Gothic fiction

repressed or forbidden desires in Frankenstein mirror those of the gothic literary style, specifically the ways in which it leads to the decay of the protagonist’s psyche. Mary Shelley’s gothic science fiction novel, published 1818, presents a male protagonist whose obsession with scientific discovery leads to his own mental and physically destruction. Frankenstein, on first glance, is a sexless novel, which is peculiar for a gothic novel. However, the ways in which Shelley explores the absence…

explore the tragedy that brings one to the edge of madness where nothing seems real, the place where the soul disintegrates, leaving only the essence of a life unfulfilled bitter. "Poe was a master of the Gothic horror tale, although many might not as readily be aware that he did not invent Gothic fiction" The goal of this essay is to compare instances of death in the two works that I have selected: "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The…

Bram Stoker was a revolutionizing author of historical horror fiction in the 1800s. Stoker found most of his inspiration from spending many dinners with Henry Irving’s Theatre Company and his extensive time in the Theatre. Stoker began writing Gothic Horror due to his interests in vampiric mythology and all the stories his mother told him when he was bedridden as a child. Although myths and legends about vampires have been around for centuries, Stoker put his own spin on the tale and made it…

Supernatural themes within Gothic texts are designed to push against the common way within society in order to be relevant and convey a message. Throughout history, the human race has taken many different paths and embraced many different beliefs. Three of these beliefs that have been incredibly influential in the past three centuries are: neoclassicism, romanticism and Victorianism. In each of these historical periods, gothic literature and by extension the supernatural, acted as a rejection of…

Introduction: Dracula, written by Bram Stoker in 1897, has become one of the most popular and enduring gothic novels. This blood-sucking vampire is now an iconic symbol of horror, whose fame stretches far beyond the covers of the novel. Written at the precipice of the turn of the century, the novel touches upon anxieties of a society that was changing at an uncomfortably rapid place. Stoker used this unlikely horror story to convey the apprehension of the Victorians, which includes anxieties…

still able to retain the airs of convention through her descriptive prose. Carter is able to draw out the theme of feminism by juxtaposing traditional tropes of Gothic fiction- which depicts females as weak ‘damsels in distress’- with strong female protagonists. By pairing the horrific situations and atmosphere found typically in gothic fiction, with the heroines in her stories, a contrast is formed. It thus creates sexually liberated females, that when set against the more traditional fairy…

mysterious creatures like the vampire, werewolf and many more. Many such myths throughout history have been translated and altered into modern societies novels and movies such as the ones to be discussed here. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one of the first fiction novels to discuss vampires and has become one of the most iconic novels and the status quo to any basic modern vampire novel. The novel follows the story of many characters and their reaction to experiencing Dracula and learning of his…

today? Darkness, chills, strange noises in the night, these are the things that bad dreams are made of. Horror is so captivating that we surround ourselves with it, now with monster movies, and suspenseful t.v. to the original gothic horror tales. Among some of the best gothic horror writers was Edgar Allen Poe who with thorough setting choices set the perfect atmosphere of many of his stories, including “The Cask of Amontillado”. In this story particularly Poe uses the imagery provided by the…

knowledge held over life and how I should strive to achieve it. This remains an infallible belief to this day, and while I still hold it to be true, various arguments could arise against the importance of the acquisition of knowledge. In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein documents experiences on his obsession to attain further knowledge and the misfortune it brought, exemplified through his creation of the monster. From Frankenstein 's trials, he warns Robert Walton…

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde captivated millions of people, while displaying many of the key morals, principles, and ethics of the Victorian Era; it echoed the controversial Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud. This story more relates to the modern gothic, than to traditional Victorian Era literature. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story seen from many different perspectives. It is about a…