Gothic Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher and Ligeia
The Gothic style found in the majority of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories is obvious to the average reader. The grotesque, the desolate, the horrible, the mysterious, the ghostly, and, ultimately, the intense fear are all the primary aspects of the stories which are emphasized. But few writers remain uninfluenced from their contemporaries and Poe is no exception. He is clearly a product of his time, which in terms of literature, is called the Romantic era. Poe combines these two threads in almost all of his stories. For this reason critics often call Poe’s style “Gothic Romanticism.”
The two stories “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “Ligeia” are very similar to Poe’s other short stories, in that they to have this thread of Gothic Romanticism. The Gothic and Romantic themes can be analyzed separately in each of these two stories but together these themes drive the plot and the ultimate success of each.
One common characteristic of Romanticism is the importance of the intuitive and emotional and the rejection of the rational and intellectual. Such is the case in “Usher.” Those who are skeptical of Poe’s Romantic influences would use this aspect of Romanticism to claim that he is not a Romantic because throughout the story the narrator attempts to explain the unexplainable with the rational. An example of this is when the narrator attributes an “iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart” merely to the “combination of very natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us” (Poe, “Usher”). This argument is week because the narrator fails miserably to provide solid rational explanations for these “strange” events and f...
... middle of paper ...
...ic thread seek to further Poe’s overall goal of terror. Either they develop the character in such a way that would increase the gloomy, mysterious, and supernatural mood of the stories, establish the mood through the setting, or help to further this mood in some other way. The combination of the Romantic thread in these two stories is no different. Poe uses various aspects of Romanticism, such as obscurity and the emphasis of emotion and intuition to increase the terror felt by the reader. But perhaps, the most important aspect of Romanticism is one which is also common in the Gothic tradition is the emphasis on one effect. In the Gothic tradition this single effect is that of terror. “Ligeia” and “Usher” are no different in that Poe establishes this terror through the use of his own style of Gothic Romanticism.
2177
1
Marlow Engl. 12 Sect. 37
Reading Edgar Allen Poe’s works such as “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Tell-Tale Heart” are both written around 1840’s and written in the gothic style. Poe displays his horror short stories, in which the reader can differentiate his signature style. Although many of Poe’s significant works may have a similar theme, the reader can distinguish the themes through the characters in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Tell-Tale Heart.”
The lyrics of country music reflect people’s lives as times changed. According to "Poetry For The People: Country Music And American Social Change", published by Southern Quarterly in Ebsco Host, country music depicted “the white, Protestant and working-class Southerner”, “addressed their pain, their dreams struggles, beliefs and moral dilemma”.
At the end of the day, racism and prejudice will always exist in some form for whatever reason is most convenient. Additionally, it’s not as if fans of country music are all raging bigots who dream of segregation and a return to slavery-driven southern values. After all, there are plenty of ‘southern pride’ songs that don’t feature race, nativism, and are beloved by most without an ulterior message that is appreciated by Stormfront. After all, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama features anti-segregation lyrics. Charlie Daniels Band wrote and performed The Devil Went Down to Georgia, lyrically referencing the south as far as Georgia by name alone. Yet both of these are hailed as quintessentially southern pride songs, meaning that southern pride isn’t the same as white pride. The reason the comparison matters, then, is because there is a significant overlap between the two. It is certainly possible to enjoy country music without wishing for a return to Aryan values, and the majority of country music doesn’t advocate it. But enough popular songs feature nativism as a theme to the point that it shouldn’t be ignored. There is a tangible connection between Southern Pride and nativism through music, and a definite connection between nativism and the White Pride movement. Music connects people and spreads ideas; culturally relevant music tends to stay around for a lifetime. Music has power, and the power of hate music is not one that should be
These narrative conventions build to a momentary yet sundering climax in book three in the tale of Actaeon, in which Diana a careful and understandably suspicious audience of Ovid’s Narrative word of hunt and rape cannot help misinterpretation Actaeon’s actions.
To begin comparing Euripides Medea and Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 7, we need to look at three components: context, characters, and themes. Both Euripides and Ovid tell the story of Jason abandoning Medea for another woman; however, they do not always share a perspective on the female protagonist’s traits, behavior, and purpose. Euripides portrays a woman who reacts to discrimination by beginning a battle to gain revenge all who harmed her, which she is prepared to follow through with even if it means resorting to the most despicable methods. Ovid, on the other hand, tells of a much less severe figure whose modest goal is only to persuade Jason to return. Despite these written differences, both of their Medea’s create trouble by acting with emotions instead of with reason, and as a result, put themselves in undesirable situations. Euripides and Ovid present two different sets of motivations for Medea's behavior wh...
