An essay on different genres including the Ghost genre and the Fantasy
& Adventure genre
I have chosen two completely different genres to base my essay on.
Firstly, I have the mysterious and gripping Ghost Genre; the books I
have studied are “The Woman in Black”, “The Langoliers” and the spooky
film, “The Others”. The second genre is Fantasy & Adventure. The book
I am studying is “Lirael”, a recent book written by Australian author
Garth Nix. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring”,
directed by Peter Jackson is the film that I am analysing.
There are many, definite trends to ghost stories, no matter what the
novel is about. They are all usually set in remote areas and are about
haunting. Death is usually common in scary stories also. Dense fog
creates mysteriousness in the ghost genre and scary stories. It is not
just used in books, but is a frequent trick displayed in films.
The Langoliers is a gripping novel about a flight from L.A. to Boston,
where the passengers somehow disappear when the plane is caught in a
time warp, and pilot Brian Engle is left on his own, attempting to
land the stray flight.
“Brian peered out of the cockpit window. Outside, all that was visible
were peaks of the Rocky Mountains, which were engulfed in a dense,
dark fog.”
The above quote is used by writer Stephen King to make the reader
believe that the plane is now completely lost as the pilot cannot see
any landmarks to pinpoint where he is!
In the film “The Others” mist is constantly used when snapshots of
the outside of the house are shown to create an eerie atmosphere. This
works very well as it looks like the mansion is in the middle of
nowhere and that the inhabitants are trapped inside, because if...
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...the “L.O.T.R.” Merry and Pippin (two
hobbits) are captured, Boromir is slain by an Orc and Frodo and Sam
leave and decide to complete their task alone.
In “Lirael” Sameth realizes that his friend Nicholas has been captured
by Hedge and sets off to find him, ending the book on a cliff-hanger!
I have found that, like Ghost stories, the Fantasy Genre has certain
trends too. There are two sides, good and evil, the main characters
are usually on quests and have a companion, and the weather matches
the mood of people involved in the story. Also, in both “Lirael” of
course the “L.O.T.R.” magic is used frequently. ‘Train of thought’ is
not used often though as so much is happening in the novel.
To summarise although all stories within a certain Genre are totally
contrasting, they are similar in their sentence structure, characters,
and of course… storyline.
Gothic literature and magical realism are similar because they have a spooky feel to them. In Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where is Here” the brother believes that something or someone has moved into their house which happens multiple times in this story. Another instance is when the brother and the sister have to move out and leave all the belongs behind. TFor example, o prove the The theory of someone takexing over the house on a page page thirty-nine paragraph six it states that “...when I heard something in the library or dining room” (#). Tthis showsn that the family is hearing something strange in the rooms. However, in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is indistinguishable because it takes place in a house and something weird
The basic ideas of the two novels are also similar. They have to do with rebellion against the so-called perfect new world and the sanctuary
Pictured on the back cover of the comic book "Ghost World," by Daniel Clowes, are the two main characters of the book in full color. This strikingly significant image, surely shrugged off by most Clowes' readers, represents worlds of diversity within the frames of the book. Sporting pink spandex pants underneath her goldfinch yellow skirt and a blue t-shirt to match perfectly, Enid seems to live her life outside the bubble. She's a very dynamic girl, especially interested in her surroundings and people around her. On the other hand, Becky is dressed like a "typical" girl, with a long black skirt and a white blouse, thus representing her conforming presence in the world. Becky is much more passive than Enid, going with the flow of things just living life. The contrasting personalities of Enid and Becky come ironically, being best friends. However, it brings out their defining qualities in the comic book while quietly calling attention to the values of life, what is real and what is not.
An interesting aspect of the story is that it incorporates an actual location and history into a ghost story: it is intriguing because the mysterious events occur in an accessible place that people can go and visit.
