The Culture of Gothic Literature In the late 1800’s, the many cultural changes in England brought changes to Gothic literature. Instead of situating fear in the outlying regions of the countryside, writers brought terror inside the heart of the city; London. Through the mangling of everyday settings and situations, Gothic tales began to create suspense and terror in its readers through fantastical supernatural events that occur within their neighborhoods. Bram Stoker’s Dracula serves as an example of this shift as Count Dracula moves from the sparsely inhabited countryside to the more populated hunting grounds of London. The “urban gothic” as defined by Kathleen Spencer takes social and cultural trends of the time and creates fictions that center on the insecurities and familiar surroundings of Victorian England. In response, the actions and behaviors of characters change as well. In one example of urban gothic fiction, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson utilizes the norms and expectations of society to create a disturbing narrative that addresses the emerging concerns of decadence in Victorian high society. The advancement of Gothicism from focusing on the supernatural to exposing the unnatural is also evident in Jekyll and Hyde when compared with Walpole’s The Castle of Ortranto. In Walpole’s narrative, terror comes from ghostly or other worldly revenge. The initiation of fear comes from an outside source. In Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde, the terror lies within the psychological issues of mankind. Kathleen Spencer’s essay “Purity and Danger: Dracula, the Urban Gothic, and the Late Victorian Degeneracy Crisis,” exhibits the transition from rural to urban setting in Gothic literature. She points out that the move of... ... middle of paper ... ... Cited Harpham, Geoffrey. “The Grotesque: First Principles.” The journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 34.4 (1976): 461-468. Jstor. Web. Oct. 9, 2011. Miyoshi, Masao. “Dr. Jekyll and the Emergence of Mr. Hyde.” College English, 27.6 (1966): 470-474+479-480. Jstor. Web. Oct. 9, 2011. Singh, Shubh M., and Subho Chakrabarti. “A Study in Dualism: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry 50.3 (2008): 221-223. EBSCO. Web. Oct. 16, 2011. Spencer, Kathleen L. “Purity and Danger: Dracula, the Urban Gothic, and the Late Victorian Degeneracy Crisis.” ELH, 59.1 (1992): 197-225. Jstor. Web. Oct 10, 2011. Stevenson, Robert L. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Denmark: Wordsworth Editions Limited, 1993. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: W. W. Norton. 1997. Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. New York: Dover Publications, 2004.
Written in 1818, the latter stages of the Gothic literature movement, at face value this novel embodies all the key characteristics of the Gothic genre. It features the supernatural, ghosts and an atmosphere of horror and mystery. However a closer reading of the novel presents a multifaceted tale that explores
Humphrey, Robert. "Ideals of the Victorian Woman as Depicted in ‘Dracula’." The Artifice. N.p., 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 6 May 2014. .
These notions became of particular interest to the Gothic writer. The Gothic novel originated as the result of changes in culture in the eighteenth century: “Gothic represented excess and exaggeration, the product of the wild and the uncivilized, a world that constantly tended to overflow cultural boundaries.” (Punter and Byron 7). Bram Stoker used the Gothic novel as a medium to present the dark cultural changes in the Victorian society. His Gothic novel Dracula, published in 1897, depicts the fears and anxieties of the society of that period. Bram Stoker found “the prototype of our modern vampire (q.v.) and created one of the most potent of all literary myths.” (Punter and Byron 230) The fears and anxieties he depicts are the fears of reverse colonisation and the foreign, the contrast between science and folklore, breaking the taboo of sexuality and homosexually, and the change of the traditional role of women. Stoker lets his characters use the modern technological advances of that period such as phonograms and Kodak Cameras; he also emphasises the modernity of its settings by setting the plot in Transylvania and England. A special focus is set on London as the centre
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.
Spencer, Kathleen L. “Purity and Danger: Dracula, The Urban Gothic, and the Late Victorian Degeneracy Crisis.” English Literary History 59.1 (1992): 197-226
The term ‘Gothic’ conjures a range of possible meanings, definitions and associations. It explicitly denotes certain historical and cultural phenomena. Gothicism was part of the Romantic Movement that started in the eighteenth century and lasted about three decades into the nineteenth century. For this essay, the definition of Gothic that is applicable is: An 18th century literary style characterized by gloom and the supernatural. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a wide range of issues are explored. Frankenstein represents an entirely new vision of the female Gothic, along with many other traditional themes such as religion, science, colonialism and myth.
