Representations of Gothic Power in Karl Freund’s Mad Love (1935)
In Karl Freund’s 1935 film, Mad Love, many themes of Gothicism are addressed, such as the dichotomy of science and supernaturalism, the romance of suffering and the intrigue of insanity. However, one particular theme—power through means of superiority—is addressed in thorough detail. In defining this power, Freund specifically utilizes the motifs of sadism, helplessness, and human destruction. Dr. Gogol embodies these motifs as he attempts to win the love of Yvonne, not through courtship, but rather through the use of his self-assigned superiority. In staying true to the history of Gothic art, Dr. Gogol overestimates his supremacy, and ultimately loses his life as the victim of his own destruction.
Sadism, the most persistent aspect of power in the film, has been a significant feature of Gothic literature and art. As stated by the American critic Mark Edmundson, “you cannot have Gothic without a cruel hero-villain; without a cringing victim; and without a terrible place…in which the drama can unfold” (Davenport-Hines, 8). This description of sadism is witnessed in the character of Dr. Gogol, the only person capable of both saving and destroying the heroine, Yvonne Orlac. As the film opens, the audience is presented with an overt depiction of Dr. Gogol’s incessant passion for Yvonne in the Theater of Horrors. As Yvonne is being brutally tortured on the stage, Dr. Gogol watches intently from his private box, partially obscured by the dark curtain. This initial representation cues the audience to identify Dr. Gogol as a particularly sinister individual. After the play ends and Dr. Gogol is recognized as a regular attendee of the theater, it becomes clear that this performance and its leading actress constitute Dr. Gogol’s infatuation with sadistic pleasures.
After Stephen Orlac loses his hands, Dr. Gogol realizes his position of power over Yvonne. As such, he personally indulges in sadistic behavior by secretly transplanting the murderer’s hands onto Stephen’s body, and once realizing the dangerous potential of the new hands, he does nothing to stop it. Rather, he manically rejoices in his creation and eventually exploits his medical position by framing Stephen for murder. Not only is Dr. Gogol pleased with the destruction he has caused, he appears to also be aroused after admitting to himself that he has killed Stephen’s father. This overwhelming presence of sadism in Dr. Gogol’s obsession with Yvonne is employed not simply to win her love, but to exert an inescapable power over her.
While literature often follows some pattern and can be predictable, it is often evolving and can change in an instant depending on the author. In most Gothic literature, a derivative of Romanticism, there is a gothic space in the work – a limited space in which anything can happen in contrast to the normal world in the work. In addition, normally, order is restored at the end of Gothic literature – the good is rewarded and the bad is punished. In his Gothic novella, The Terrible Vengeance (1981), Nicolai Gogol decided to expand the ‘normal’ idea of Gothic literature by, in the work, transforming the traditional Gothic space to encompass anything and everything; in addition to the use of space, through the ending in which there is no reward, Gogol conveyed the idea that evil is prevalent everywhere and in everyone.
Morgan, J. The biology of horror: gothic literature and film. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2002.
Due to King’s strange and frightening style of writing, the reader is left on the edge since they don't know what to expect when reading the literature of this unusual character. For example, in the text of, “Strawberry Spring”, the story begins in a normal and mellow tone until suddenly a fog hits. The next day the newspapers were drowned with the news that a woman, “had been murdered by her boyfriend”(King, “Strawberry Spring” 2). Accordingly, these actions are very frightening not only because they were unsuspected, but because they were performed by one lover to another. Also, the result of this horrifying incident is what we all dread, and that is death. As a result, this traumatising incident is “daring our nightmares”(King, “Why We Crave Horror, 1). Moreover, this story by King abides by his claim that we all view horror as a way to face our fears, and to show that we are not
Throughout the years, Gothic literature has developed to be a mirror representation of what the beliefs and thoughts of the time were. The Gothic has a tendency to express beliefs towards the socioeconomic, political and religious situations and grievances of the time. Many texts express this, some including Edgar Allen Poe’s The House of Usher and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, to then allow for the general public – at least those who were literate – to, subconsciously, understand the environment around them without being too direct. This gave the writers of the time a new channel, through this ge...
It is said that this book is considered as one of the most famous horror novels, if not the most famous one. The Gothic descriptions in the novel are very prominent at the beginning. The portrayal of the countryside of Transylvania, of the ruined Dracula Castle, etc, all provide the effect of horror in the sense of spooky and gloomy atmosphere, which you can obtain close at hand. Everything is so obvious. The originally beautiful scenes are changed by the writer¡¯s magnification of some specific details which provide certain effect on the readers. All of the above reminds how one¡¯s personal feelings can alter their attitudes towards what they see or what they experience. Sometimes when you are sad, everything look so depressing. It is like the whole world is against you. The sunset could be a fantastic scene when you are filled with joy but an extra source of sorrow when you are not in the mood. Harker is separated from her lovely fianc¨¦e to meet some foreign count in the exotic and unknown eastern world.