Given the title of this work, you may mistakenly believe (as did at least one prior owner of the book copy I had read from, if their annotations are any indication) that this is a literal investigation into all things paranormal and society’s investment of that which goes bump in the night. In “Ghostly Matters: Hauntings and the Sociological Imagination”, Avery F. Gordon offers academics and ethnographers – those whose profession it is to unearth the secreted relationships between the signifier and the signified, the subject and object, the real and unreal - a disturbing ghost story that should leave those of us in the field who came claim these titles with both the deepest of darkest chills and, through a new method of revealing and acknowledging the ghosts we feel, the hope for something akin to redemption. (In this way, perhaps, Gordon accomplishes many of the same feats as Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe).
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet’s father is intended to be seen as a real ghost. Around 1600, when the play Hamlet was written, many people believed in mystical creatures like witches, monsters, and most importantly: ghosts. With so many people believing in these characters, it makes sense that Shakespeare portrays the ghost of Hamlet’s father as a real figure. Many examples support this, such as when the guards in Act I scene i see the ghost, which proves it’s not just in Hamlet’s imagination. But some people can not see the ghost, such as Hamlet’s mother in Act III scene iiiii. Hamlet sees the ghost but she can not. This could be used as evidence to say the ghost is not real though. Shakespeare shows us though this information, the high complications oh having ghosts in a story.
Stephen King believes that we are naturally attracted to the horror genre because we can identify with it to some degree and it is also considered a challenge by some to be able to withstand horror. I find it slightly unsettling that to some degree we are all insane according to King, however, I find this to be very believable.
...ce, although both writings are interesting in their own ways, the most interesting aspect of both writings together is that they both have a similar plot and theme. It is rare that two
Blood. Some people love it some people hate it, Tim Burton loves it. The movie Sleepy Hollow is very gory, bloody and more eerie than the text because the viewer is actually seeing in real life the dark descriptions of what is going on and get the goosebumps, and chills down their spine, which some actually love. Readers get none of that when reading “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. When is the last time you heard someone jump out of their seats in terror when reading a book, movies are what get the viewers
works that had emerged from it, has become a part of our lives. It's a
With the recent technological advances, ghost hunters have been able to find more ghosts and search better than before. Embracing this new technology can provide us great insight into the world of the ghosts by showing us how strong they are, what kind of energy they use, and how they look like. Science has given ghost hunters the technology, now ghost hunters can apply it to their trade.
The atmosphere of each novel plays a significant role in setting the scene for the ensuing horror to evolve. The atmosphere in each novel is different; the horror in each novel is different
Have you ever had any paranormal experiences in your life? Did you feel like you were being watched, or see weird things? If you think you had ghostly experiences, then you might have. Only 43% percent of Americans believe that ghosts are real. The reason why I think it is that low is because many people gave false reports, and peoplestoped believing in spirits. For centuries people believed that flames turned blue in the presence of a ghost.
The question is whether it is possible to distinguish between fantasy and true science fiction. I am reminded of the analogy, attributable I believe, to Theodore Sturgeon, of the elf ascending vertically the side of a brick wall. In a science fiction story the knees of the elf would be bent, his center of gravity thrown forward, his stocking cap hanging down his neck, with his feet quite possibly equipped with some form of suction cups. In a fantasy, on the other hand, the elf would simply stride up the wall in a normal walking posture, with his stocking cap standing straight out from his brow. What is the difference between these scenarios? The typical answer is that the science fiction story must play by the implicit rules of the universe; in this instance, gravitation. Fantasy, however, need not "tip its hat" to the Law of Universal Gravitation the story can bend the rules in which gives it the fantasy genre.
This essay will be examining the genre of Horror, its conventions and origins. A dark genre that aims to unsettle. Wholly unique in the aspect that traditionally film often attempts to lull the audience into a comfortable sense of detachment. A voyeuristic element of disconnect from the screen, yet Horror's appeal is it's aim to immerse. Mise en scéne, the use of lighting and sound all common film techniques. Used to play upon the audience's most basic instinct, fear.