Essay on Gothic Fiction - 2923 Words

Gothic fiction is erotic at the root according to Punter. From your reading of Frankenstein and Dracula how far would you agree with Punters interpretation. Gothic fiction is erotic at the root according to Punter. From your reading of Frankenstein and Dracula how far would you agree with Punters interpretation. In your essay you should consider: - · The authors portrayal of eroticism and sexuality (in all its forms) through characters. - · Relevant social/cultural concerns during the period the novels were written. During the 18th century and for a long time after poetry was regarded as the most sophisticated and accomplished mode of the written word. The Gothic novel, a relatively new form of†¦show more content†¦Consequently, the growing fashion of Gothic resulted in the popularity of the Gothic novel, it was a cheap exciting alternative and with widening literacy it was open to the up-and-coming middle classes. The setting of the gothic novel is central to the plot with a range of possible settings as backdrops including: ruins, dungeons, castles, and monasteries among others. Along with this the gothic novels were all set in Europe in the middle ages. A prime example being what is generally agreed to be the first gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto written by Horace Walpole in 1764. Walpole placed his novel in Italy in the middle ages and set it in a castle complete with dungeons, battlements, cloisters, galleries and trapdoors and consequently it met all the requirements of the gothic novel. The popularity of this novel spawned a multitude of others within the same genre. Ann Radcliffes The Mysteries of Udolpho was followed by Jane Austens Northanger Abbey and by this time the gothic novel was more than firmly established. Abraham Stoker was born in Dublin in 1847 to parents Charlotte and Abraham Stoker. He attended Trinity College in Dublin in the 1860s where he was involved competitively in athletics and football and was also an active participant in the Philosophical Society which eventually made him president. He graduated with an Honours degree in Pure Maths. At the age of 22 Bram followed in his fathers footsteps joining the civilShow MoreRelatedThe Fiction Genre Of Gothic Fiction1963 Words   |  8 Pages The Literary fiction genre of Gothic, including Crime and Horror, usually features a figure of Otherness as either the protagonists of antagonists of the story. The noun Otherness is used in this context to describe a being that is different from the norm. This could be a creature that is not human at all or an individual as representation of a minority group in the human society, in either race, class, sexuality or gender. These figure often have the function of discussing issues, such as homosexualityRead MoreAmbiguity of American Gothic Fiction1765 Words   |  8 PagesJulie Fallows 6423747 Sean Moreland November 27, 2012 Ambiguity of American Gothic Anxieties Since the 19h century, American Gothic fiction started to exist independently from the British type. In fact, the latter was marked by its use of fantastic, externalized and metaphysical elements as opposed to the boundaries of American Gothic fiction in which were expressed by historical, internalized, racial and psychological characteristics. (Edwards, XVII) In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, FallRead MoreGothic Fiction : The Castle Of Otranto1443 Words   |  6 PagesAngelic TR – 8a-9:15a Comp. 2 Gothic literature was almost single handedly invented by Horace Walpole with his novel The Castle of Otranto in 1765. A mix of romance and horror, many authors today and many authors in the past have used gothic fiction to fill the readers with suspense and terror. Edgar Allan Poe used elements such as suspense, setting, and language to create a plethora of gothic fiction stories. Stories such as Poe’s Cask of Amontillado capture the gothic element perfectly. A combinationRead MoreGothic Fiction Of Hawthorne And Poe Essay1919 Words   |  8 PagesGothic Fiction of Hawthorne and Poe When discussing gothic fiction many early authors come to mind, Mary Shelley, the Bronte Sisters, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde, to name a few, were all exceptional European writers of this style. As for American authors, there are two names that hold top places of honor, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Poe, with his talent for lyrical, poetic prose and conveying the macabre, is considered by many to be the master of gothic fiction. However, HawthorneRead MoreThe Southern Gothic Is A Subgenre Of Gothic Fiction. The1722 Words   |  7 PagesThe Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction. The Southern Gothic is best defined as a story filled with irony, characters who fit the grotesque factor, social issues, violence, southern settings, decay, outsiders, Civil War, and even slavery and race. Throughout Modern Southern Fiction, these factors which create the Southern Gothic can be found in almost every literary work. In the novel by Dorothy Allison titled Bastard Out of Carolina which was published in 1922, nearly every factor thatRead MoreGothic Literature : The Southern Gothic Fiction1476 Words   |  6 Pagesmorbidly dark and eccentric characters combined with southern charm and the ever-present gender divide to tell stories that represent a writing style known as southern gothic literature. â€Å"Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. Elements of a Gothic treatment of the South were apparent in the 19th century, ante- and post-bellum, in the grotesques of Henry Clay Lewis and the de-idealized visions of Mark Twain.[3]Read MoreEssay on Gothic Fiction: An Analysis of Space in The Monk3618 Words   |  15 Pages Gothic Fiction: An Analysis of Space in The Monk. Space is inseparable part of every text of literature. In the Gothic fiction space is extremely important, as the Gothic fiction is mostly based on creating images connected with human perception. During the process of reading readers often use their imagination. Therefore, depiction of old castles, ruined abbeys, monasteries, subterranean passages, vaults, or secret panels, is a standard method of creating the atmosphere. As IzdebskaRead MoreGothic Fiction : A Rose For Emily And The Fall Of The House Of Usher1313 Words   |  6 Pagesunusual events. This type of atmosphere is known as gothic fiction which appears in gothic novels. According to the dictionary, gothic fiction is† a genre of fiction characterized by mystery and supernatural horror, often set in a dark castle or other medieval settings.† In the short stories â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† there are elements of gothic fiction in the characters and setting. Th e components of gothic fiction in the stories include gloomy settings, decaying mansionsRead MoreGothic Fiction: The Representation of Evil in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto2229 Words   |  9 Pages Gothic Fiction: The Representation of Evil in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel written by Horace Walpole. It is regarded as the first Gothic novel, initiating a new literary genre which became extremely popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Gothic literature’s desire to explore the unknown, the unexplainable, inexplicable and the terrifying can be seen as a reaction to the Enlightenment’s emphasis on the rational and knowableRead MoreGothic Fiction Genre in Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and Flannery O’ Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find571 Words   |  2 Pagesthe old mans heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.† –â€Å"Tell Tale Heart† by Edgar Allen Poe The Gothic fiction genre has been known for its gory and gruesome imagery ever since the 1800s. This genre has flourished from one generation to another into many other sub-genres including the Southern Gothic. With â€Å"Tell Tale Heart† Edgar Allen Poe out does himself with his incredibly brutal descriptions as seen in the quote above. In an ongoing battle of