Closely related in Julio Cortazar’s short story, “House Taken Over,” a brother and sister are pushed out of their house by an unknown entity. As the brother and sister keep worrying the sister expresses, “In that case, she said, picking up her needles again, “We’ll have to live on this side” (Cortazar 40). As we read “House Taken Over,” we see that there is an unstated entity in their house. The brother and sister see that their house is being overtaken , and they remain calm at the beginning of the story. Later on, they are so overcome with fear that they lock up the house and leave for the streets. All the couple has with them is the clothes they are wearing. In Gothic Literature, the main focus is fear, and we can very well notice the
Usually, their home is silent, but when one day the narrator suddenly hears something inside another part of the house, the siblings escape to a smaller section, locked behind a solid oak door. In the intervening days, they become frightened and solemn; on the one hand noting that there is less housecleaning, but regretting that the interlopers have prevented them from retrieving many of their personal belongings. All the while, they can occasionally hear noises from the other
Gothic texts are typically characterized by a horrifying and haunting mood, in a world of isolation and despair. Most stories also include some type of supernatural events and/or superstitious aspects. Specifically, vampires, villains, heroes and heroines, and mysterious architecture are standard in a gothic text. Depending upon the author, a gothic text can also take on violent and grotesque attributes. As an overall outlook, “gothic literature is an outlet for the ancient fears of humanity in an age of reason” (Sacred-Texts). Following closely to this type of literature, Edgar Allan Poe uses a gloomy setting, isolation, and supernatural occurrences throughout “The Fall of the House of Usher”.
The narrator was walking to the kitchen when he heard noises coming from the library or dining room. As he listened for more noises he noticed they were getting closer to him in the house. He took action and slammed the oak door shut and locked it out. He then continued what he was doing and returned to Irene and told her what happened in the passage. Irene knew exactly what the narrator was talking about, stating “In that case, we’ll have to live on this side” (p 691, para 2). However, who exactly was making the noises and overtaking their home was never quite explained to the reader.
The setting of “House Taken Over” was taken place in Buenos Aries, in a large house. For example the narrator said that “eight people could have lived in that place and not have gotten in each others way” (Cortazar 38). This setting follow magical realism by Cortazar giving an exact realistic location to make the story seem real. The unknown element is what makes the story Magical Realism by adding something fake to the realistic story. This unknown element enters the story by a “muted and indistintinct, chair being knocked over onto the carpet” (Cortazar 39). In this case we do not know what it is or why its in the house but there is something. After the first time they hear the noise they move to the other side of the house to live. This seemed like a very weird thing to do because of them not caring what’s in their house, and that they think if they live on one side of the house and the thing on the other side, plus doesn’t come to their side they are fine with it living in the house, without knowing what it is. Then as the sound gets closer and is on there side of the house they run out scared and “locked the front door up tight and tossed that down the sewer. This makes the story even more unreal because the narrator and his sister leave everything behind in the house and don’t care about it or what is inside of the house. This unreal element in the seemingly realistic story cause the story be under the category of Magical
As explained before, the "dull, dark, and soundless" house serves as both "the castle" and "gloomy atmospheres'' in this story. Poe uses the house as the main tool to create a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere. However not all of Poe's gothic elements are actual physical objects. Fear is Poe's next choice of gothic elements as even our main character Roderick predicted would "sooner or later'' become his untimely demise. Fear is the dark recesses of the human heart and conscience and Roderick's fear in this brilliant story was not even death; but it was fear its self. Lady Madeline death is Poe's next gothic element because her death is a crime. Lady Madeline is the victim a the incompetents of her twin Roderick and unfortunately suffered a premature burial. Poe dose this the emphasize the extreme emotion of Roderick and the severity of the situation. Poe as well uses the description of the "decaying house...ghastly river..[and] black and lurid tarn'' to create feelings of darkness, shadows and gloominess and give the story a gothic ambiance. Poe Uses these elements to give his literature a gothic, gloomy, and overall dark atmosphere.
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
To set the tone in the story the author had to describe the surroundings of the characters. For example the author states, "with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit." when giving a detailed response of how he feels about the house. This helps show that the author himself feels depressed when in sight of the building and gives the reader a thought of how the house looks. Other textual evidence in the passage also shows a feeling of suspense like the quote, "There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart - an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. " which is how the author feels when he thinks about the house. The author cannot bear to imagine the house because he has a dark and negative imagination with different fears he thinks can come to life because of how unsettling the house makes him feel. While suspense is a direct indication of a depressed and dark tone, some other Gothic elements can be used indirectly to describe negative values in the story.
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,
The depiction of women in gothic fiction is often hostile, mysterious and oppressed in order to subdue the power that is associated with femininity. The captivity of the feminine in these gothic stories is overshadowed by the fear of their potential to undermine and expose the depravity of man. Charles Perrault’s, Blue beard, demonstrates fear towards the power of feminine curiosity and the consequences of allowing inquisitiveness. In Edgar Allan Poe’s, The Fall of the House of Usher, the death of women also represents the power to annihilate an entire lineage of family and in a broader sense, female capability of reproduction and controlling the continuation of man. These gothic fictions often present women as ghostly and mysterious to reflect
This section shows how characters are emotionally isolated which is an element of gothic literature. Not only do the people around the protagonist choose to isolate themselves, but he partakes in it too, as he judges them for their own lack of social behavior. The fact that there is a great amount of opportunity to do so also reinforces how far they have brought their minds into seclusion.
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.
The blending of terror and romance in Gothic Literature was used in a unique combination to attract and entice the reader into the story. The terror in the literature helps the reader explore their imagination and form their own picture setting of what is happening. Using romance in the story also keeps the reader's attention because of the unknown and the curiosity of what happens next. The Gothic writing became popular after the Romantic period because readers were still a...
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.
He has gained the trust and approval of everyone around him and he takes advantage of that. This contrast in power well-known and highly prevalent in Gothic Literature. “The Gothic world is fascinated by violent differences in power, and its stories are full of constraint, entrapment and forced action” (Bowen). Antonia and Agnes are the characters in the novel that suffer the most, the difficulties that they encounter are due to their position in society, as women and as under the control of those who have more power than them. Agnes in particular is held prisoner and tortured by those who yield power over her. While Agnes is trapped in a one room prison with the decaying body of her baby, the nuns hold complete control over her. Agnes is depleted of all control in her life, she is brought down to skin and bones and she has lost years of her life as well as the child she gave birth to in her prison cell. The differences in power is extremely stressed with the nuns and Agnes as well as with Ambrosio and Antonia. Gothic Literature highlights the contrast of power and it is always
The way these events occur, to a normal person it would seem strange, and almost fantastical in nature. However, the brother and Irene seem to think this is normal. They are not afraid by what is going on, and the “things” on the other side of the door seem in no hurry to get to their side. It’s not even mentioned that “they” make sounds beyond when they move from one section of the house to the next. In fact, the house is described as being so quite that the brother and sister can hear each other breathing at night, despite there being a living room between them. Throughout the entire short story, we see Irene and her brother never question or talk about what is going on, they simply accept it. Julio Cortazar writes a short simple story, that leaves us with more questions than answers. At no point does the narrator even attempts to explain what has happened, or what is