How Effective is the Tomb of Sarah as a piece of Gothic Horror?
How Effective is the Tomb of Sarah as a piece of Gothic Horror? The Gothic genre is a style which existed for two hundred years and still lives on in modern literature. It is a period which incorporated vampires, witches, ghosts and other superstitions into real life and aimed to scare. The mode changed and modernised throughout the years to include the disintegration of order and the fears and desires of man, mirroring the worries of society in the period. All these techniques displayed many classic conventions which are usually easy to distinguish. The "Tomb of Sarah" is a piece from the Gothic which exhibits many of these features, bringing good and evil together in the mortal world. Vampires were figures beyond scientific or natural explanation and with their nocturnal existence and indiscriminate desires seemed a particular sexual threat to cultural value: venereal disease threatened family, society and culture. Loring uses conventional methods in setting, characters and language to create a frightening effect. A story that is not so conventional but is nonetheless a piece of Gothic is The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe. Poe is an author whose stories best illustrate the distortions of the imagination: his chilling Gothic settings with their gloom, decay and extravagance reflect the diseased minds of the characters. Human desires and neuroses are portrayed in
In What Ways Are The Conventions Of Gothic Fiction Shown In The Texts You Have Studied
In What Ways Are The Conventions Of Gothic Fiction Shown In The Texts You Have Studied Stories of the gothic fiction genre first began to be written in the late 18th century to the early 19th century, the genre was very popular from the 1760's through to the 1820's. Famous authors from this time include Mary Shelley, whom wrote Frankenstein. However the genre of gothic fiction is still popular today, which is shown by famous authors such as Stephen King, that have written many stories within the gothic fiction genre. Gothic Fiction is mostly considered to be horror writing, with tales of murder and mystery, to scare the reader and often have supernatural links or instances. The supernatural instances are often reflected within the conventions of gothic fiction, usually the "evil" characters have a "supernatural" appearance. The conventions of gothic fiction are; Isolation, Setting and Atmosphere, Superstition, Character and Good versus Evil. The two stories that these conventions were investigated in were "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley and "The Vampire Of Kaldenstein" by Frederick Cowles. The convention of Isolation plays a big part in stories of the Gothic Fiction Genre, the main character, or the "hero" of the story is often either emotionally ("not a particularly sociable kind of person" - The Vampire Of Kaldenstein.) or physically ("...wandering the more remote parts
How does the writer create an atmosphere of fear and horror in the opening chapters of Dracula?
How does the writer create an atmosphere of fear and horror in the opening chapters of Dracula? One of the ways in which Stoker creates an atmosphere of fear and horror is through character. A young naïve inexperienced traveller is going to meet a man known as the Count. He is travelling in the "horseshoe of the Carpathians" where every known superstition is gathered in "some sort of imaginative whirlpool". There is an irony in the fact that Jonathan is calm at the beginning of the novel yet he has no idea what is in store for him. As Jonathan gets closer to the Borgo Pass and the Count's castle, the more his nerves start to shake. He is also unsettled by the fact that his host from the hotel that he is staying at begs him not to leave. This reveals that the night that he is leaving is the night when "all the evil things in the world will have full sway" and leads Jonathan to feel very uneasy. The night before he had "had all sorts of queer dreams" of a dog howling. This is a disturbing dream and relates to the howling of dogs and wolves later on in the novel when the wolves are circling the carriage with "lolling red tongues", this depicts danger and is emphasised when a "paralysis of fear" over comes Jonathan. His suspicions are aroused again as when he is setting off from his hotel. All the guests gathered outside guard him "against the evil eye". Jonathan is
How are genre and narrative established in the opening Scenes of Dracula?
