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The study of Gothic literature
The importance of Gothic literature
Gothic imagery in literature
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Recommended: The study of Gothic literature
My experience venturing into the world of Phantasmagoria’s Wickedest Tales of All was a rollercoaster ride I will never forget. The storytellers of Phantasmagoria are just that… storytellers. This crew of artist expose audiences to a world that is meant to arouse the senses and keep you on the edge of your seat craving more. John Didonna, the director of Phantasmagoria, has created a setting that arises a sense of eerie delight. Every inch of the theatre is painted in black and it even extends to where the audience is seated. With one spot light that points directly at center stage everything else around you remain pitch darkness. The venue for the production was in Metro Atlanta’s Little Five Points district. The venue is perfect because it …show more content…
Each story that is performed has a gothic type of theme. These poems are rich with enchantment, imagery, and horror. To achieve the mysticism necessary to ensnare audience members, there is a great deal of thought put into the music, projections, and lighting. Throughout the entire performance dreary music was implemented to encourage anticipation of the scenes to come. Projections along the backdrop of the theatre, were constantly reeling images that provoked an unnerving temperament. The images would be anything from dripping blood to a skull. Combine all these elements with the intentional use of stage lighting choreography, and you have the ingredients for an audience on the edge of their …show more content…
The woman was able to see it as well, which affected her more. She scurried back and forth trying to prepare this meal for them, and it became more evident that she desired to please them. Abruptly she kneels down and grabs her stomach. She was in searing pain. The anguish was all over her face. The woman was quivering on the floor of the stage, and reaching out to her brothers for help. Instead, they walked around her devilishly smiling. It was almost as if they were enjoying seeing her wreathed in pain. In this moment, the only motive the woman had was to live. She kept reaching for her brothers still innocently hoping they would save her. They continued to walk around her, devilishly
And in this time she saw, as she thought, devils open their mouths, all inflamed with burning flames of fire as if they should have swallowed her in, sometimes menacing her, sometimes threatening her, sometimes pulling and hailing her both night and day during the foresaid time” (Kempe 7).
Not a single individual is able to watch a Burton film without noticing the lighting effects and how it significantly contributes to the tone and mood of the entire film. In the movie Edward Scissorhands, one might be overwhelmed with the burst of extravagant colors in the scenery. Indeed this cinematic technique, high key, wholly influences the viewers perception and impression of the town. One can conclude that even though flamboyancy pervades the town, iniquity lurks in all directions and hypocrisy governs the minds of its inhabitants. Irony is harnessed in this film. How can an effulgent town harbor wickedness and Edward with a chilling and gothic complexion radiate innocence and righteousness? Burton uses these opposing conceptions brought about by the contrast of lighting to convey the message that materialism has been ingrained in the mentality of society (at least in the neighborhood in which Burton lived in the past), thus yearning for th...
No matter how much he put her through, she kept fighting for her life. I was confused by this because, in my eyes her life was completely over. I did not see how she could ever live a functioning life after all of the things that she went through. I would have thought that this reality would have been a reason for her to give up and choose fiction. Fiction would have been the easy way out of the pain, loses, and suffering that she faces and would continue to face. Then I thought to myself that is what makes humans amazing. Being able to endure the challenges of life and keep going. Originally, I thought she was a fool to keep going then I realized that she was strong. If I was her I would have chosen my reality
...d both of them do not quite understand what being saved actually means. In the end, “when she saw the man’s face twisted close to her own (367).” the grandmother realizes that she and The Misfit are both on the same level and she is no worse than the latter. Almost like taking a look into a mirror and pondering upon one’s own reflection. The story takes a quick pause, when the author writes the line, “His voice seemed to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instance (367).” What were the thoughts that went through the grandmother’s head? What happened during the “instance” that changed the grandmother’s view on her beliefs? The sole purpose of the phrase drowns a reader with questions and uncertainty. The story makes a final closure with The Misfit’s remark on how his source of happiness by performing violent acts brings “no real pleasure in life.”
