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+.
Included within the anthology The Penguin Book of Irish Fiction,1[1] are the works of great Irish authors written from around three hundred years ago, until as recently as the last decade. Since one might expect to find in an anthology such as this only expressions and interpretations of Irish or European places, events or peoples, some included material could be quite surprising in its contrasting content. One such inclusion comes from the novel Black Robe,2[2] by Irish-born author Brian Moore. Leaving Ireland as a young man afforded Moore a chance to see a great deal of the world and in reflection afforded him a great diversity of setting and theme in his writings. And while his Black Robe may express little of Ireland itself, it expresses much of Moore in his exploration into evolving concepts of morality, faith, righteousness and the ever-changing human heart.
Gothic Literature was a natural progression from romanticism, which had existed in the 18th Century. Initially, such a ‘unique’ style of literature was met with a somewhat mixed response; although it was greeted with enthusiasm from members of the public, literary critics were much more dubious and sceptical.
The following is a list of explications pointing towards British and Celtic myths and figures. While pursuing the Celtic influences of Middleton's novel, I found myself searching for the meaning of other present mysteries. This author's twist of two cultures creates a spectrum for possible explication. It seems that the Celtic material melds into British society throughout this novel. In search of specific markers I found myself concentrating mostly on Haydn Middleton's use of names.
Rochette-Crawley, S. (2004) James T. Farrell. The Literary Encyclopedia. April 2, 2004. Retrieved on May 13, 2009 from http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1487
Yeats, William Butler. The De-Anglicizing of Ireland” in Yeats’s Poetry, Drama, and Prose. ed. Pethica, James. W.W. Norton & Company, USA, 2000.
Murphy, B. & Shirley J. The Literary Encyclopedia. [nl], August 31, 2004. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2326. Access on: 22 Aug 2010.
In conclusion to this essay, having examined these 19th century gothic texts, it is fair to say that normative gender behaviour and sexuality pervades them. This element gives the reader a deep insight into the culture context of the time in which these stories are situated. It enables the reader to delve into the darker sides of humanity at that time, that they would not have been able to do otherwise.
The tales were rediscovered around 1880 inspiring the Irish literary revival in romantic fiction by writers such as Lady Augusta Gregory and the poetry and dramatic works of W.B. Yeats. These works wer...
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...
Selah Saterstrom’s The Pink Institution is a novel set in the Deep South following the Civil War. It tells the story of a family over many generations from the point of view of the narrator (who is assumed to be the author of the novel). Saterstrom’s novel is considered to be a historic autobiographical gothic novel. Over the years, this novel has been the topic of many enthusiastic debates over whether the work is actually a novel or even gothic in nature. After reading and analyzing the work at length, there is no doubt that this work illustrates many themes found commonly in gothic literature.
Astell, Mary. "A Serious Proposal To The Ladies." The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Restoration And The Eighteen Century. Joseph Black [et all]. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2006. Print. Pages 291-296.
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,
In what follows, my research paper will rely on an article by Kathy Prendergast entitled “Introduction to The Gothic Tradition”. The significance of this article resides in helping to recapitulate the various features of the Gothic tradition. In this article the authoress argues that in order to overturn the Enlightenment and realistic literary mores, many of the eighteenth century novelists had recourse to traditional Romantic conventions in their works of fiction, like the Arthurian legendary tales (Prendergast).
Punter David, ‘The Literature of Terror’, in A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the Present Day, The Modern Gothic. Harlow, eds. (UK: Pearson Education, 1996)
For Gerald of Wales, religion was one of the most essential aspects of being a civilized human being. Therefore, when he wrote, The History and Topography of Ireland, he portrayed its inhabitants as subhuman and barbaric during his apparent travels to Ireland. As a colonizer, Gerald picked a far away place in which many had not been to, in order to establish them as the “other”. Unfortunately, for Gerald, he may have ridiculed the Irish for their lifestyle conveyed in his writing, but his exploitation of them most likely was done because he could in fact relate to them. In the book, The Postcolonial Middle Ages, Jeffery Jerome Cohen’s analysis in his chapter, “Hybrids, Monsters, Borderlands: The Bodies of Gerald of Wales”, closely focuses on Gerald’s cultural hybridity, which mirrors his accounts of the Irish. Although he deemed the Irish as barbaric, they were also hybrids, thus he also shared a feeling of displacement with them. Nonetheless, he still held himself to a higher degree because they did not properly celebrate Christianity, ultimately leading them to make other unpleasant decisions.