectification of women in patriarchical societies. These works collectively challenge and trouble the idealization of romantic love by revealing that women’s ungovernable desire leave them poised for a costly fall from …show more content…
Twe see the consequences of women letting their desires go out of control. Although the fulfillment of desire is problematic and fraught with patriarchal residues, the female has not been passive in the process and she has achieved the decisive center. The discovery that hesitation between fear and desire of entrapment can be only an object of her own making, of her own mind, is a breakthrough, immediately giving her autonomy from male engulfment. Stoker and Carter’s attempt has been an intricate reading on female desire where hesitancy, unattainability and deferment undermine its performance and