I will support the aspects with examples from well-known Gothic related films such as 'Dracula', 'Vincent', 'Nosferatu', 'Frankenstein' and 'Sleepy Hollow'.

In this essay I will discuss the generic features of the Gothic Tradition. I will describe all of the aspects of the tradition and I will support the aspects with examples from well-known Gothic related films such as 'Dracula', 'Vincent', 'Nosferatu', 'Frankenstein' and 'Sleepy Hollow'. There are many common features in the Gothic Tradition; one of those features involves the use of a sense of atmosphere. In most Gothic films the weather usually is terrible. The weather tends to consist of either a storm or some is lightning. Also the atmosphere would be very dramatic. There wouldn't be very much daylight, so it would be dark. A full moon would be out as an extra to give a bigger feel for the atmosphere. An example of this type of atmosphere is well shown in 'Frankenstein.' In the film 'Frankenstein' a storm takes place. It is very dramatic because the scientist was in need for his creation to come to life. It was very dark and there was a full moon out, which gave the atmosphere a more frightening feel. There was also suspense to whether the creation was going to come to life. Also the film 'Dracula' distinguishes a good atmosphere. In that film it was very dark and dingy. The setting is also another common factor. Most Gothic films set the scene in a castle, a haunted mansion, in an isolated forest or and old area. The features in a scene would include

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A consideration of the genre of Gothic horror writing with reference to its influence on Modern Horror.

Clare Simpson 10GF Mon.07.07.03 A Consideration of the Genre of Gothic Horror Writing with reference to its influence on Modern Horror. "Gothic", a term primarily used to describe the style of architecture that flourished in Western Europe during the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. However, the word "Gothic" was originally familiarised be Italian Renaissance writers as a term for all art and architecture of the middle ages, which they recognised as comparable to the works of the barbarian Goths. The Gothic period or last medieval era immediately followed the Romanesque style, which is now universally considered as one of Europe's outstanding artistic Genres. Gothic idiom reached its greatest heights of expression in the of of Literature. The style of writing was most popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and still prevails today. The revival of the gothic phenomenon coincided with the rise of a type of romantic fiction that predominated English Literature through out the late 18th century. The principle elements were violence, the grotesque, the super-natural, and were often pictured in ruined Gothic castles or Abbes. Such buildings were characterised by pointed arches, ribbed vaults and narrow, flying buttresses, which constituted an extremely heavy structure. In that

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Comparison of a Pre-Twentieth Century and Contemporary Horror Writing, Looking in Particular at Techniques for Building Tension and Suspense.

A Comparison of a Pre-Twentieth Century and Contemporary Horror Writing, Looking in Particular at Techniques for Building Tension and Suspense. We looked at an extract from the pre-twentieth century horror story 'Dracula', by Bram Stoker. Dracula is a traditional gothic horror story set in middle Europe. It is written in the style of Harker's diary. We also looked at the contemporary writing 'One for the Road', by Stephen King. One for the Road is set in the United States of America and is written in the style of a personal conversation between the reader and the main character, Booth. Both stories deal with vampires and use similar methods of building tension and suspense. In the first three paragraphs of Dracula, the Count is very courteous towards Harker and after opening the door to his castle in Transylvania, he even bows "in a courtly way". He seems determined to help and insists on carrying Harker's luggage. It could be considered strange that Dracula does not have any servants or butlers to open doors and see to guests, but he dismisses this by saying that "it is late, and my people are not available". The way that Dracula introduces himself could also be considered bizarre as instead of saying, "Hello, my name is Count Dracula", he says very deliberately "I am Dracula". Dracula treats Harker to a lovely supper and has a warm room ready. It could be seen as

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How tension is created in Dracula by BramStoker, The Kit bag by Algernon Blackwood, and The Monkeys Paw by W.W. Jacobs.

