Why Do Parents Believe Their Children Should Not Read Gothic Literature?
Gothic Literature consists of many romantic and dark themes that some parents find disturbing and unhealthy for their child to comprehend or understand. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Gothic Literature first began to rise. The purpose of Gothic Literature is to promote horror and to place terror into the reader's mind. Therefore, most parents do not approve of their children reading these types of novels because they believe that it could have a negative effect on their child's life. Gothic Literature combines both horror and the age of Romanticism into one period. Parents object to their children reading Gothic Literature because they believe that it places
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unnecessary fears and terror into the minds of our children today. Parents often view Gothic Literature as having both dark and evil themes. However, Locke and Rousseau believed that exposing children to this type of genre or literature at such a young age, will teach them not to fear unnecessary things. Most parents object to their children reading Gothic Literature because they believe it could display the role of fear or terror or promote false fears in children's minds, lead to confusion of what is to be believed as real versus the unreal or imaginary, interfere with moral teachings, and some parents go as far as to believe that these novels could scar their children for life. Most parents worry that Gothic Literature will display the role of fear or terror or promote fears in children's minds.
Locke and Rousseau believe that if the child is exposed to Gothic Literature at such a young age, that they will be able to comprehend and learn to accept what is not real at an earlier age in their life. Locke warns parents to, "be sure to preserve [their] tender mind from all impressions and notions of spirits and goblins, or any fearful apprehensions in the dark" (89). Restricting access to these types of novels, allows the child to see what truly exists in the world around him instead of imagining the unreal objects or creatures that could frighten him or her. According to Locke, "Fear and awe ought to give you the first power over their minds," (78). Locke wants the reader to fully understand the dark themes of Gothic Literature and that these themes can create false fears or images that can scare children. After all, children struggle between fiction and reality. Locke explains that a child's "... imagination is still asleep [so]... he only sees what is really there, and rates the danger at its truth worth" (14). Parents believe that the dark themes that consist in Gothic Literature could have a negative effect in children's …show more content…
lives. Children's literature that is filled with Gothic themes can interfere with moral teachings.
Therefore, most parents do not allow their children to read something that could potentially break their child of correct standards. Allowing access to these gothic-themed literatures, interrupts the child's true understanding and learning. Filling their minds with these Gothic themes, only affects how the child will later view himself in society or in the environment as a whole. Rousseau explains how, "We are born sensitive and from our birth onwards we are affected in various ways by our environment" (2). Children become easily influenced by their environment. The dark themes that it portrays can have a negative effect on children's minds and interfere with moral teachings. A child only learns of these unknown fears and terrors, when they first become presented with them. Being presented with Gothic-themed Literature at such a young age, such as Locke believes, only exposes the child to the negative teachings and allows the child to see the dark moods that it outlines. Rousseau argues, that "Reason alone teaches us to know good and evil" (4). Rousseau also believes that children are able to learn from these novels. He states, "Now is the time, you say, to correct his evil tendencies; we must increase suffering in childhood, when it is less keenly felt, to lessen it in manhood. But how do you know that you can carry out all the fine schemes;" (5). Whereas some parents believe that
these gothic-themed literatures can interfere with moral lessons or teachings, Locke believes that children can learn valuable, moral lessons if parents allowed their children to read them. In conclusion, most parents object to their children reading Gothic-themed Literature because of the negative and dark themes that it portrays. Parents do not want to place these unnecessary fears in their children's mind. Therefore they do not allow their children to read these types of novels. Gothic Literature is filled with the presence of fear, the imaginary, and the unknown. While others believe that these Gothic-themed Literatures are teaching their kids moral lessons, it is also placing unnecessary fear and terror in children's minds today. Therefore, most parents do not allow their children to read Gothic Literature because it promotes false fears and terror, leads to confusion, and could even scar their children for life.
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”.
Are adults overprotective of their children? To what point do we protect children? Where should the line be drawn? Along with those questions is how easily children can be influenced by these same adults. Two poets, Richard Wilbur and Billy Collins, express the ideas of how easily children can be manipulated and how sometimes adults think they are protecting their innocent children, when in reality they are not. Wilbur and Collins express these ideas in their poems through numerous literary devices. The literary devices used by Wilbur and Collins expose different meanings and two extremely different end results. Among the various literary devices used, Wilbur uses imagery, a simple rhyme scheme and meter, juxtaposition of the rational and irrational, and a humorous tone to represent the narrator’s attempt to “domesticate” irrational fears. Conversely Collins uses symbols, historical interpretations, imagery, diction and other literary devices to depict the history teacher’s effort to shield his students from reality. In the poems, “A Barred Owl,” by Richard Wilbur, and “The History Teacher,” by Billy Collins, both poets convey how adults protect and calm children from their biggest, darkest fears and curiosities.
