Goethe And Tim Burton

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Gothicism at its Finest The difference between fairy tales and gothic writing has been debated throughout literature. In the Corpse Bride by Tim Burton and the “Dance of Death” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe explore each. Both Tim Burton and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe use stylistic techniques in order to show the supernatural, to describe decay, to emphasize a gothic atmosphere. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe creates an air of mystery when showing the skeletons dancing as almost an afterthought which creates a supernatural element using juxtaposition. When he writes, “When see! first one grave, the another opes wide,/And women and men stepping up are described.”(Lines 5&6) For others, it would urgent to relay such information but Johann …show more content…

The differences highlight how mystical and unknown the world of the dead while the living world is bland and uninteresting. In conclusion, both von Goethe and Burton show the supernatural through a mystical and fantastic light but von Goethe shows the skeletons as eery while Burton gives them off as more joyous. In both the Corpse Bride and the “Dance of Death” Tim Burton and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe show decay through imagery. The reader can clearly see the decomposition of the skeletons in the “Dance of Death” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe the author stating the fact that they need cerements and shrouds. At one point he even states, “But the cerements stand in their way;/And as modesty cannot avail them aught here,/They shake themselves all, and the shrouds disappear.”(Lines 11,12 & 13) These are burial clothes which give off a horrific effect the reader as they realise the amount of decay these undead bodies have gone through. Tim Burton uses editing to create the imagery of decay by focusing on the emptiness of the mansion. When he cuts between the mansion’s crumbling remains and darkness it creates a sense of decay. The viewer can tell that the mansion in its prime was once grandiose but is now reduced to its present rotting state. Both Tim Burton and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe use imagery to highlight how at one point something and or someone healthy well can be reduced to dismal …show more content…

Burton’s camera movement shows atmosphere by displaying how insignificant Victor and his parents are compared to their environment. The director uses a boom crane when Victor and his family first enter the mansion and zooms in on Victor whenever he is nervous. This creates the effect that Victor and his family are not up to par compared to Victoria’s family which is why they need to marry Victor off to Victoria in the first place. In conclusion, Tim Burton and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are able to show how isolated their characters are through the atmosphere around them using film techniques and literary

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