How tension is created in Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Kit bag by Algernon Blackwood, and The Monkeys Paw by W.W. Jacobs We have examined how various methods of constructing tension are applied within each extract. Atmosphere and setting have the most effect on creating fear although the choice of storyteller and the holding back of information also subtly adds uneasiness in the reader. Another important factor is the description of characters and their actions. In each of these stories isolation and darkness are key factors. In Dracula Jonathan Harker is not only isolated from civilisation but also within the castle since there are so many doors but they are all 'locked and bolted'. From the day Harker arrives in the 'gloom' he begins to live a nocturnal life, he wakes 'late in the day' and goes to bed as 'warm grey of quickening sky' appears. The reader is made to visualise a dark force changing Harker's character and lifestyle without being given any specific detail. This leads to imagination and the reader bringing their own personal fears/interpretation into the novel. The castle itself, a major role in the story, is almost brought to life in an eerie malevolent way. The castle has a constant dim appearance, in the 1900's electricity had not been well known and light bulbs did not exist so there were many lamps in the castle. The lamps were very mysterious

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'Gothic writing remains fascinated by objects and practices that are negative, irrational and immoral' - How far would you agree with this statement? Jane Eyre? WHY the focus, why the preoccupation?

'Gothic writing remains fascinated by objects and practices that are negative, irrational and immoral.' How far would you agree with this statement? Jane Eyre? WHY the focus, why the preoccupation? Introduction It is typical of Gothic writing to be fascinated by objects and practices that are negative, irrational and immoral.(define key term in terms of gothic elements) Such objects and practices are usually shunned by the society, much of which are very controversial. However, the Gothic being didactic in nature uses these objects and practices to challenge and convey a certain moral agenda. In this essay, in the context of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Bram Stoker's Dracula, we are going to explore the different objects and practices in these novels that are negative, irrational and immoral and show how they can convey a moral agenda. There are several objects and practices in which portrays the immoral obesssions??? of Victorian society. Practices such as polygamy, voyeurism and rape, , incest and the......... Oedipus complex are such of immoral practices in which shows that the Gothic is fascinated in its writing. Polygamy is regarded immoral in Victorian times as men are traditonalluy monogamysupposed to have relationships with more than one woman. The blood transfusion scene ...in Stoker's Dracula of Lucy by Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, Van Helsing and Doctor

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Gothic: A History

The Gothic: A History Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate! - Dante Just over two hundred years ago, literature was developing at a fantastic rate. Books and magazines had become economically viable for mass-production; a gamut of influences was creating 'reading for leisure'. One of the most popular forms among the public who were reading these books were tales of the macabre. Their sources were many -- collections of folk tales and medieval romances, translations of Eastern legends such as The Arabian Nights, and experiments by contemporary authors such as Ann Radcliffe and Horace Walpole began to create something distinct and new. Even... "novel", because the medium for this type of fiction just had not existed before. This something is still with us, and we even use the name the first critics used to identify it -- gothic. The structure of the gothic tale is simple. Nothing wrong with the formula -- just ask Doctor Jekyll. A character -- whose sensibilities will be sympathetically familiar and contemporary, no matter the actual setting -- is removed by circumstance from the familiar and 'normal' to another, darker realm. The castle; huge, decaying and surrounded by barriers that make escape near impossible, is the classic. An old house or a dark dungeon may replace it, but it is always unmistakable. Then let the terrors commence. This is another world, and it seeks to

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Key features of the Gothic tradition.

Term Assignment This passage entails many key features of the Gothic tradition where Gothic conventions, with the usage of archetypal symbols, dominate much of the text. Other than effectively evoking horror, suspense and unease in the reader, the Gothic uses these conventions to challenge and destabilize certain concepts and perceptions of the world. Boundaries of binary oppositions are also blurred in the process. The Gothic conventions that prevalent in the passage are the setting and atmosphere, the role double, the supernatural visitation, extreme interior mental states of the narrator and the apparitions and the fragmented mental states of the narrator. The setting of the passage is dark and obscure, typical of the Gothic. The visitation by the apparitions occurs at an "untimely" hour, about "four or five o'clock", a time when most people are asleep and that anything that may happen would be left unnoticed. By taking into consideration the fact that most of the time people are unfamiliar with the surroundings and activities of the wee-hours of the morning, a foreign, strange, Unheimlich sensation is created. Although it is presumably in the comforts of the speaker's own room, the fact that it is "dark" lends to the sinister tone of the atmosphere evoking further unease. As seen in the other gothic narratives, most visitations by the otherworldly occur in such setting.

