Gothic Essay Examples
In response to the question “is gothic literature purely escapist? ” considering Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Walpole’s novel The Castle of Ontranto, which is recognized as pretty much establishing the genre, the answer is yes. Castle of Ontranto Brief Plot summary The plot of Castle begins full tilt as Conrad, son of Manfred of house…
Gothic architecture flourished during the Medieval times or Middle Ages. It evolves from the Romanesque style of architecture. The best example of Gothic architecture are the Gothic Cathedrals, specifically the La Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral in France and the Salisbury Cathedral in England. This paper will discuss the main and identifiable features of Gothic Cathedrals and explore…
Gothic style has been enduring father of architectural design in Britain. Its development was complex and contradictive as it offers extraordinary vision of forms, shapes and angles. Nevertheless, the style has found its recognition. Usually, on distinguishes four major developmental stages of gothic style: Norman Gothic dated 1066-1200; Early English Gothic dated 1200-1275; Decorated Gothic…
Why is Gothic literature considered subversive? First we consider the definition of subversive. Anything that works against the dominant culture is called subversive. Gothic literature focuses on death and decay, which is a negative attitude. The majority of Gothic writers are not motivated by any high ideals. Instead they are intent on making money, and…
When we hear about Gothic architecture, we immediately imagine buildings of this style: Cologne Cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris, Mont Saint-Michel and so on. They all seem to share a number of common features: they are tall, thin, produce ethereal impression and with all their form reach for the sky, thus tuning people to a solemn…
A country that is rich in heritage and history is home to a place that is critical in the development of architecture not only in Europe but throughout the world. Italian gothic architecture represents a movement of gothic architecture that transitioned through Europe and transformed style and the typical depiction of the word “gothic.” Italy’s…
American gothic literature became popular in the 19th century when writers started to captivate reader’s attention with stories of mystery and tragedy. This literary scheme was most effective due to it being able to compare real society in a more bizarre sense. In all great Gothic stories, the writer is proving a point on what…
‘How effective is Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Tell Tale’ Heart’ as a gothic horror? ’ The short story ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ was written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843. It is written in first person in the past tense. The story opens in the middle of what seems to be a dialogue between the…
Is the Gothic mode necessarily subversive? The answer to that question is “yes. ” Authors of Gothic works use the genre’s melodramatic elements of romance and horror/suspense to make social and political commentary, often in contrast to prevailing schools of thought. In both Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” and Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto,” both texts present…
When I look at the painting of an anonymous gothic woman created by a yet anonymous artist, the most prominent emotion that I feel is wonder. I think about the peculiar way that the woman is dressed and the facial features that her painter had given her. I know of current gothic art and gothic…
Angela Carter reinterprets Gothic Conventions in both ‘The Tigers Bride’, and ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon. ’ These reinterpreted gothic conventions are not merely used by Angela Carter to shock the reader, (typical of the Gothic), but additionally to add a sub-genre. This is clearly the case in both ‘The Tigers Bride’ and ‘Courtship of…
Before starting this essay, it is important to acknowledge the fact that the term ‘postcolonial gothic’ is quite difficult to define accurately. For the most part of this essay, I will be taking for granted the fact that these texts are essentially postcolonial in form, in so far as they are texts that have ’emerged…
Compare and contrast the presentation and development of the gothic genre, over the past hundred or so years “If he be Mr Hyde … I shall be Mr Seek.” It is on this idea of searching or being obsessed with unknown or supernatural that Stevenson’s novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde concentrates. Obsession with knowledge,…
With particular reference to the construction of Mr Hyde, discuss how portrayal of the character places the novella into the Gothic Horror genre. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886, a time where the “Gothic Horror” story was at its fullest expression, and Dr Jekyll…
‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson is a typical Gothic horror story in the way the novel is written and described. Some people may disagree with this statement because in the Cambridge guide to English literature, Gothic fiction is described as – a type of novel or romance popular in the late…
