Southern Gothic Genre Essay
analytical Essay
1204 words
The Complexity of the Southern Gothic Genre Southern Gothic represents a grotesque and dark era that occurred in the American South after the Civil war. Many authors explored the many elements of this genre and its used to give a mysterious and gloomy aura to short stories. This genre creates suspense and mystery, but also reflects on social issues that were relevant in the early 19th century. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor and A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner are both examples of how dynamic southern gothic is. O’Connor and Faulkner capture some of the many aspects of this genre by elaborating about the hardships of love, revealing irony within the stories, and by depicting how society is so quick to judge others. “A Rose for Emily” happens to be a story set in the south during a time where women were supposed to be classy and care for their families. Emily did not fit in because she had little to no encounters with the opposite sex. Mr. …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the complexity of the southern gothic genre, which reflects on social issues relevant in the early 19th century. flannery o'connor and william faulkner capture the many aspects of this genre.
- Analyzes how "a rose for emily" was set in the south during a time when women were supposed to be classy and care for their families.
- Analyzes how "a good man is hard to find" uses love and sympathy to attempt to save a life.
- Analyzes how faulkner utilized irony quite a bit in "a rose for emily".
- Analyzes how "a good man is hard to find" includes many examples of irony given by the grandmother.
- Analyzes how faulkner's "a rose for emily" occurred in a town transitioning to becoming modernized. the town people thought it was wrong and didn't understand what they were doing.
- Analyzes how the grandmother in "a good man is hard to find" is a hypocritical human being who lectures about good manners to her family and to others.
- Explains that southern gothic is a genre in its own lane and is unlike any other. it expresses the drama, horror, and violence that occurred after the civil war.
The grandmother seemed to be a typical religious southern woman, but so happens to an evil person. She always speaks about beliefs, but does not follow them. She judges strangers and makes many hypocritical statements. Unfortunately, the family encounters a serial killer named the Misfit while on a road trip. After her family is murdered, the grandmother thinks that by manipulating the Misfit and using love will save her life. Knowing that her life may end at any moment, the Grandmother begins to show love to the Misfit: “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” She attempts to coax him, but love is the thing that seals her fate. The Misfit shoots her dead and she dies with a smile on her face. Love is complicated and it can have a negative or positive outcome in certain circumstances. As a final point, this genre depicts the horror individuals will go to when their hearts are being toyed
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- Female Gothic Essayanalytical essayFemale Characters in Gothic Texts Gothic Literature, otherwise also called Gothic horror, is a genre of literature that combines fiction, horror and Romanticism. It originated from an English author Horace Walpole’s novel The Castle of Otranto. The name Gothic refers to the (pseudo)-medieval buildings, similar to the church or castle, in which most of the stories take place, as in the original Castle of Otranto. This extreme form of romanticism was very popular in England and Germany.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gothic literature combines fiction, horror, and romanticism. it originated from horace walpole's novel the castle of otranto.
- Analyzes how the relationship between women and the gothic focuses on works of gothic literature mostly by women authors. the controversial gothic novels depicted the changes of the women’s role in society.
- Explains that gothic fiction has divided the females into innocent and trembling victims or shameless and dangerous predators. the mad woman in jane eyre is a symbol of gothic feminism.
- Analyzes how female characters play a significant, but sometimes vague, role in gothic literature. they may present the battle between the sexes, explore sexual aggression and illicit desires or male fantasy.
598 wordsRead More - Comparison of A Rose for Emily and The Yellow Wallpaperanalytical essayIn A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner tells the story as if a narrator who appears to be a citizen of the town with plenty of knowledge of the situation. The town is described as a once wealthy area inhabited by people that held proper disciplined principles and maintained good values in the community, but as every other town, it aged over time, and lost its values. The main character of the story is Mrs. Emily Grierson. Emily has secluded herself from others in town, and it wasn't until Emily’s passing that everyone knew the reality that existed in her life. Emily was once the beautiful daughter of a respectable family. However, Emily's father is extremely overprotective and unable to consider any man good enough to marry his daughter. Because of her father’s overwhelming insecurity Emily was never able to socialize with others in town, and prevented her from finding true love, marrying or having a chance of living a normal and productive life. After her father's death, Emily, now an older woman living with nothing but the family home and the families name, struggles to accept the realit...
