Le Fanu's Depiction and Conceptualization of the English-Irish Struggle

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The present paper aims to discuss Joseph Le Fanu’s “The Murdered Cousin” as representative of what Nordius refers to as the “Colonial Gothic”. My hypothesis is that Le Fanu’s short story is not merely a simple exercise in aesthetics; instead, it is a conscious effort on the part of the author to depict and conceptualize the English-Irish struggle. In fact, it was this pioneering spark that led to the inception of an altogether new genre. I hope to demonstrate that weaved within Le Fanu’s text, are the fine threads of colonial issues. This comprehensive explanatory mode of story telling was infused with an all-round entirety of narration, locale and the milieu that was aptly suitable for the conveyance of the genre of the ‘dark fiction’. Never before was the reader so enthralled with the combined elements of the modus operandi employed by the writer as now. The impact on the mind and on the stance of the readers was unquestionably like one not registered previously. Gothic narrative became a vehicle which colonial writers could use to convey a political message in a seemingly “innocent” way. In the present paper, the approaches of Fred Botting and David Punter will be adopted. Both writers helped initiate a modern and extended view of Gothic Literature. This view was first introduced in the 1800's by Marquis de Sade. De Sade claimed there was an association between the instability of the Gothic form and the political and social turmoil of Europe (Napier 44). Botting and Punter stress the importance of the historical period in which the Gothic emerged. According to both critics the genre was addressing the contemporary scene and ultimately, dealt with the concerns of their times (Nordius 2). In his definition of Got... ... middle of paper ... ...ollows: “This story of the Irish peerage is written, as nearly as possible, in the very words in which it was related by its 'heroine', the late Countess D___, and is therefore told in the first person.” (1) Works Cited Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan. “The Murdered Cousin” March 2006 http://shortstoryclassics.50megs.com/lefanucousin.html Miles, Robert. Gothic Writing 1750-1820: A Genealogy. New York: Manchester UP, 2002. “Imperialism”. Feb. 22 1999. March 2006. http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/gothic/imperial.html. Campbell, D. “Gothic, Novel, and Romance: Brief Definitions”. May 2005. March. 2006. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/novel.htm Nordius, Janina. “A Tale of Other Places: Sophia Lee’s The Recess and Colonial Gothic”. Studies in the Novel. Vol :34, Issue: 2. University of North Texas, (2002): p. 162+.

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