Grotesque

Stories are made up of different literary elements such as the setting, plot, conflicts, and the overall theme of the story itself. Stories such as The Lottery and The Hobbyist showed such elements, which is why I picked those stories to show their differences. The Hobbyist by Fredric Brown is about a man named Mr. Sangstrom wanting to kill his wife, and asking a man called the druggist to help him by poisoning her. The situation quickly shifts for the worse as Mr. Sangstrom was tricked and…

In poems, “Stealing” and “Education for leisure”, Duffy uses a range of literary devices like colloquial language and short sentences. Duffy clearly portrays a sinister and lonely persona in both poems. In “Stealing” the persona is presented as lonely and isolated from society so they resort to stealing just for the pleasure of doing it. Similarly, in “Education for leisure”, an egotistical young adult is portrayed who is killing living things to undo his intense isolation. These poems were…

Life is living in a world of the unknown, filled with secrets, and never knowing what may happen along the way. The word “suspense” is a feeling of being anxious or scared, of having the lingering question of “what is next?” The film, The Village, is about a town of people living in the 1800’s, while in reality the year is 2004. The village is being cut off from the real world to protect all innocence and are being haunted by these creatures, “those we do not speak of.” Throughout the film, The…

Edgar Alan Poe wrote among many short stories, The Masque of the Read Death. Although the title sounds horribly eerie, the story itself succeeded in becoming even creepier. Disease, known as the Read Death, struck a kingdom, killing off many subjects very gruesomely. The ruler, a prince known as Prospero, did nothing to assist in treating those ill, or preventing others from contracting Read Death. Instead, he ran, hiding away in a secluded castle, with noblemen, and entertainers. After six…

“Her decease,” he said, with a bitterness which I can never forget,” would leave him (him the hopeless and the frail) the last of the ancient race of the Ushers.” This quote is from “The Fall of the House of Ushers” and it explains that the Usher siblings, Roderick and Madeline are the last ones in their family, and the fate of their family line lies on them. But what is not explained is that the siblings have a strong bond. In the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Edgar Allan Poe…

The Cask of Amontillado “The truth of your character is expressed through the choice of your actions” (Dr. Steve Maraboli). Edgar Allan Poe had a gift for making his characters come alive in his stories. Not only is this quote relevant for society today, but it also correlates perfectly with the main character, Montresor. Throughout “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor shows the reader numerous times that his character is vindictive, manipulative, but yet shares a valuable learning opportunity…

Veils of Pretence and Hypocrisy in Manto’s Selected Short Stories Priyanka Gupta Dr. Neeru Sharma Research Scholar Assistant Professor…

Under the circumstances of the fact that England was under oppression at the time, James Joyce wrote Dubliners in order to illustrate the sickness Ireland was suffering of, to point out its paralysis by means of the novel: “Impatient at the restrictions of life in Dublin, he concluded that Ireland was sick, and diagnosed its psychological malady as hemiplegia, a partial, unilateral paralysis” (Walzl, 1961, p. 221). Joyce envisioned Dublin as the image of complete paralysis so he decided to write…

William Wilson and his double In Edgar Allan Poe’s William Wilson the feeling of the familiar, yet unknown is overwhelming the reader. The story of a young man who is being followed around wherever he goes, by a young man with a striking resemblance to himself is leaving the reader with an eerie feeling. Edgar Allan Poe was a master in writing gothic literature that would, and still does, creep the reader out, William Wilson is no exception. The short story can be, and has been analyzed in a…

Edgar Allen Poe lived a life marked by poverty, grief, and loss. While he never wrote a memoir describing his wretched life, his life’s circumstances that lead to his morbid thoughts, imagination, and ideas can be shown through his literary works. One such work that vividly conveys these aspects is “The Cask of Amontillado,” which follows a man named Montresor in his revenge against his nemesis Fortunato by using Fortunato’s love of wine against himself. Montresor chains and closes Fortunato in…