Gothic Fiction Analysis

Words: 471
Pages: 2
Open Document
Gothic fiction is a genre that combines horror, death, fiction and occasionally romance. It pleases audiences as it feeds on a thrilling type of terror. “Gothic Fiction ideals with tales of the irrational aspects of human existence.” ("Gothic: Origins"). However, through the progress of time and the development of different social beliefs, Gothic Fiction has transformed from its original nature. Contemporary Gothic texts conform to the traditional elements however they are not similar in regard to the representation of women. The traditional gothic novel, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, and two modern films Dracula Untold, directed by Gary Shore and Crimson Peak, directed by Guillermo del Toro, can be analysed to provide similarities and differences that the development of society’s beliefs has influenced.
Through the progress of time and development of literature certain elements of gothic fiction have remained in the modern interpretations. The supernatural element is one of the major elements that has remained. The traditional novel, Rebecca, supernatural element is the presence of Rebecca that is prominent in every room in the house. The presence of Rebecca is very prominent throughout the novel, it is an ominous feeling that lingers throughout the novel, haunting the female protagonist psychologically. It …show more content…
In both Rebecca and Crimson Peak, romance is used to advance the plot and bring the female protagonists to the isolated mansions. The two different types of Gothic Fiction are very similar in that retrospect; the two have rivals for their husbands and the haunting of someone that died in the house. Dracula Untold also has a romance aspect in its own storyline between Vladamir, the protagonist, and his wife. Romance has never lost its presence within Gothic fiction, despite the changes in beliefs of society, although the relationships have become more equal in its approach to
Show More

Related Documents: Gothic Fiction Analysis

Female Gothic: The Monster's Mother By Mary Shelley

According to Ellen Moers in Female Gothic: The Monster's Mother, she talked about Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the "female gothic" as a female literature. She explained what the term "gothic" means. Moers describes the female gothic genre as it was before Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein and how Shelley changed the genre. She compared Shelly's writing styles to Ann Radcliff's "damsel in distress" general writing styles to Shelley's heroic tales which were often absent of female heroines. Shelley…

Words 1282 - Pages 6

Essay about Rebecca: Daphne Du Maurier and Mrs. de Winters

Rebecca Gothic literature is an English genre of fiction that was popular in the eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries, characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and supernatural horror and having a pseudo-medieval setting. The very first example of gothic literature in history was attributed to Horace Walpole and his novel, The Castle of Otranto (1764). Other examples include Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker, Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë, and Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontë. Seeing…

Words 1654 - Pages 7

Similarities Between Northanger Abbey And Persuasion

innocence/naivety sometimes becomes a problem when she allows it to cloud her judgment and blur the lines of what is fact and what is fiction. Her expectations of Northanger Abbey were heavily influenced by her passion for Gothic novels; because an abbey is a common backdrop in the Gothic novels of the times, her naivety leads her to believe that what happened in her Gothic novels would also happen to her. While her naivety and her innocence caused her some problems, like mistakenly suspecting…

Words 2267 - Pages 10

Lourdes Perdomolatinhumessay2

is known as magical realism. In the novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the readers can clearly observe the presence of magic realism. According to Ginny Wiehardt, Fiction Writing Expert, in his article Magic Realism was stated, “the term magic realism describes contemporary fiction, usually associated with Latin America, whose narrative blends magical or fantastical elements with reality. Magic realist writers include Gabriel García Márquez, Alejo Carpentier, and Isabel…

Words 1505 - Pages 7

Syllabus: University of Cambridge and Cambridge Pre-u Syllabus Essay

Cambridge Pre-U Syllabus Cambridge International Level 3 Pre-U Certificate in LITERATURE IN ENGLISH For examination in 2013, 2014 and 2015 Cambridge Pre-U Syllabus Literature in English (9765) Cambridge International Level 3 Pre-U Certificate in Literature in English (Principal) For examination in 2013, 2014 and 2015 QN 500/3685/3 www.cie.org.uk/cambridgepreu 1 Cambridge Pre-U Syllabus Support CIE provides comprehensive support for all its qualifications, including the Cambridge Pre-U. There…

Words 5225 - Pages 21

Essay on Lincoln rhetorical

The Rhetorical Triangle Key #1 Persona a mask, the character the audience perceived behind the text, the character a writer or speaker conveys to the audience "It is to my other self, to Borges, that things happen. I walk about Buenos Aires and I pause, almost mechanically, to contemplate the arch of an entry or the portal of a church; news of Borges comes to me in the mail, and I see his name on a short list of professors or in a biographical dictionary. I am fond of hourglasses, maps,…

Words 6267 - Pages 26

Essay about Alex Harris Literary Analysis Final

Alex Harris English 1101 Professor Lisa Mahle-Grisez Literary Analysis Popularity to Isolation In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner explores how the South is reluctant to accept social and historical changes. The theme for the story is Southern Gothic with grotesque undertones. The time was post-Civil War. Slavery and race relations are a major part of what Faulkner addresses. Additionally, the story is narrated from the perspective of the townspeople. The piece begins with Emily’s funeral and…

Words 824 - Pages 4

Alienation In Frankenstein

“One man's life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought, for the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race” (Shelley 23). Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein follows the path of a young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, before and after the dramatic event which forever alters his life--his creation of life. His failure to maintain relationships and support his creation mirrors the failures of his own father. The beast’s carnage…

Words 2249 - Pages 9

Essay 26 34 Libre

June 2013  e-ISSN: 1857-1878  p-ISSN: 1857-8179 Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman as a Feminist Critique of Male Definitions of Civilization Mohamed Gariti Sabrina Zerar Research paper Literature Kewords: Wollstonecraft, feminism, civilization, enlightenment, separatesphere ideology Department of English Mouloud MAMMERI University of Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria. Department of English Mouloud MAMMERI University of Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria. Abstract This paper seeks to demonstrate…

Words 4925 - Pages 20

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions Essays

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions 89S. Imagining War. Instructor M. Maiwald. WF 8:30-9:45 In this course, we will consider how the experience of war has been represented in American fiction, non-fiction, and film. We will investigate how attitudes toward war have evolved throughout American history: our timeline begins with the Civil War—the traumatic event that birthed the modern American state—and ends with the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In particular…

Words 9501 - Pages 39