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Elements Of Gothic Stories

Decent Essays

Intricate or secret passages in buildings further the plot by adding descriptive features that allow the stories to be more engaging and unique. Gothic writers focus heavily on details when describing the environment where the stories are occurring. This is especially emphasized when depicting intricate passages so that readers can paint a picture in their minds. Buildings with such features are a key element in Gothic stories because they keep the reader alert to every detail described as the characters in the stories discover and travel through them. “…she felt about the tapestry, and perceiving the wall behind shake under her hand, she lifted the arras, and discovered a small door, whose loosened hinges admitted the wind…” (Radcliffe 599). …show more content…

As she enters into the small door “…she descended by a few steps into another chamber…she observed a door on the opposite side of the apartment” (Radcliffe 600). In Castle of Otranto, Isabella uses a secret passage as an escape route which is a unique feature that in most cases would seem out of place, but in Gothic stories, they appear to be a common element. “…how to avoid the pursuit he would infallibly make throughout the castle…she recollected a subterraneous passage which led from the vaults of the castle to the church…” (Walpole 588). Another example of this is shown in “Sir Bertrand,” when he encounters an iron gate at the bottom of one of the many staircases in the

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