Similarities Between Frankenstein And The Fall Of The House Of Usher

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Authors of gothic novels use very similar conventions and techniques to convey suspense and horror. This is evident in the novels, Frankenstein and The Fall Of The House Of Usher written by Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe respectively. Both narratives use gothic conventions to make the audience feel a sense of trepidation and suspense. Stylistic features that are constant throughout the two texts are settings, symbolism and misogyny. One way that both authors induce fear and suspense is through a range of settings. Gothic horrors typically use vast external terrain that is difficult to traverse. An example of this is in Poe’s novel where the mansion is described as ‘ the dreary house on the edge of a cliff over a black lake surrounded by …show more content…

The weather is used as a pathetic fallacy to represent the mood of the characters. This is evident when Shelley writes ‘The darkness and storms increased every minute and the thunder bursts with a terrific crash… KRAKKA-DOOM!’ This demonstrates Frankenstein’s mood according to the presence of the monster and the onomatopoeia is used to intensify the scene and familiarize the reader’s senses. Gothic novels exploit the terrifying power of sound to evoke emotion and suspense. The reader is able to associate unfortunate events with depraved weather therefore, if a storm or lightening occurs, the readers suspicion arouses. This is evident before Henry’ s murder, “My only resource was to drive before the wind. I had no compass and the sun was of little benefit to me”, identifies that something bad will happen. In Poe’s novel, we notice that the ‘crack widened rapidly and then the wind suddenly blew’ reinforcing the symbolism of weather coinciding with unfortunate events. The beginning of the latter quote describes ‘the very thin crack’ that represents the disruption in the unity of the family. This is the disruption that ultimately tears the family and the mansion in a supernatural occurrence. This demonstrates how authors use reoccurring themes to represent different ideas and

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