In this essay, the author
- Compares william faulkner's "a rose for emily" and charlotte perkins gilman’s “the yellow wallpaper.” both stories are about the emotional and psychological experiences of two women living in a reclusive environment.
- Analyzes how william faulkner's a rose for emily tells the story as if a narrator had plenty of knowledge of the situation. the main character, mrs. emily grierson, has secluded herself from others in town.
- Analyzes how the narrator portrays emily as a stubborn and irritating old woman demanding to live her life on her own terms. the town is now subject to gossip and speculation because the now reclusive emily meets homer barron.
- Analyzes how the narrator in charlotte perkins gilman's "the yellow wallpaper" suffers from nervous depression and excessive worrying.
- Describes how the narrator describes her fixation with the yellow wallpaper and how she begins to worsen, having thoughts of people walking through the hallways, and people appearing from the dark.
- Compares the similarities of both stories, except for the particular that each of s depicts. both women seem to be around the same age and suffer from a mental illness.
957 wordsRead More - Point Of Viewanalytical essayWilliam Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily” is considered a great story not only for its dark, almost morbid plotline, but also for its unique and interesting point of view. Faulkner’s distinct use of the first person point of view, through the eyes of one narrator illustrating generations of townspeople’s thoughts, provides an insight into Emily’s life that can not be replicated by any other perspective. The story spans three generations and includes the opinions and outlooks of both male and female townspeople, as well as people young and old, making Faulkner’s successful use of a single narrator to express the collective beliefs of all of the townspeople impressive. Had Faulkner set up the story around any other narration, the character composed of the conglomerated thoughts of all the townspeople wouldn’t exist and the confessional tone created through the narrator’s gossip would not be portrayed. The narrator conveys the eternal view of Emily’s life by what her acquaintances see and think, providing a stance that is necessary to the central idea that it is a part of human nature to assume the worst about someone who lives a withdrawn life.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how william faulkner's "a rose for emily" is considered a great story for its dark, almost morbid plotline and unique and interesting point of view. the story spans three generations and includes opinions and outlooks of both male and female townspeople.
- Analyzes how faulkner created a unique point of view that defines the idea that people are more likely to listen to or create rumors about someone who conceals their personal life.
- Analyzes how the narrator represents multiple generations of the townspeople, including the children and grandchildren of people who were emily's age.
- Analyzes how the narrator insinuates that emily refuses to pay her taxes because she doesn't want to, but the reader never gets to know her side of the story in any situation.
- Analyzes how the central idea in "a rose for emily" is one that should be understood well by most people. everyone in emily's town had a notion toward her that had been established pretty early in her life.
- Analyzes how emily was fighting some personal demons deeper than just being an old lady with a bad attitude. emily probably went insane in her solitude, or was maybe so lonely that she felt that homer’s body was worth keeping.
- Analyzes how faulkner exposes a familiar idea in "a rose for emily" in an individual and unlike any other story. the unusual point of view makes the tone, characters, and central ideas incomparable to other stories.
- Analyzes how the narrator's opinion of emily is based almost entirely on others' opinions because she isn't given much opportunity to explain herself.
1527 wordsRead More - Literary Devices of Gothic Literatureanalytical essayGothic literature was developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth century of the Gothic era when war and controversy was too common. It received its name after the Gothic architecture that was becoming a popular trend in the construction of buildings. As the buildings of daunting castles and labyrinths began, so did the beginning foundation of Gothic literature. The construction of these buildings will later become an obsession with Gothic authors. For about 300 years before the Renaissance period, the construction of these castles and labyrinths continued, not only in England, but also in Gothic stories (Landau 2014). Many wars and controversies, such as the Industrial Revolution and Revolutionary War, were happening at this time, causing the Gothic literature to thrive (“Gothic Literature” 2011). People were looking for an escape from the real world and the thrill that Gothic literature offered was exactly what they needed. Gothic literature focuses on the horrors and the dark sides to the human brain, such as in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein. Gothic literature today, as well as in the past, has been able to separate itself apart from other types of literature with its unique literary devices used to create fear and terror within the reader.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gothic literature developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth century of the gothic era when war and controversy was too common.