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comparing the presentation of Lucy and Mina in Dracula

Lucy and Mina are the only two female characters we meet in detail in Dracula, and are also the only two characters we see becoming vampires - indeed, they are the only vampiric characters, with the exception of the chief antagonist, that are described in detail within the novel. Both characters are also narrators. Therefore it is clear that these two play a very important role in the novel. Lucy's part in the novel may only be relatively short, yet her role is essential to our understanding of the novel, since she is the first victim of Dracula. Lucy is also the only character whose vampiric transformation Stoker describes in detail. It is during chapter five that Lucy's narrative voice is heard for the first time, through her two letters to Mina, and here that we first see the key difference between Lucy and Mina in this novel: Lucy is very open about sex and sexuality, whereas Mina rarely comments on the subject at all. In only the second letter written by Lucy, she laments 'Why can't they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?'. Even though Lucy recognises that this is a somewhat heretical comment, she still makes this inner confession to her friend Mina, and whilst it appears that the two have an emotional link through their friendship, there is no point in the novel where Mina makes such a controversial comment; rather, Mina is

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Review the film

Review the film "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" (Hammer 1965). Analyse the conventions of the horror genre as they appear in the film, and comment on how they create dramatic tension. Horror has been a popular genre over the last 200 years. People enjoy reading gothic novels and watching horror films because it injects excitement into their lives. This may be because generally life is safer and people may find it mundane; horror gives people a thrill and knowing you're in safe surroundings lets you know you're going to be ok after the short time you are being entertained. Writers like Sheridan Le Fanu, Bram Stoker and Edgar Allen Poe have all been popular horror authors, however, the first great gothic novel was 'Mysteries of Udolpho' written by Anne Radcliffe in 1794. Then, film was invented and 'Nosferatu' was the first horror film made by the Germans. This then encouraged more films to be made and they have become increasingly more popular. Recently in films technical advances have made films more realistic because people's expectations are becoming greater, we want to believe what we see is real. We watched Dracula, Prince of Darkness made by Hammer in 1965 and have studied the conventions and techniques as they appear in the film and in this essay it will be about the effect of them on the audience, how they generate pleasurable fear. Most horror films have a similar

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Discuss the role of sexuality in Dracula. What does the novel suggest about sexual behavior in Victorian England?

Discuss the role of sexuality in Dracula. What does the novel suggest about sexual behavior in Victorian England? Bram Stoker's focus on sexuality (particularly female sexuality) is evident throughout the different stages of the novel. Scenes in which this is most apparent include the scene portraying the attempted seduction of Harker by the 'voluptuous' woman vampires, Lucy being bitten by Dracula on the bench and the demolition of Lucy by Arthur Holmwood. In all of the mentioned scenes, Stoker combines the two themes of sexuality and violence in a manner which is sometimes very reserved and consequently well hidden from the modern day reader. Nevertheless, for the average Victorian reader, such hints and ambiguity would be significantly clearer and it would be far easier to understand Stoker's intentions. This is as a result of how sexuality and more specifically intercourse which Victorian Society considered taboo. This is the primary reason for Stoker's ambiguity in such scenes as it would have been considered against the basic social values if Stoker were to explicitly base a scene around strong themes of sexuality and therefore hid his forbidden meanings amongst a more obvious meaning so that one would have to look and study the text carefully to get to grips with such obscure substances. Of course not all sexuality in Dracula was based plainly around intercourse,

  • Word count: 1504
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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