American Romanticism can be strongly defined through its use of Gothic elements. Webster’s defines gothic as "of or relating to a style of fiction characterized by the use of desolate or remote settings and macabre, mysterious, or violent incidents" (529). Pre-American Romantic writers, such as Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards, do not tend towards the gothic in their writings of religion and religious elements. Although God is mysterious to both writers, they maintain certain characteristics and aspects expected of them and their religion. They keep their texts true to their beliefs. However, Mary Rowlandson begins a transition phase for the writers of this period. She begins to view God and religion in a darker and /more mysterious manner. By the time James Fenimore Cooper is writing, he blurs religion between two different religions. The Christian and the Indian God becomes mixed, along with their heaven. Whereas the earlier writers tend to understand and accept their God, the writers in the American Romantic period re-create their God adding a gothic twist to their religion and beliefs.
While examining nineteenth-century female monster, Susanne Beacker reveals that she remains a mere idea, a “voiceless textual object” in women’s gothic texts whose happy endings close to the retribution and exorcism of the monstrous woman and the entrapment of the heroine in the patriarchal system (72). In this context, DeLamotte contends that:
Spector, Robert Donald. Introduction. Seven Masterpieces of Gothic Horror. New York: Bantam, 1963. 1-12. Tillyard, E.M.W. Myth and the English Mind. New York: Collier Books, 1961.
Word by word, gothic literature is bound to be an immaculate read. Examining this genre for what it is could be essential to understanding it. “Gothic” is relating to the extinct East Germanic language, people of which known as the Goths. “Literature” is defined as a written work, usually with lasting “artistic merit.” Together, gothic literature combines the use of horror, death, and sometimes romance. Edgar Allan Poe, often honored with being called the king of horror and gothic poetry, published “The Fall of House Usher” in September of 1839. This story, along with many other works produced by Poe, is a classic in gothic literature. In paragraph nine in this story, one of our main characters by the name of Roderick Usher,
Romantic literature, as Kathy Prendergast further claims, highlighted things like splendor, greatness, vividness, expressiveness, intense feelings of passion, and stunning beauty. The Romantic literary genre favored “parts” over “whole” and “content” over “form”. The writer argues that though both the Romantic literary genre and the Gothic art mode were medieval in nature, they came to clash with what was called classical conventions. That’s why, preoccupations with such things as the supernatural, the awful, the dreadful, the repulsive and the grotesque were the exclusive focus of the nineteenth century Gothic novel. While some critics perceived the Gothic as a sub-genre of Romanticism, some others saw it as a genre in its own right (Prendergast).
The Marquis de Sade led a lifestyle that disgusted some but influenced others. “This was a life, then, of swashbuckling adventure, narrow escapes, wild abandon, and bloody crime” (Lever, introduction on front flap). He is famous for coining the term “sadism” from his known love for sexual violence in his own life and literature. The Marquis’ own libertine values, which allowed for him to escape the moral restraints of law and religion, allowed for his life and works of literature to challenge censorship.
The themes of the gothic and supernatural are two of the main themes in both Jane Eyre and Turn of the Screw. However, there are traits of mental illness or madness found in both protagonists in James’ and Bronte’s novels along with Bertha Mason. Both authors present these themes to the reader in a number of ways.
All dramatic productions feature the elements of drama. Following a viewing of the scene ‘Someone’s crying’ from the 1993 movie ‘The Secret Garden’ three of the elements of drama have been assessed. Role, character and relationships have been utilised in ‘The Secret Garden’ to create anxiety and suspense, enticing the viewer to solve the mysteries the Secret Garden presents. The protagonist in the scene is a young girl, around the age of ten who during the night leaves her room to explore her residence. The protagonist narrates the scene; she begins by stating that the ‘house seems dead like under a spell’. This makes the viewer anxious and fearful for the safety of our young protagonist. The protagonist is brave. She pushes open a door and
There is one known very influential writing style called Gothic Literature. It is not only considered to involve the horror or gothic element but is combined with romance, superstition, women in distress, omens, portents, vision and supernatural events to name a few (Beesly). The history and beginning of this era is not well known. From a few writers came this writing style that has impacted the world. A famous artists known for this type of writing is a man named Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote many short stories and poems that include horror, gothic, and romance just mentioned.
In conclusion the use of language is used cleverly to establish the dark miserable setting and explores each character’s features amazingly well ‘with face so distorted and pale’. The writer’s use of language manipulates the reader’s sympathies; personally in my view Nancy’s horrific murder provokes the most empathy and pity because she is the one staring into the face of her murderer.