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Gothic Literature was a natural progression from romanticism, which had existed in the 18th Century. Initially, such a ‘unique’ style of literature was met with a somewhat mixed response; although it was greeted with enthusiasm from members of the public, literary critics were much more dubious and sceptical.
Gothic Literature is a literary genre that combines the elements of fiction and the ideas that is related to horror, death, or supernatural. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a good example of Gothic literature because it contains the elements of this literary genre, and one of them is the bleak setting of the story. An example of this in
Ironically, the dangerous knowledge parents believe they are hiding from their children inevitably is learned through exposure. In the domain of literature, a parent may feel that a particular book attracts attention
In today’s literature there are many types of genres that people find fascinating, all the way from fantasy to non-fiction. A very interesting genre is Gothic Fiction, where many elements are used to such as violence, ghosts, monsters and many other dark and mystical elements that make up Gothic Fiction. There are many great authors who are well known for their dark gothic style such as Edgar Poe, who has written the short story “Fall of the House of Usher” and the “Black Cat,” or Horacio Quiroga who has written “Feather Pillow” and a more recent author, Ransom Riggs who has written Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. These three author’s stories all have gothic elements, such as psychological issues, death and fear that parallel one other which shows a common trend between gothic literatures.
It is not always easy to steer a child towards the right path, sometimes they do as they please, and sometimes it is the parents that make a mistake. No sons or daughters truly understand their parents’ choices until they have reached maturity. For example, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel Frankenstein can be interpreted as a metaphor of a kid defying his parents’ wishes and going into a teenage crisis asserting his rights over them. If the novel is deconstructed we can identify the different stages of the creature’s life mirroring the stages towards adulthood; First there is the first actions of the child and how the parent reacts to it, in second there is the learning phase where he acquires awareness of his surroundings and consequences of his actions and third is the child’s revolt against the authority figure as he attains maturity and finally the reconciliation between father and son as the wrong is being atoned for.
The definition of the Horror genre differs completely to the Gothic genre. This idea of how the Gothic novel transformed from various architectures based around impending castles and morality tales, to the idea of monsters, fear, and repugnance. Therefore, it is interesting to notice the change from how the genre has developed from arguably the 17th century to the 20th century, where vampires, werewolf’s, and other monsters are very popular with teen audiences especially.
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.
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 is a style of writing which features the element of fear, death, horror and gloom. In addition, it has the romantic effect like nurture, high emotion, and individuality. The use of gothic has been used by many video producers as well as many literature writers to effectively pass their information to both viewers and readers. Therefore, the use its use can be traced back during the middle ages up to the present time. This paper explores the impact and how gothic has been used and being used in some of the literature work of some authors as well how the use of gothic can be traced in the contemporary literature.
Edgar Allen Poe was an English short-story writer whose work reflects the traditional Gothic conventions of the time that subverted the ambivalence of the grotesque and arabesque. Through thematic conventions of the Gothic genre, literary devices and his own auteur, Edgar Allan Poe’s texts are considered sublime examples of Gothic fiction. The Gothic genre within Poe’s work such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Raven, arouse the pervasive nature of the dark side of individualism and the resulting encroachment of insanity. Gothic tales are dominated by fear and terror and explore the themes of death and decay. The Gothic crosses boundaries into the realm of the unknown, arousing extremes of emotion through the catalyst of disassociation and subversion of presence. Gothic literature utilises themes of the supernatural to create a brooding setting and an atmosphere of fear.
The concept of childhood innocence began with the Romantic view of childhood, where children were seen as pure and sin free. The concept was greatly influenced by the eighteenth-century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Rousseau, (1765) believed that children are born good and guiltless, and through life experiences, they learn badness and guilt. Most parents see their children as innocent and want to protect them from the bad world we live in. This is not always easy, especially when the country they live in is at war and children take part in it, or they live in a poor country. The war and lack of sufficient money are some of the challenges the childhood innocence faces in today's world.
In this period of time, an increasingly popular genre was gothic. A gothic novel contains mystery, doom, decay, old buildings, ghosts and madness but also subtler features such as courage, mysterious places. a sense of place, dreams and weather, but mainly abnormal events and... ... middle of paper ... ...