Gothic Subculture - Sinister or Harmless?
Lidia Rigga (I MSU) Gothic Subculture - Sinister or Harmless? "What are the worst dangers that threaten our children today? Satanism? Drugs? Homosexuality? A culture of violence? Heat exhaustion? What if there was a danger that included all of these? That danger is here, and its name is GOTH." 1 Those words, taken from the website hosted by Parents American Religious Organizations Defending Youth which main purpose is to inform and warn parents against dangers related to Gothic subculture, best summarize the confusion around the phenomenon of being 'Goth'. Is gothdom a sinister cult posing danger to the society or a harmless movement, one among many? The commonly negative reputation of the Gothic subculture, especially among parents and teachers, has its roots in stereotypes. 'Stereotype' is defined in the Webster's New World Dictionary as "a fixed or conventional notion or conception, as of a person, group, idea, etc., held by a number of people, and allowing for no individuality, critical judgment, etc." Stereotypes are usually imposed on the group of people they are applied to by others who are not within the group but are instead critical of them, very often due to lack of understanding or fear. Thus stereotypes are simplified cutouts representing general ideas rather than real living human beings, depriving them of their exceptional individual features. Such attitude
Taking The Castle of Otranto as your example, outline the main conventions of the Gothic novel, and show how your knowledge of
Taking The Castle of Otranto as your example, outline the main conventions of the Gothic novel, and show how your knowledge of these conventions affects your reading of Northanger Abbey. Is Northanger Abbey most accurately described as parody of the Gothic genre, or is there a more complicated relationship going on? Gothic novels purport to revive old stories and beliefs, exploring personal, psychical encounters with the taboo (Williams, 2000). The genre, as typified by The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, involves a beautiful innocent young woman who is held captive by an older, powerful, evil man in his large, ancient and gloomy residence for his own lustful purposes and who escapes, with the aid of supernatural manifestations, errors caused by "false surmises and conjectures based on partial narratives" (Hoeveler, 1995, p127) and a handsome young hero. Walpole's novel centers around the tyrant where the female writers in the genre, for example, Ann Radcliffe, focus more on the female victim and what she is thinking and feeling, exploring women's anxieties about their lack of control of their feelings, their bodies, and their property, and their desire for something far more extraordinary and exciting than simply to be a domestic woman. The use of the supernatural by Walpole is so frequent and monstrous as to excite laughter rather than terror but for Radcliffe and
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.
Compare and Contrast The Use of Gothic Conventions From Pre-1914 and The Twentieth Century
Compare and Contrast The Use of Gothic Conventions From Pre-1914 and The Twentieth Century By Gabriel Clark The word gothic is a noun and an adjective describing an era of fashion. This fashion can be seen through people in what they wear, buildings, writings, music and images. Gothic fashions are meant to shock and scare people into a state of insecurity, it does this by following certain "stock features" (rules it abides to). In this study I plan to concentrate on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Daphne Du-Maurier's Rebecca, and The Woman In Black (author unknown). I will look at four certain "stock features" and find the similarities and differences between Dracula, Frankenstein (pre 1914), and Rebecca and The Woman In Black (the twentieth century). The features that I will be looking at are, buildings, quests and journeys, letters/diaries, and the use of the externals such as weather (pathetic fallacies). In all four of the gothic novels included in this study buildings play a big part. In Frankenstein and Dracula the main characters in each go to stay in huge, isolated buildings. In Dracula Jonathan Harker is working, as a solicitor and trying to move Dracula to London, and in Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein is creating his immortal monster in his rather overly huge student home. In the films of Dracula and Frankenstein we can see that in
In his novel "Dracula", how does Bram Stoker use Gothic conventions to engage the reader?
Dracula Essay In his novel "Dracula", how does Bram Stoker use Gothic conventions to engage the reader? Gothic writing was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Gothic writers usually write their novels to create a sense of fear along with excitement and anguish for the reader. Gothic writing usually followed a pattern of plot, location, and character. In Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" (which was published in 1897) many gothic conventions are used in order to create the atmosphere of fear and suspense which are essential in gothic writing. The story is very complicated and is told by many of the different characters throughout the novel. They include Jonathan Harker, Mina Harker and Van Helsing. A convention is an essential ingredient required in a particular sort of writing. In Dracula the main gothic conventions used are: strange creatures, diaries and letters, blood, weather, sinister buildings and journeys and quests. In Stoker's "Dracula" strange creatures and manifested in the form of mainly count Dracula. The count is a dark creature that is there to give a sense of fear. In his story Stoker wrote, "A tall man, clean shaven, save for a long white moustache, and dressed clad in black." He also writes, "Without a single spec of colour about him anywhere". This shows that the count is a person who likes darkness and dark colours; He is dull and seems almost
Where there is good there is evil, where there is evil there is good.
All human beings in this world live in a dark society where evil constantly permeates the atmosphere. In the novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker, the movie "Underworld", and the cultural excursion to "The Hound Cage Match", the many good characters only survived by staying together against an "all powerful" enemy. These three media clearly indicated that there is no chance for success by one's own will or action because one's wrongful desire and lack of virtue corrupts one's heart, which lures darkness to the surroundings. Running away from one's fear puts a barrier between heroism and goodness. These media displayed the theme of good versus evil, and heroism. The themes of the three media and the characters desires created a path of evil, darkness, hatred, and goodness in which they all connect. One's own will, to fulfill his/her desire, is nothing more than a dream. A single stick is easy to break, but breaking five sticks at once is not as easy as breaking only one. Dracula, "Underworld", and "The Hound Cage Match" all displayed a bond of friendship and togetherness between the protagonists. In the novel Dracula, evil had dominated the atmosphere of Transylvania ever since Dracula had become the Count of the Transylvania state. Morning never seemed like morning - the sunlight shining through Transylvania did not give a sense of joy to the Transylvanians. Everyday, the
Comparison of Gothic and Baroque Architecture.
