Dracula: The Picture Perfect Ideal of Gothic Literature Essay

Gothic literature is dominated by gothic horror, for instance dark and mysterious objects or events. It is a type of literature that combines fiction, horror, and romanticism. As Bram Stoker wrote his famous novel, Dracula he makes sure to include many different characteristics of gothic literature. Three important motifs that are stated in Dracula which also fit into the gothic literature category would be; blood, dreaming or nightmares, and superstition. This particular novel has many gothic motifs…

British Literature August 9, 2010 Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is quite the epitome of the gothic novel. Towards the beginning of the story, the setting takes place in an old and ominous castle, which is highly characteristic of gothic literature. Harker’s tribulation begins when “the driver was in the act of pulling up the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle,” (Stoker 18). There is also a gloomy and menacing tone given to the setting of the novel, as in most pieces of gothic literature…

morbidly dark and eccentric characters combined with southern charm and the ever-present gender divide to tell stories that represent a writing style known as southern gothic literature. “Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. Elements of a Gothic treatment of the South were apparent in the 19th century, ante- and post-bellum, in the grotesques of Henry Clay Lewis and the de-idealized visions of Mark Twain.[3]…

from Gothic literature to express their thoughts. Although the novels are unique and valued for their distinctiveness, the borrowed traits remain a parallel between the two genres. Traits such as deterioration of characters, love combating sin, return to animalistic priorities, and alienation of human emotion are all depicted in characters in Romantic literature. These traits are the cornerstones of Gothic literature. Characters from the Romanticism era have been profoundly impacted by Gothic Literature…

English 4 AP 27 May 2015 Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray as British Gothic Literature “There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.” This quote from Mary Shelley 's classic gothic novel Frankenstein is very representative of the functional importance of gothic literature to humanity. Gothic literature can be viewed as the dark side of the human soul, as good usually triumphs over evil in storytelling; gothic literature is the release of all the darkness of the…

Dracula by Bram Stoker and The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe Any text that is composed is written to fit into the society that it is written for. A genre must evolve and modernise itself to remain relevant and interesting to the target audience. In “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe and “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, the composers have both adapted their stories to appeal the people of their time. “Dracula” by Bram Stoker used many of the conventions of the gothic genre to appeal to the Victorian…

Romantic and Gothic Literature The gothic literary movement is a part of the larger Romantic Movement. Gothic literature shares many of the traits of romanticism, such as the emphasis on emotions and the imagination. Gothic literature goes beyond the melancholy evident in most romantic works, however, and enters into the areas of horror and decay, becoming preoccupied with death. “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe is a powerful example of gothic fiction, whereas James Fenimore Cooper’s…

Southern style gothic literature, which is a smaller genre of Gothic writing as a whole, is particular to the South. This style of literature has similar aspects to Gothic lit. It concentrates on subject matter like afterlife, absurdity, and paranormal while having numerous cryptic, unusual, brutal, and distorted aspects. These aspects are used as tools "to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South (Wikipedia)." Authors of Southern Gothic style literature use imperfect…

Essential Question: How are elements of a Gothic tradition present in Wuthering Heights? Gothic literature includes elements of style that is usually portrayed in tales and deals with horror, despair, the grotesque, and mysteries. In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, there are many elements of gothic literature that is found throughout the book. The term gothic is very broad in literature, and gothic can mean many different things from characteristics of people, feelings and reactions…

28 April 2015 The King of Gothic Gothic literature is an new, and young concept to many. It barely popped it’s head out in the mere eighteen hundreds. One of those who well mastered the concept of this was Stephen King. Stephen King was able to wrap his mind around the topic, and bend it to his will. By today’s date, Stephen King has already based some of his best works of art, of horror literature, with the fusion of gothic elements and today’s horror. Gothic literature can be defined as writing…