Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque

Analysis “The Rockpile” by James Baldwin The short story “The Rockpile,” written by James Baldwin, tells about a boy facing almost fatal consequences after not listening to instructions. The author uses the following literary devices to relate his tale: foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, style, tone, and others. Each device lends a touch of realism to the reader’s experience in that the reader can visualize the story. Throughout the short story, the devices listed above allows the reader to…

Another important aspect of the setting is the labyrinthine, claustrophobic and exotic space into which the plot is set. Since Walpole's `Castle of Otrano' (1764) the Gothic castle is one of the key features of the Gothic novel. The Gothic castle is a labyrinthine and claustrophobic place which evokes feelings of "fear, awe, entrapment and helplessness" (Raskauskien 50). Characteristic of the Gothic castle are mazy, over- and undergrounded corridors, creaking doors, shuttered windows, trapdoors…

In the early-modernist novella, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, a series of themes are displayed, one of such being that of intolerance. In the contemporary vernacular, the definition of intolerance is regularly associated with discrimination or prejudice. Ethan Frome, the namesake of the novella, has been facing a serious dilemma for over a year, whilst his wife, Zeena Frome is slowly dying of illness and his true love, Mattie Silver, is on the verge of leaving him forever. These three…

In “A Poison Tree” by William Blake and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe have the same concept in the matter of characters and conflicts. In the poem by Blake, the speaker of the poem is angry with its “Foe” but the foe doesn’t know of the feelings of the speaker. In the short story by Poe the main character Montresor was furious with Fortunato, the other main character, for reasons that Fortunato is not aware of and same with the reader. The poem and short story are similar because…

Gothic literature can be defined as a writing that creates an overall atmosphere of terror and dread; but the genre is a subcategory of the Romantic literature genre, a writing style that emphasizes emotion. Although, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ballad, Rime of the Ancient Mariner borrows elements of multiple genres, he enhances the elements of gothic literature. The supernatural elements not only create a terrifying mood but, also an attitude of forgiveness and love. Coleridge’s supernatural…

Tim Burton’s essay In a cold, dark mysterious mansion at the top of the creepy mountain held a very mysterious creature it had long, sharp pointy cold hands that could cut through nearly anything, with fortune comes to curse, every time this creature would touch himself he would leave a nasty cut. There was also good, he could carve ice, bushes and a lot more. He was different from most not the fact he had blades for hands, but the imagination, it had, Tim Burton used dark low-key lighting to…

Two of the most prominent authors Edgar Allen Poe and Jorge Luis Borges uses similar literary devices such as, indirect characterization, symbolism and imagery differently and the same throughout their literary works. For example, in Borges mysterious short story “The Garden of Forking Paths” (1941) he uses imagery to capture and inform those confused in life on how to decide which path is right for them through the symbolism of the experiences of Captain Lidell Hart in 1916. That coincides with…

Each character in Great Expectations has their own environment, which helps illustrate the character. By describing the surroundings in detail, as well as the characters' interactions with their surroundings, Charles Dickens goes beyond simple narrations of appearance and personality when characterizing. Miss Havisham’s dark character is revealed not only by her description, dialogue, and deeds, but also by what she calls “home” or what Pip paints it to be. Miss Havisham’s secluded and aloof…

The setting of a story is especially important when concocting a tale of mystery and intrigue. In “The Fall of the House of Usher” Edgar Allan Poe captures a dark and mysterious mood in order to introduce the plot. Poe uses graphic language and dramatic imagery to create a mysterious and foreboding atmosphere throughout his short story. Poe begins his tale with a long drawn out sentence that packs in every possible detail of the narrator’s current setting. By doing this Poe creates a picture of…

The narrator’s presentation of the events is unreliable and uncreditable. This is because, the narrator is unreliable because, he is too unsophisticated. According to the article, “The Outsider”, “I must have lived years in this place, but I cannot measure the time.” This shows that the narrator can’t tell time so, there is no way to no how much time has gone by in any of the events that happens. The narrator says that he can’t remember most of his life. This shows that there might be…