Essay

Instead of conforming to this perception, people were only led to believe the word to mean “dark and ominous”. Gothic architecture, with the foreboding atmosphere posed around it, correlates with the Gothic novel because it has been a prevalent backdrop to gothic novels in the 19th century, such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. These Gothic horror stories were some of the first examples of the horror genre, and are therefore vital for the understanding this field. In its historical context, the gothic horror genre is believed to have emerged as a response to a time of rational thought, the Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. This intellectual movement a... ... middle of paper ... ...tablished in the modern horror genre, thus it is practical to observe the archetypes of the Gothic novel as well.

One great American Gothic story written by Poe is The Tell Tale Heart. What makes this story Gothic/creepy is how the narrator describes the old man 's eye. Also the fact that the narrator is constantly thinking of killing the old man because of his eyes. Then again he still wants the reader to believe that he is not insane for having these thoughts. And that he has a legitimate reason behind his own crazy reasoning.

Fear is a guiding force in both the short stories and the fixation the main characters with it only leads to their demise. With both terror and the supernatural being common conventions in most gothic fiction Gothic Fiction is a popular genre of literature that’s aim is to combine horror, fiction and romanticism. It originated in 18th century England and was said to have been founded through Horace Walpole’s novel “The Castle of Otranto” (Hughes). He claimed it to be a “found” medieval manuscript which added to its popular, although he later admitted it was a lie (Hughes). This mode of literature appears to have sprung out from Gothic architecture... ... middle of paper ... ...th possess conventions commonly demonstrated in gothic fiction surrounding setting, atmosphere and theme.

The tone and the felling of the story should be mysterious that will lead to suspense and fear. Poe is not like other authors who end their stories with a happy ending; rather the ending to his work is gruesome and usually does not give the reader closure. Due to his uniqueness of writing, critics placed him “in the first rank of American artist” (Rahn). Common themes of Poe’s work consist of murder, revenge, and insanity. “The Tell Tale-Heart” is one of his most popular Gothic writings where the narrator fights to prove his sanity rather his innocence.

Edgar Allen Poe was an English short-story writer whose work reflects the traditional Gothic conventions of the time that subverted the ambivalence of the grotesque and arabesque. Through thematic conventions of the Gothic genre, literary devices and his own auteur, Edgar Allan Poe’s texts are considered sublime examples of Gothic fiction. The Gothic genre within Poe’s work such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Raven, arouse the pervasive nature of the dark side of individualism and the resulting encroachment of insanity. Gothic tales are dominated by fear and terror and explore the themes of death and decay. The Gothic crosses boundaries into the realm of the unknown, arousing extremes of emotion through the catalyst of disassociation and subversion of presence.

However the story takes a gothic twist and due to alcoholism... ... middle of paper ... ...the time of their publication. However people could not resist the lure of an ‘escape’ offered by the gothic novels and short fictions, the exploration of the horrifying consequences that could be brought around by the new science of the time such as in the stories ‘The Lifted Veil’ and ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, which then could lead on to novels such as ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ and ‘The Black Cat’ both of which feature a character descending into madness, a ‘illness’ much feared at the time. Novels like ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘The Lifted Veil’ also offer the idea of the ‘supernatural’, something that fascinated the Victorians as well as instilled fear in them. Overall, in my opinion, the elements of gothic in fiction sensationalised the stories being told and created an allure that was irresistible both to the Victorians and the modern reader today.

The tone and the feeling of his stories are mysterious that lead to suspense and fear. Poe is not like other authors who end their stories with a happy ending; rather the ending to his work is gruesome and usually does not give the reader closure. Due to his uniqueness of writing, critics placed him “in the first rank of American artist” (Rahn). Common themes of Poe’s work consist of murder, revenge, and insanity. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is one of his most popular Gothic writings where the narrator fights to prove his sanity rather his innocence.

It is a study of paranoia and mental deterioration. First of all, he combines the narrator and the protagonist. Poe writes this story from the perspective of the murderer of the old man. When an author creates a situation where the protagonist tells a personal account, the general shock of the story is sharp. The narrator, in this particular story, adds to the effect of horror by continually stressing to the reader that he is not mad, and tries to convince us of that fact by how carefully this brutal crime was planned and executed..

In the late 18th and early 19th century, gothic ways of living were very common in the Eastern part of Europe, especially in the medieval times. A convention can be described as a standard feature or an ingredient of a particular sort of writing and in Dracula Bram stoker uses many Gothic conventions to excite the reader. Bram Stoker uses many Gothic conventions throughout his novel in forms of journeys and quests, the use of diaries, letters and journals, sinister buildings and most importantly strange creatures. Stoker also relies heavily on the conventions of Gothic fiction, a genre that was extremely popular in the early nineteenth century. Gothic fiction traditionally includes elements such as gloomy castles, sublime landscapes, and innocent maidens threatened by indescribable evil.

The romanticized view of Gothic literature has influenced many by its gloomy atmosphere of metaphorical elements. Gothic Literature, also known as Gothic Horror, combines elements of horror, romanticism, and supernatural events. The beginning of Gothic Literature began in the 18th century “during the medieval times” where it was “a strong source of inspiration” , which influenced many of the authors setting choices such as the use of castles and monasteries. Horace Walpole, author of The Castle of Otranto, is known to be the first author of Gothic Romance making “use of the medieval Gothic architecture styles and design” (Lad 1). Differentiating from other genres of novels, Gothic novel express emotions of isolation, fear, despair, and suspense.