- Analyzes how the blending of terror and romance in gothic literature was used to attract and entice the reader into the story.
- Explains that the themes in gothic literature deal with the struggle between the good and the evil. the second self, also known as schizophrenic, is common with characters having a split personality.
- Explains that gothic literature has a theme that includes ruin and decay in the story. the scenery portrays the dread and sorrow that the reader will feel when they come into contact with it.
- Analyzes how the story line in gothic literature creates and shows desires, terrors, and fears within the character and the reader.
- Explains that gothic literature has a mix of romance and twists to lure in the reader's attention.
- Analyzes the role of the villain, women in need of help, and the hero in gothic literature.
1438 wordsRead More - Elements of Southern Gothic Literatureanalytical essayElements of Southern Gothic Literature Literature comes in all types of styles and one type is Southern Gothic. But what makes a story develop into this type of Southern Gothic style? There are many characteristics that are apparent in literature, so what conditions are distinct that would give them the term Southern Gothic literature? What kind of elements do we call for when trying to find this type of literature?
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how faulkner's "a rose for emily" is influenced by southern gothic. emily is described as bloated like a body submerged in motionless water, and kept her father’s body in the house for three days.
- Analyzes how flannery o'connor's "good country people" is true southern gothic literature. joy, who later changed her name to helga, has bad eyesight and a bad heart. manley pointer steals her leg, glasses, and almost her love.
- Analyzes how o'connor's "a good man is hard to find" shows the grotesque elements of southern gothic.
- Examines three stories written by two well-known authors known for their southern gothic literature and finds many similarities in each story.
- Explains that southern gothic literature is based on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot, and the setting is an eerie, unusual place.
1294 wordsRead More - A Rose For Emily Literary Analysisanalytical essay“A Rose for Emily” is a short story written by William Cuthbert Faulkner. “A Rose for Emily” takes place after the civil war era, around the same time Faulkner wrote it. Faulkner wrote the story during this time period because he grew up listening to civil war stories told by his elders, mainly his grandfather. These stories his grandfather told him inspired him to write “A Rose for Emily.” The story was written about a woman whom he never married. Faulkner did marry, but it was later in his life because he had to wait ten years for the love his of life to return to him. His wife divorced her first husband ten years after Faulkner proposed to her. She was not allowed to marry him at first because her family did not approve of his social
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how william cuthbert faulkner's "a rose for emily" takes place after the civil war era, around the same time he wrote it.
- Analyzes how faulkner painted miss emily grierson as a bizarre character with many underlining meanings of her personality that could infer to his own persona.
- Analyzes how the psychology approach of emily and faulkner in "a rose for emily" relates to his use of alcohol to deal with rejection of his true love and publishers turning down his stories.
- Compares faulkner's "a rose for emily" and his irony of marrying estelle, who was born into the upper class of society.
- Analyzes how emily was pitied by the town people in the story. she prevented her housekeeper from ever peaking into the room where she kept homer, and never was arrested for paying her taxes.
- Analyzes how faulkner's last sentence in "a rose for emily" is humorous because the town folk had been to thoughtless to ever check up on emily.
1694 wordsRead More - A Rose For Emily And The Yellow Wallpaper Comparison Essayanalytical essayIn “A Rose for Emily” Emily's father is overprotective and gives up on the idea of any man being good enough for his daughter, keeping her from finding true love and living her own life. It is a story of loneliness, feelings of being controlled, and depression. Until after her father's death, Emily, left with nothing but their home, that seems to symbolize the old south itself as it "had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies.” Emily refuses to accept the fact of her father's passing. Soon enough, Emily meets Homer Barron, a man holding a temporary contract to work in the town. Several town members notice the time Emily and Homer spend together and assume they will marry with no hesitation. As time goes by, nobody has seen Ho...
In this essay, the author
- Compares william faulkner and charlotte perkins gilman's "a rose for emily" and "the yellow wallpaper." both stories have similarities in setting, symbolism, and characterization.
- Analyzes how emily's father is overprotective and keeps her from finding true love and living her own life.
- Analyzes how "the yellow wallpaper" illustrates the fight for individuality by a woman in an oppressed environment.
