Southern Gothic

Since the beginning of 5000 BCE, doctors have attempted to treat the mentally ill. As we know, doctors did not treat the mentally ill like normal patients; they were tortured and experimented on. Edgar Allan Poe, writer of the gothic genre wrote The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado. These short stories are narrated by unnamed characters that seem extremely unreliable and unstable. These protagonists are madmen who were able to reason but act in immoral ways. They represented in such…

English IV Honors 8 December 2016 Gothic Elements in Frankenstein Since its arrival in mainstream literature in the late 18th century, the genre of gothic literature maintains its place as one of the most captivating and intriguing writing styles. Attributing to this popularity is the dark approach to romantic era works, resulting in novels full of death, mystery, and suspense ("The Gothic: Overview"). One of the earliest and most influential examples of gothic literature is Mary Shelley 's…

Religion has been tied to art long before our society even had a word for it. Since ancient times art has been used to promote the ideas and beliefs of many different religions to the world. Pictures of half human half animal beings paint the walls of Paleolithic caves the Egyptians hieroglyphics and statues depict their gods and the Greeks built temples and reliefs to worship and tell the stories of their gods the medieval ages were no different. The middle ages brought the rise of the…

Evolution of French Architecture During the Gothic Period My favorite aspect of art is usually the architecture because it shows the peaks of human capability on a grander scale. I liked learning about the architecture during the Gothic period the most because it seemed so ambitious, and even though they were built centuries ago, people still marvel at their intricate designs, near unsustainable heights and brilliant use of natural lighting. The new gothic era of reaching new structural heights…

Axel Graham Knight 3 British Lit. 23 March 2016 Very rough draft What is the definition of a monster? Is it a slimey creature that hides in the closets of children, or perhaps creature with teeth sharper than steak knives? Nearly infinite definitions exist, but The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley help to paint a clear picture of what a monster actually is. Frankenstein and Lord Henry are used to show that a true monster is someone that ruins the lives…

A Discussion of the Gothic tradition in the novels “Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen and “The mysteries of Udolpho” by Ann Radcliffe. The genre of Gothic fiction has been a strong writing tradition since its birth in 1764 with the publishing of Horace Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto”. The genre is a mix of both romance and horror with its clearest distinctions being a love of foreign setting and gloomy old buildings, a strong hero, swooning heroine and the constant looming of a monster or…

A split identity creates an internal struggle for an individual. One has to battle within themselves to determine which identity is their true self. In literature, the use of a doppelganger or a double allows the reader to see the internal struggle of the character expressed externally – essentially uncovering a hidden nature. In the deathbed confession style tale of “William Wilson” by Edgar Allen Poe, a young man by the name of William Wilson travels the world attempting to escape his double.…

What happens when an adorably entertaining dog combine with the gothic wonder of Robert Louise Stevensens novel “The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde? The real question is “how does one strategically adapt a version suitable for kids?” Knowing what is necessary material to give acknowledgement to the source text is essential. The chapter “The Ethics of Infidelity” in “Adaptations Studies New Approaches” edited by Christa Albrecht-Crane and Dennis Cutchins perfectly explains the infidelities of…

David Bergen’s novel The Time In Between emphasizes on the concept of madness through one of the main characters’ Charles Boatman. Charles a veteran of war suffers from the mental ailment of PTSD (Post Traumatic Distress Disorder), however this becomes the significant link to the concept of madness. Madness in Bergen’s novel is depicted as a pathological tension between the rational and irrational, that consequently tears the person apart. Charles simultaneously displays this tension due to his…

“It’s alive” is usually the first correlation between Frankenstein, along with a large man that voicing inaudible sounds. Although this relationship is accurate when discussing the film adaptions. In 1818, Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelly. She was an early feminist writer that wrote Frankenstein which is a story of turmoil, isolation and abandonment. Victor Frankenstein is the main character that is brought aboard Robert Walton’s ship while chasing his “creation” that is a murder. While…