Comparrison between the Gothic style of architecture and the Baroque style of architecture. Gothic: The Gothic style of architecture marks the European architecture from the beginning of the 12th century until the middle of the 14th century. In France, the development of the gothic style strated a bit earlier; about the middle of the 11th century. "Gothic" stands in contrast to the renaissance, as exaggerated and babarian. The origin of the word "Gothic" comes from Italian authors as a sign of devaluation. We can divide the Gothic style up into 3 stages. The early-, high- and late-Gothic. Early-Gothic reaches until the the middle of the 13th century. It has more basic decorations and wide arches and massive butttresses. This was followed by the High-Gothic witch extends till the middle of the 14th century and is marked by it s much more detailed and fine orders and arrangement. The arches tended to be higher and narrower. In the High-Gothic all in all the buildings and structures became bigger and higher. The last of the three Gothic stages, the Late-Gothic just developed in the end of the 14th century. It is the peak stage, with the development of the star shaped vaults. Most buildings which are build in Gothic style are Kathedrals and church buildings but you can also find some city halls (like the one in Hamburg) and privat houses wich are build in this style. Before
How far can 'Frankenstein' be considered a 'Gothic' Novel?
How far can 'Frankenstein' be considered a 'Gothic' Novel? The 'Gothic' genre was first conceived in 'The Castle of Otranto', a novel written by Horace Walpole in 1764, while trying to find a new way to write fiction. The result was a classic ghost story, involving a lonely castle, suits of armour, hidden passages and more. These seem very cliché, but 'The Castle of Otranto was the first novel ever to include these kind of things, and hence was the origin of these modern clichés. 'The Castle of Otranto' reads like an episode of Scooby-Doo, but altogether more complicated and bizarre. The following features are included in the modern definition of 'Classic Gothic': * Use of isolated & lonely scenes (e.g. ruins, castles) * Weakness and insignificance of women * Presence of supernatural * Use of Epistolary (i.e. letters, diary entries) * Sense of evil, unscrupulousness * Darkness, gloominess Common sub-genres of the 'Gothic' style are 'Classic Gothic', 'Victorian Gothic', 'Gothic Horror' and 'Neo-Gothic'. 'Gothic Horror' expresses a taste for the macabre and disturbing, while 'Neo-Gothic' novels seek to probe the human mind, and interpret the sub-conscious, often focusing of dreams and nightmares. 'Victorian Gothic' novels have science as their main theme. Upon first glance, 'Frankenstein' fulfils all the requirements for a 'Classic Gothic' novel, though when one makes
The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter)
Huang Yanting Farah (03) 02A05 JC 1 Term Three Assignment The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter) The Gothic is often distinguished by an atmosphere of terror, darkness, mystery, the unexplained and the transgression of boundaries. This essay will attempt to dissect how Angela Carter uses Gothic conventions in the passage taken out of her novel, 'The Bloody Chamber'. One of the most predominant conventions manipulated here is that of a dark and mysterious atmosphere. Throughout the passage the feeling of terror prevails. This is first started by the protagonist's taking of a "forbidden key". This stirs up a feeling of disquiet, as it implies a certain degree of prohibition and disapproval towards her task. She later enforces that her bravery is somewhat foolish ("foolhardiness") giving the reader an ominous feeling. She then mentions a "castle". Its presence contributes to the feeling of mystery as we do not know what lies ahead within this icon of the past. Also, here lies the starting of her description of the "dark" that seems to constantly surround her - "very late", "ill-lit", "absolute darkness", "dim...light". There is an emphasis on the dimness and this makes her environment seem very bleak and unwelcoming. Furthermore, evil is thought to be more rampant and stronger in the twilight. The difficulty in which light penetrates the night can also show how the malevolent
How does Bram Stoker use the conventions of Gothic literature in the Novel 'Dracula'?
How does Bram Stoker use the conventions of Gothic literature in the Novel 'Dracula'? Bram Stoker, author of the novel Dracula, published his well-known book at the end of the Victorian era, 1897. Stoker's use of Gothic conventions has created a devilish yet irresistible character. Readers and cinema goers have been thrilled, entertained and petrified across the world with his novel. Stoker has developed a strong and yet powerful character 'Jonathan Harker' who is the rescuer, the 'Goodie' in this fight against evil. Stoker portrays Harker to save the day, in this case save Mina and Lucy, Mina being his newly wedded wife, and kill the notorious 'Count Dracula'. In his novel, Stoker begins the story as Harker and his Journal, writing about what he sees and does. Not are they only facts but clues to where he is going, or what is going to be expected for him. Some facts include, nationalities in Transylvania "Saxons in the South" and "Szekelys in the East and North". Stoker begins with Harker on a train to go meet Dracula who supposedly is just another colleague for Harker to transfer to London from Transylvania. When Harker is travelling along Transylvania, he describes that "every know superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians", to where he is going, this suggest that here there is an evilness that he is being drawn to or awaiting him.