- Analyzes how both stories give off an unexpected twist, each woman helps to make each title into an object of either denial or exception. s' individual points of view resulted into the concerning of their surroundings.
746 wordsRead More - Symbolism In A Rose For Emilyanalytical essayA Rose for Emily is a southern gothic short story about an elderly woman stuck in her ways. When we are first introduced to Emily it is at her funeral where the entire town has come to falsely pay their respects. The men only went to Emily’s funeral because they viewed her as a fallen monument and the women only went out of curiosity to peer inside Emily’s house, which had been closed up to the world and shrouded in mystery for decades. Throughout the story, the narrator gradually describes Emily’s descent into madness and her unwillingness to accept the change happening around her. The central theme of A Rose for Emily focuses on the never-ending battle between tradition and change, which is expertly portrayed by William Faulkner’s use of
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how a rose for emily is a southern gothic short story about an elderly woman stuck in her ways. the central theme focuses on the never-ending battle between tradition and change.
- Analyzes how william faulkner chose a time period that was crucial for america. emily's neighborhood and house are examples of setting.
- Analyzes how faulkner uses emily's house, death, and emily herself as symbols of tradition and change.
- Analyzes how faulkner riddled emily's character with examples of change, including a conversation between the sheriff and the newer members of the board of aldermen.
- Analyzes how faulkner contrasted emily's traditionalism with the townspeople desire for change.
- Analyzes how william faulkner craftily wrote a rose for emily, a timeless tale that illustrates the continual battle between tradition and change.
1274 wordsRead More - William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily : Her Father is to Blameanalytical essayWilliam Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily tells a story of a young woman who is violated by her father’s strict mentality. After being the only man in her life Emily’s father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Like her father Emily possesses a stubborn outlook towards life, and she refused to change. While having this attitude about life Emily practically secluded herself from society for the remainder of her life. She was alone for the very first time and her reaction to this situation was solitude.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how william faulkner's a rose for emily tells the story of a young woman who is violated by her father’s strict mentality.
- Analyzes how the story takes place during the reconstruction era from the late 1800's to the early 1900’s in jefferson, mississippi.
- Analyzes how the town grew a great deal of sympathy towards emily, although she never hears it. gossip and whispers may have been the cause of her hideous behavior.
- Analyzes how miss emily stayed out of the public eye after the two deaths because she was finally alone. she isolates herself from civilization, using her butler, tobe to run her errands.
- Analyzes how miss emily is shy about her old fashioned beliefs and her strong confederate beliefs. she refused to allow modern change into her depressed life.
672 wordsRead More - “A Rose for Emily” begins with the foreshadowing of Emilys funeral. The story then takes the reader to explain what had occurred over the years leading to Emily’s death. Emily Grierson had become the last member of an aristocratic southern family who had been raisd by her widowed father. Growing up< Emilys
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how luck and love have always been important and contradictory themes in many stories. "a rose for emily" and "the rocking horse winner" have similar symbol meanings explaining the dysfunctional family, love and luck.
- Analyzes how "a rose for emily" begins with the foreshadowing of emily's funeral and then takes the reader to explain what had occurred over the years leading to her death.
- Narrates how the minister tries to convince emily that the relationship is improper but she refuses to listen. the ministers wife invites emilys cousins but they leave soon after.
- Narrates how the town attends emily's funeral out of duy and curiosity to finally see her house after years. after the funeral, the townspeople find a locked door and break it down.
- Opines that the griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were. none of the young men were quite good enough for miss emily and such.
- Describes how emily denied her father's death for three days until she broke down. her father left her with nothing, turning away all the men she could have married so she wouldn't be alone.
- Opines that emily's father was a selfish man who could not feel love after his wife died, making it impossible for emily to show love to another man.
- Analyzes how faulkner uses the rose as a symbol to honor emily grierson's death.
- Narrates "the rocking horse winner" about a young boy who tries to win his mother's love by seeking to find the luck that she continuously believes she does not have since she married his father.
- Explains that paul, oscar, and bassett continue betting on the horses until they reach pauls goals of five thousand pounds to give to his mother for her birthday and will be distributed over the net five years.
1020 wordsRead More