Gothic literature was developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth century of the Gothic era when war and controversy was too common. It received its name after the Gothic architecture that was becoming a popular trend in the construction of buildings. As the buildings of daunting castles and labyrinths began, so did the beginning foundation of Gothic literature. The construction of these buildings will later become an obsession with Gothic authors. For about 300 years before the Renaissance period, the construction of these castles and labyrinths continued, not only in England, but also in Gothic stories (Landau 2014). Many wars and controversies, such as the Industrial Revolution and Revolutionary War, were happening at this time, causing the Gothic literature to thrive (“Gothic Literature” 2011). People were looking for an escape from the real world and the thrill that Gothic literature offered was exactly what they needed. Gothic literature focuses on the horrors and the dark sides to the human brain, such as in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein. Gothic literature today, as well as in the past, has been able to separate itself apart from other types of literature with its unique literary devices used to create fear and terror within the reader.
Gothic imagery and themes include castles, coffins, monsters and strange lands and pose the background of the classic Gothic novel. The Gothic element is synonymous with the horror and uncanny- a feeling rather than form, in which transgression is the central topic (Wisker 7). The vampire is a figure that transgresses society’s limits to form the central dynamic of the Gothic. “We enjoy seeing the limit transgressed- it horrifies us and reinforces our sense of boundaries and normalcy” (Halberstam 13). Assuming that Bram Stoker’s Dracula sets the archetype of the vampire, it is clear that modern vampires have demonstrated a decrease in the Gothic horror despite similarities in the Gothic imagery
Gothicism has been a very popular genre of book, through past and present, and Bram Stoker’s, Dracula, is no exception. One of the most widely read novels of all time, Dracula possesses all the features of a classic gothic novel. The various dark and dreary features throughout the entire novel paints a perfect gothic picture for the reader and contribute to the mixture of feelings One gets while reading Dracula. The first feature of Gothicism found in Dracula is a constant and oppressive darkness. This feature is a reoccurring theme that is related to everything in the novel from the characters to the events that take place. Another feature found in Dracula is presence of a ‘supernatural’ villain. Supernaturalism also surrounds the villain, Count Dracula in the countryside of Transylvania with the numerous superstitions that consume the local inhabitants. Finally, the reference to sleeping, dreaming and the blurriness of reality faced by some of the characters adds eeriness and unrest, enhancing the gothic premise of the novel. These examples are all traits of which gothic literature consists of. Through this paper, I will prove that due to the use of darkness, the supernatural and the blurred sense of reality, Dracula is a prime example of gothic literature.
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,
Mary Shelley’s world renowned book, “Frankenstein”, is a narrative of how Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant chemist, succeeds in creating a living being. Although Frankenstein’s creation is benevolent to begin with, he soon turns murderous after being mistreated by humans. His anger turns towards Frankenstein, as he was the one who brought him into the world that shuns him. The Monster then spends the rest of the story trying to make his creator’s life as miserable as his own. This novel is an excellent example of the Gothic Romantic style of literature, as it features some core Gothic Romantic elements such as remote and desolate settings, a metonymy of gloom and horror, and women in distress.
Bram Stoker and Sheridan Le Fanu’s texts, Dracula (1898) and “Carmilla” (1872), use gothic tropes in similar ways to captivate readers with horror and terror. This essay will illustrate how, in comparison, both texts include gothic tropes: the New Woman, sexuality and setting, in order to provoke emotions and reactions from the readers. To achieve this, this essay will focus on the women that challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and deconstruct each text in regards to the very strong undertones of homosexuality; specifically between Carmilla and Laura, and Dracula and Harker. By discussing the harshness and darkness of the environments described, including ruined castles and isolated landscapes; this essay will also explore the
Romanticism played a large role in the creation of gothic literature, and it was considered to be “a lunatic fringe version of romanticism” (Tiffin). Gothic novels often had a powerful unleashing of emotions to very extreme levels “beyond social constraining” (Tiffin). The genre’s character often had an excess of a specific type (Tiffin), and in an analysis of Frankenstein and Northanger Abbey, this excess can be seen in Frankenstein’s ambition and Catherine’s curiosity.
Podonsky, Amanda M. "Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Reflection and Rebuke of Victorian Society." Student Pulse: The International Student Journal. N.p., 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
There is one known very influential writing style called Gothic Literature. It is not only considered to involve the horror or gothic element but is combined with romance, superstition, women in distress, omens, portents, vision and supernatural events to name a few (Beesly). The history and beginning of this era is not well known. From a few writers came this writing style that has impacted the world. A famous artists known for this type of writing is a man named Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote many short stories and poems that include horror, gothic, and romance just mentioned.