The use of lights throughout the play did not vary often. Throughout most of the play, bright overhead lights portrayed the play’s main set room: a small town beauty salon. The lights created an atmosphere that was not only cheerful, but also warm and inviting. On each side of the stage, warm, more natural lighting was used to make the small outdoor areas more realistic. Lights were also used to convey
The director’s concept was again realized in a very creative and simple way. The stage crew did not have time to literally place trees on the stage, or to paint a border that elaborate—the light made the slatted walls look real and really allowed the audience to become a part of the experience.
Due to the conventions included in the novel, this is a perfect example of a gothic novel. The novel evokes in the audience fear and anticipation of the novels plot. The 19th century audience would have been overwhelmed with terror whilst reading the novel as the atmosphere creates suspense and the pace of the novel is fast.
for her is so overwhelming that it reaches out like an evil spirit and kills her;
When writing a story that is meant to scare the reader, authors use a variety of different literary elements to intensify fear. This is apparent in the stories “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “beware: do not read this poem,” and “House Taken Over”. It is shown through transformation in the character, setting, and sometimes even the story or poem itself, adding to the scariness that the reader feels when reading it. While there are some examples of transformation not being scary or not playing a role in stories meant to scare us, transformation plays a crucial role in making the reader of these stories scared.
...her to feel despair. Her misery resulted in her doing unthinkable things such us the unexplainable bond with the woman in the wallpaper.
The patient was more beautiful than she realized. If only she could see it for herself. The color from her dainty face had drained to a sickened green tint and her eyes widened in fear. The walls of the clinic exam room were ordained in calming colors, but offered the young woman no comfort. She continued to blink rapidly as if she would awaken from the nightmare; her long eyelashes could not fan the health worker’s words away. She thought it was harmless, just a night of fun. It made her feel valuable and attractive. Yet being desired now left her alone, crumpling to the floor screaming between sobs and desperately reaching to the empty air around her. She couldn’t grasp any security. Not only did that harmless night of fun result in her becoming
Edgar Allen Poe used very detailed descirbling words to create a world of suspense in the readers head. “He was still sitting up in the bed listening; --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.” (2) He gives us a hint in the death watches in the wall and hearkening means listening, so they are making noises. With the details it’s also a better way to get an image in your head. For me I imaged an old busted up big house with cracks in the walls for death watches to come in and hang out in there. Read this quotation from the book, “I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out --"Who's there?"” (2) I can picture that scene perfectly and you dont know if the old man can see him so that brings more suspense. You can even image his face when his thumb slipped on the tin fastening. (Well, at least I can.) With great detail comes great suspense and Edgar Allen Poe hit the target right in the middle.
Mysterious, fun, dramatic, and contemporary summarized the main genres of music played. Occasionally, pop music from China played, to put a modern twist on the performance. To me, the music resembled adding cherries to the cake, as it added theatrics to the show. I also liked the lighting component. This department used different colors that represented the emotions of the story. Such as (Blue: calm, Green/Yellow: Happiness, Red: War, White: Peace and freedom). This enhanced the background scenery of the stage as well as the props. I had undergone quite a few emotions during this performance. Such as fear for the performers safety, shock for the stunts, and even anger for the show being too
She threw her starving mothers loaf of bread into the mud to step across, so her shoes were spotless. This final act of cruelness sent her straight down under. Even when Inge was covered in mud and had a snake wrapped in her hair she “was still vain and proud”. It took a very special lady to turn Inges naughtiness around. There was a girl who wondered if Inge were sorry for her sins she would go to heaven? This was the only time someone felt sorry for her, and it made Inge “feel quite strange and she would gladly have wept herself, and it added to her torment to find she could not do so. As the years went on Inge was becoming less like a stone stature and started to evoke feelings to her wrong doings. The young girl who wept for Inge was now dying and her tears set Inge free. Anderson described Inge’s feelings by saying “It seemed impossible that the gates of mercy could ever be opened to her, but while she acknowledged this in deep penitence, a beam of radiant light shot suddenly into the depths of her” (Anderson). The key word in this phrase is the fact that she was finally sorry for all the things she had done and that ultimately set her
...neously on many aspects of an audience’s sensibilities. With elements of supernatural music, dance, sound effects and movement in every scene of the play, the audience would never forget that the island is set apart from reality.