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
Similar to the rape of Io, Ovid describes Callisto as a “girl” (Ovid 16) in order to provoke the characterization of innocence within the readers. Furthermore, much like Io tried to flee Jupiter, Callisto “fought him” (Ovid 16), which means that she was unwilling, and the victim of this crime. Additionally, after she is raped, when Diana gathers her and all the nymphs, Callisto feels severely isolated from her own friends and family caused by the “guilt” (Ovid 16) of no longer being a pure virgin, which makes the readers sympathize with her because being lonely is depressing and harmful. Ovid conveys disdain towards Jupiter that is very similar to Book I as well. Again, Jupiter knew acting upon his lust was wrong, but he still accomplished it by disguising himself with “the face and dress of Diana” in order to hide the crime from the rest of the Gods and Earth. In addition, Jupiter states that “my wife will not see my cunning” (Ovid 16), which further characterizes the God as manipulative and dishonest. Overall, Ovid conveys sympathy of the victims of rape by using common insecurities and social problems among humans in order to invoke empathy from the readers. On the same note, Ovid conveys disdain towards the rapists by obviously characterizing them as manipulative, dishonest, and immoral, which is very distasteful among the Roman
The 1942 movie, “Casablanca” portrays a World War II era enclave where refugees fled Nazi Europe and used this unoccupied city as a safe haven while pursuing their dreams of coming to America. The main character is Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, who owns a nightclub and casino in unoccupied Morocco during the Nazi era. Blaine, whose sole purpose appears to be money, illuminates a sense of arrogance and self righteousness as he assists in retrieving the necessary immigration documents for those who are willing to pay the price for their freedom. Hidden deep within his memory are the reflections of a women that he once loved, Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman. The third leading role was that of Paul Henreid who played the Ilsa’s husband in the movie. Victor Laszlo, a Jewish activist who was on the run from the German Regime was once believed to be dead after being captured and placed in a concentration camp, during which time his wife (Ilsa) fled to Paris and ultimately had an affair with Rick Blaine.
Sanneh, Kelefa. "Country Music? Whose Country?" The New York Times. 11 Nov. 2005. Web. 21 April 2011.
For many Americans, country isn’t just a type of music. It’s a lifestyle. From sippin’ sweet tea on the porch, drinking beer at a tailgate or driving a pick up down the backroads, country music has made its way into the hearts and minds of many Americans. It is one of the only truly home grown American art forms. Its relatability and wide appeal has made country music one of the most commercially successful and popular genres in the United States. Using the work of scholars Tichi, Pecknold, and Ellison, I will show how country music grew from its rural southern roots into an integral part of American culture.
In Florida she almost develops a hate for managment, one being that managers can sit around hours on end and get away with it and secondly because the showed no passion for the job they had. One job wasnt good enough at that time for her, given that she couldn’t pay her rent. She tries working two jobs for one day but gives up because she felt it would be to much of a toll on her. With plentiful job opportunities, Maine was next on her list. Jobs there were no better than in the Key West because they payed the same. Barbra started out living in Motel 6 but it got to expensive so she accepted a c...
In the 1940’s, top songs included Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!” by Tex Williams, and Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues.”2 These songs share similarities with today’s hot country songs, such as Luke Bryan’s “Drink a Beer,” “Carolina” by Parmalee, and Cassadee Pope’s “Wasting All These Tears.”3 We find we can draw common themes over the seven decades of music, such as leisure activities, southern states, and heartbreak. Further research conducted by Kakde, Ghanekar, and Sindhu of Kavi Associates to test their text reader program was performed using Billboard’s top 20 Country songs from the years 1985 to 2010. Their findings confirmed the themes of heartbreak and country life as well as identifying others such as family, religion, and memories. In an analysis of the frequency of these themes, country life was sung about most often, followed by heartbreak and family. The states most often sung about include Texas, Alabama and Tennessee; with many other southern states maintaining multiple lyrical mentions of their own.4 This data confirms
After a rough day, when people come home from work, they need something that will make their day better. Any music helps to release people from their everyday lives. For some it is like going on vacation, or a home away from home. It not only gives strength, hope, but it helps relieves stress. Music is essential to everyday life in this world. People have become what they listen to. “The most important requirement of popular music is that is must appeal to a large number of people” (Yudkin 284). Pop country music is one of America’s favorite genre’s to listen to. Its roots began in rural America. Looking back, country music has drastically evolved and changed moving away from its original sound. Pop country is what has taken over much of the country genre. The joining of country and pop began in
According to The Nashville Sound, markers that include “rural origins, stylized sets, seemingly spontaneous performance, accessible performers, and heartfelt songs can characterize country music’s authenticity” (13). The foundations of what country music has originated from are incorporated within these markers and are used to separate the real from the fake. Early country music was a means of coping with a life of work and worries; it also brought communities of the impoverished together in fellowship. The establishment of these markers glimpses into the culture and realities of many country music artists before their fame. Take for instance a family sitting huddled together on a porch on a cool summer evening listening to a family member play the banjo while another sings along. Everyone is enjoying and living in that moment and all worries are far from mind. Country music made people feel at ease and comfortable, it brought people back to their memories of the good old days. This is the way country music sh...
Country Music is everywhere. It may come blaring from a neighbor’s house, blasting the radio from a car or truck, or even playing quietly in a restaurant; but why exactly is Country Music so popular for people to listen to? When it comes to Country Music, the lyrics comes straight from the artist`s hearts where people can relate to them; the rhythm and beat are unique to the specific song, and the artist knows exactly how to tell a perfect story in the song.