How are genre and narrative established in the opening? Scenes of Dracula Through out this scene there is music. The music in this play sounds spooky and unusual; this creates a strong tension though out the scene. The music builds up and down in certain places, the violin and cello add to the effect of the dramatic build up in this scene so if there is a dramatic part it is more likely that the music will be louder. At the beginning of the scene you have a view of the cross on the top of a huge dome falling and hitting the ground. As this happens a cloud of dust rises so high it reaches the top of the dome. Then Muslim's sign appears on a rod and sweeps across a map heading to Romania this could show the fall of Christianity, which is under threat from the Muslim's. The next thing that happens in the scene is that Dracula has to say goodbye to his wife Elizabetha: this is the part of the scene when you feel for Elizabtha as see does not no if Dracula is going to come back or not. This is when Elizabetha gets upset because Dracula has to go to war and she might not see him ever again. At this point the doors swing open and Dracula's men are there waiting there ready to go to war. I think this is a pivotal moment in the scene because if Dracula hadn't gone to war Elizabetha would not have killed herself. In this scene the lighting is very effective; it disguises the
How effective is the “Tomb of Sarah” as a Gothic Horror story?
How effective is the "Tomb of Sarah" as a Gothic Horror story? Standard Gothic Horror stories often incorporate many factors designed to create fear and suspense in the reader. These can include many features comprising of: old legends, mythical beasts and courageous heroes. The "Tomb of Sarah" is the story focussing around the life of a church restorer who faces an unusual case when he must move a tomb 10 feet southward. Strange events start to occur, including dogs howling for periods of time, mysterious fog rises and sheep disappear. We find out for certain that this is the work of a vampire, the "Countess Sarah". It eventually takes the Heroic efforts of Harry the church restorer and the rector, to prevent the arising of this evil force and to stop her from spreading her evil. The reason that the "Tomb of Sarah" is so effective as a Gothic Horror story is because of its in inkeeping with the Gothic Horror genre. We have the Hero of the story, who we know only as "Harry". He is a very distinguished gentleman, who is well respected and enjoys what he does. As the events unfold Harry is very rational and calm in his manner. When confronted with the evidence of localised fog and strange dogs synchronously howling, as well as viewing the corpse he simply decides to investigate further and posses more evidence before he confronts the rector or anyone else with his
A Comparison of two Gothic Horror Films, Sleepy Hollow and The Lost Boys.
A Comparison of two Gothic Horror Films, Sleepy Hollow and The Lost Boys Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton) and The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher) are fairly recent films, they both use specific camera shots to portray different characters, however, The Lost Boys, recorded in 1987 has fewer special effects than Sleepy Hollow, for at the time of the making of The Lost Boys, fewer facilities were available, compared to when Sleepy Hollow was filmed in 1999. Lost Boys is in some ways a tragedy, about a group of Vampires who had been taken over by the villain, (as the title "Lost Boys" suggests) who we are led to believe is David, the leader of the group of Vampires, but is in fact Max, who I will discuss later on. They are forced to feed upon victims in order to survive. The main victim, Michael, who I will also discuss, has been possessed by the vampires, and will have to feed on people to live, however, the heroes, the Frog brothers, and to some extent Michaels younger brother Sam, for he stuck by his brother throughout his ordeal, are familiar with the vampires, and eventually kill the leader, Max, therefore ending all the vampires' evilness. Sleepy Hollow, recorded in 1999 is along the same lines of a tragedy, the villain, who again we are led to believe as the Headless Horseman, as well as Katrina Anne Van Tassel, is in fact the wicked stepmother-Lady Van Garret, who has enchanted the
Examine how the Aspects of Good and Evil are Presented/Portrayed in the film "Bram Stokers 'Dracula".
Examine how the Aspects of Good and Evil are Presented/Portrayed in the film "Bram Stokers 'Dracula" Film today can be very powerful as a means of expression and communication. Often the most diminutive detail can have a tremendous i8mpact on an audience encompassing all ages. These details often come from a range of media devices. They have a profound affect on how the director attempts to express a scene. One of the most recurrent themes since the launch of film has to be the element of 'Good and Evil.' A prime example of this is Bram Strokers 'Dracula.' The film is based on a book written by Abraham Stoker in the 1800's. During this time England was fascinated by the Gothic. Darwin had brought up the theory of evolution, giving the idea that man evolved from prime apes. This all built up to eventually influence Bram Stroker to write the amazing 'Dracula.' In this essay I will be conducting an analysis on the contrasts between the element of Good and Evil. I will be studying how they are both portrayed in the film. The opening scenes in films often set the mood for the remainder. The beginning of the film is crucial in impacting the audience enough to make them stay and watch. The introduction to Dracula was very effective. The initial colours used involved shades of misty red and black already establishing the element of death. The mist also allowed scenes to fade into
Dracula adapted by David Calcutt from the novel by Bram Stoker.
