Southern Gothic

The Alhambra the complete form of which was Calat Alhamra, is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. On a rocky hill that is difficult to access, on the banks of the River Darro, protected by mountains and surrounded by woods, among the oldest quarters in the city, the Alhambra rises up like an imposing castle with reddish tones in its ramparts that prevent the outside world from seeing the delicate beauty they enclose. It was originally constructed as a small…

The first thing that catches my eye is the mountains. As I sit on the highest point of the hill I am surrounded by mountains. The walk from my dorm is definitely the worst part and most painful part. Although the walk is a leg killer it is the greatest view I might ever experience. Sitting on the bench I have realized that the hill is more than a hill with a bench. This is an escape, it was a place to go to relax, to clear your head, and to just get away from all the chaos. I am the kind of…

Andrew Smith’s statement, referring to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, can also be applied to James Hogg’s The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. Both works of later-Romantic Gothic, these novels deal with the social impact of their protagonists’ ‘selfhood’, or ‘inner life’, rather than how the outward sublime influences the ‘inner self’. Instead of seeking ‘transcendence’ in sublime nature, Victor Frankenstein and Robert Wringhim aim to transcend their social and spiritual…

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night There is no better way to add mystery and tension to a scene, than weather. Any reader can think of at least one story that uses weather as a motif. A great example of this motif would be in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, where the weather becomes a crucial indicator of misfortune. An example of this motif would be the bad weather that occurred when Duncan was murdered in the story of The Tragedy of Macbeth. The reader can see this motif in the following scene:…

“Why will you say that [he] … is mad” (Poe) when the narrator's senses are “acute” (Poe)? Throughout The Tell – Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe the narrator tries to convince the reader's that he is not insane. The narrator begins to go insane after meeting a man with “a pale blue eye, with a film over it” (Poe) and his senses become acute. The narrator attempts to argue that he is not insane, instead he just foreshadows what happens in the conclusion. His “disease had sharpened [his] … senses”…

Wilson 8 November 2015 Gothic Elements and Tone Analysis The Fall of The House of Usher uses strong gothic elements and strong imagery to develop a tone. The appearance is defined in a well-developed explanation. The house is old, cracked, and has an overall worn out appearance. A variety of gothic elements is used, as well as a distinct appearance with a well-established theme. The Fall of The House of Usher has a unique way of using elements to describe the story. Gothic Elements help to…

GOTTA’ DO IT THESIS: Curiosity leads to the downfall of a person. Exploration is acting upon one’s curiosity. These two themes are very prominent in the two texts; Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The themes have many strong ties in both texts, with the characters and ties the overall plots of the stories. Jekyll has created a potion which turns him into what we learn is Mr. Hyde. Jekyll originally did not intend to drink the potion but his curiosity and…

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving is an amazing book everyone should read. The setting is very magical and unique. And the characters are different like Rip and his imaginary stranger. The way Irving wrote this book is different from every other book. This book has a magical and is full of confusion. This book would make you want to read it over and over again. The first thing a want to discuss is the setting. The setting is very magical, unique and different. This story takes place in a small…

Marie de France wrote “Bisclavret” in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The name Bisclavret means werewolf. When a person thinks of the word werewolf, the thought of fairy tales and horror stories may come to mind. “Bisclavret” is neither one of those types of literature. Marie de France utilizes a werewolf in her poem to symbolize a beastly or aggressive side of humans. “Bisclavret” is interesting as it has numerous layers and messages within the narrative. One message the poem…

Many readers have enjoyed and analyzed Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and A Graveyard for Lunatics. During my research, I came across many in-depth critical essays on Bradbury's works. Bradbury writes fictional works that have deeper meanings than what is written. A close look at Fahrenheit 451 and A Graveyard for Lunatics will show how he expresses these ideas in his settings, characters, and narrators. First, in both Fahrenheit 451 and A Graveyard for Lunatics, Bradbury writes them in settings…