Gothic fiction

The 1931 film version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde offered an intricate web of thrilling plot points, rich, multi-dimensional characters, and erotic themes that were surprisingly forward for a horror film of that era. Fredric March superbly plays both the protagonist, Dr. Henry Jekyll (pronounced Gee-kel) as well as his diabolical alter ego/antagonist, Hyde. March fluidly sways between the two characters, giving credibility to Jekyll’s theory that there are two…

11/20/ 15 Gothic elements in literature Society in this day and age has skyrocketed into more conflicts. Whether it 's violence in crime or the psychological issue -- maybe even both -- these elements are a clear reflection of the many novels (with components of gothic literature) that truly reveal how our society has progressed to today. The novel, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, illustrates the various parts and conflicts today somewhat. Other works do the same; for example, short…

Symbolic Interpretations of “The Fall of the House of Usher” Edgar Allan Poe is well known for his cryptic, gothic tale of “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The narrator arrives at the ghastly house of the Usher family, where his old friends Rodrick, is suffering from a chronic illness. As the story progresses, the narrator as well begins to lose his mind as a result of the cryptic events that occur in the house. The book is filled deeper symbolic meanings. Everything from the house to the…

Gothic Analysis Essay Witchcraft, magic and occultism, such known and mentioned subjects, especially in Gothic literature. Stories that have been documented overtime have become mere entertainment to today’s public, constantly incorporated into movies, remade stories (with happier ending, like Disney’s interpretations) but it was only a few decades ago that these stories tormented any believers thoughts from time to time. In these myths, the characters whether being accused…

Dorian about youth. He tells Dorian that “beauty is a form of genius- is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation” (22). This is an extremely shallow concept; that beauty can be worth more than the depth and complexity of the mind. Gothic according to Spooner can be the focus on “the mask rather than the face, the veil rather than what lies beneath, the disguise rather than what is disguised” (Spooner 27). Beauty is one thing that needs no explanation, it is obvious to all who…

Even the best of people have darkness deep within. After reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding and We Grow Accustomed to the Dark by Emily Dickinson, both authors have similarities and a difference in their conclusion. Golding and Dickinson treat the dark side of human nature using point of view, symbols, and character transformation by making us believe and trust his conclusion that man does have evil in his heart. First of all, both authors earn our trust by using point of view. In…

Grenouille as Anti-Hero Patrik suskind’s choice of Grenouille's characteristics in the Perfume made him successful on creating an anti hero whom the reader wants to see succeed despite the character's negative qualities. In Patrik Sunkind’s book Perfume: the story of a murderer, the main character, Grenouille's Grenouille; the protagonist in Perfume: the story of a murderer, is a human being with a supernatural ability which is his extraordinary sense of smell. Patrik suskind insists…

Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein represents a major milestone in the history of the horror genre in literature and, specifically, in the history of the monster. Even children have heard about Frankenstein's monster and a lot have seen him adapted on TV. Frankenstein's creature is a very popular monster but in the book he starts off as an innocent and intelligent creature, aspect of him we generally only see glimpses of in adaptations. The creature is not born a monster, he becomes one after…

Jane Austen led the reader and Catherine to believe the spunky General Tilney to be the typical gothic novel’s murderous husband in her book Northanger Abbey. Catherine held a healthy suspicion of General Tilney, even if it was only prompted by her overactive imagination as a gothic novel fangirl. I believe that Jane Austen’s parody wasn’t created in order to belittle the fans of gothic novels, but for the sake of the reader as a cautionary warning of the imminent danger within the bounds of…

“A strong woman who recklessly throws away her strength, she is worse than a weak woman who has never had any strength to throw away”- Thomas Hardy. Dracula, by Bram Stoker was written during the late nineteenth century, and is classified as a horror film. Further analysis however, has brought to light the buried symbols and themes of sexuality that the novel holds within it. Mina and Lucy are very significant to the novel as they are the only female characters, and they are both given very…