Michelle Moran 4F1 Dracula Essay 'Dracula" adapted by David Calcutt from the novel by Bram Stoker, is a compelling and dramatic play which conveys horror extremely well. The central characters are Jonathan Harker, his fiancee Mina and their friends, and of course Dracula. This shows an example of successful horror as they all have an encounter with the lord of all darkness and evil, Dracula. In the opening scene, horror is conveyed when Jonathan Harker goes to Draculas' castle. There is alot of mystery surrounding Dracula. When Johnathan arrives in Trasylvania, to go and see Dracula (about his new home in England) he goes to stay in an inn. He tells the Land Lady why he has come to Transyvania. She "shudders" and tries to put him off going there. In the morning, before Jonathan sets off on his travels, the Land Lady of the inn gives Jonathan a crucifix. "Please. Take it. For safety. It will protect you." The Land Lady said to Jonathan, as if he was needing protecting from something dangerous or something evil. The description that the author gives of the mountains is appropriate for this play. He describes them as being "Bathed in a deep red light" and red is the colour of blood. It is also associated with evil and danger. In scene three after Jonathan has arrived at the castle and met Dracula, to convey horror, three hags are added. Adding the hags to the play provides a
Dracula Is One of the Most Important and Influencial Novels of Its Genre, Why, What Has Made It So Successful?
Dracula IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENCIAL NOVELS OF ITS GENRE, WHY, WHAT HAS MADE IT SO SUCCESSFUL? BRAM STOKER'S GOTHIC HORROR ANDREW STEVEN HOWELL DRACULA A STUDY OF THE CLASSIC GENRE GOTHIC HORROR Writer of one of the world's most famous horror novels, Abraham Stoker (Bram Stoker) was born to the loosely defined socio-cultural group known as the Anglo-Irish. A Protestant Dubliner, he was the son of a civil servant, and he was expected to follow in his father's footsteps. As a child, Abraham Stoker was a sickly child often on the point of death by his own account; he never stood upright without aid until he was seven years old. At Trinity College, he studied mathematics and became president of the Philosophical Society and the Historical Society. Dracula is an epistolary novel, meaning that is composed from letters, journal and diary entries, telegrams, and some newspaper clippings. Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray (later Mina Harker), and Dr. Seward give the largest contributions to the novel, although other characters such as Lucy Westenra and Abraham Van Helsing contribute to some key parts of the book. Because of this, the novel has a slightly journalistic feel, as though it is an account written by the people who witnessed the events. A brief overview of the book would start with a young Englishman named Jonathan Harker, who is travelling through
Explore how both Susan Hill and H.G. Wells exploit the Gothic Horror genre for effect in The Woman In Black and The Red Room.
Explore how both Susan Hill and H.G. Wells exploit the Gothic Horror genre for effect in The Woman In Black and The Red Room As with all things, the gothic horror genre of literature did not begin at one definable point, but evolved gradually. Gothic horror evolved out of gothic fiction (as opposed to classical fiction, for example the novels of Jane Austen), before establishing itself as a genre in its own right. However, many literary scholars and critics would point to "The Castle of Otranto", written by Horace Walpole and first published in 1764, as the first true gothic horror novel, containing as it does many of the clichés prevalent throughout the genre. Gothic horror novels are typified by their dark, lachrymose atmosphere of dread and fear. In fact, the key to gothic horror can be summed up in one word: tension. This is created by many devices, as well as having an evil force present working against the hero/heroine. The characters, locations and atmospheres created are designed to be threatening, even when nothing sinister is actually happening. Although the gothic horror genre didn't die out altogether, it certainly lost popularity. However, it has had a minor resurgence over the last decade. Susan Hill is one of the authors who has turned her hand to the gothic horror format, her short novel "The Woman In Black" being released in the late eighties.
