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
As the first character writes about his personal experiences we find that proves to be very effective, in the way the writer is able to portray the gothic theme to the reader. The first example would be Jonathan's journey to Eastern Europe,
As the carriage stopped beneath the archway, Elizabeth Cockles jumped out and looked around her. Above her head was a tall archway of trees that edged the pathway to the house. As she got closer, Elizabeth realised that “mansion” was a more correct way to describe it.
The burning began at the earliest hour. His majesty, king of Otranto watched unsatisfied as the roaring flames licked over what was once the purest of white roses. All composure lost at but a petal unlit, he left no rose in his entire kingdom with even the dignity of coal before dismantling to ash, until alas, they were sealed to their fiery fate. The winds were still now, not even the tweak of a tree for encouragement nor the bravery of a whisper of the surrounding men as they watched in due apprehension to break the stillness. All that remained were the plumes of billowing exhaust tracing upwards into the air, and King Warner, as he watched from his throne until the smog faded into the midst. By dawn the white roses, together with any
chest as if it were a newborn child in danger. I'd been following her for
Most Romantic Literature seem to have formulated a communal moral or theme when closely looked at. “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe, “Prey” by Richard Matheson, and “The Feather Pillow” by Horacio Quiroga are three short stories that are all in the genre of gothic literature; that have at least two common themes. The two themes that intertwine all these stories together are: a supernatural force being among characters, and the unsightly presences of violence or revenge. All three writings have the use of supernatural forces and some sort of violence or revenge to demonstrate that good things may not always be what they seem and if you underestimate how dangerous or powerful something is it might end up hurting your stature or reputation in the end.
One-thirty on a Thursday morning. I laid in bed worrying, after watching John rush to Main Street for a fire call. My head spun as the pager near my head continued to dispatch calls. “Be careful on the roof Watson, I can see light through,” Feltner’s voice echoed. Ambulance sirens boomed down a four-block stretch of Main Street. My body sprung from the bed and hurried out and down the block. My face began to fill with heat. Just then another page came through, “I know idiot, I put it there.” It was John’s voice. I felt relief and began to walk back down the sidewalk to our home. I heard a young girl screaming for her dog, hysterically. Finally, back in my house, I completely forgot that I had left the two girls upstairs. Thankfully,
Feelings of fear, shock, and utter abhorrence are key elements in Gothic horror literature that have frightened readers since the eighteenth century. American writer, editor, critic, and poet, Edgar Allan Poe became a highly influential figure in the world of literature and is one of the first writers to develop this genre of fiction and horror. In Poe’s popular short stories “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Poe can be described as a Gothic writer by exploring themes of death and darkness, madness and helplessness, supernaturalism and setting and architecture, in order to reverse the norms of rationality as illogical and unexplainable events generate fear in the reader.
Gothic elements are used throughout literature to create a sense of angst and horror. Gothic
The golden shimmering crown was dimmed to silver as darkness encompassed the now forgotten light. Accompanying this shade was an ominous call from a crow that echoed in the hall. The room, rectangular and narrow, yearned for company. In the middle of this room was a now silver throne, and lying on it, a skeleton, regally posed with a goblet in grip. Chairs were home to cobwebs, their antiquate designs, never exposed to light. Years of absence showed in the walls, and the once purple tapestry, black as the heart of a raven. The door creaked open to muster a gust of light – the room welcomed this newfound hope with lust, and so followed this light, a domineering shadow. A man clad in dark armour, aura of sin, dominantly made his way to the crown. He brushed the skeleton into dust and claimed the royal jewels.
We’re adrift in a labyrinth of woven backstreets. A Stygian darkness settles over the pavement. Steam blows up from the gutter and soaks the world in a veil of white fog.
I am startled awake by a loud bang. I am still tucked neatly under the sheets just as mommy left me before I went to bed, but Big Brother is no longer by my side. I turn to find my bedroom door wide open. I quietly climb out of bed and make my way to the hallway. As I make it to the door there is a sudden scream from downstairs and I know that it is Mommy. I fall to my hands and knees and begin to crawl to the stairs that would lead me to where Mommy was. I am halfway down when I hear Mommy scream, “Don’t you touch him!” I can not see them, but I could hear them. Mommy and Big Brother were screaming while he yelled at them angrily.
Like most horror stories, the settings in which a majority of Gothicism pieces take place are often thought to be dark and secluded. For example, in “The Yellow Wallpaper” the reader finds that the women in the story is placed in a secluded house by her husband. The lovely home is three miles away from the village and the inside has its pros and cons. “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a
The ruined buildings, being sinister, arouse a pleasing melancholy while underground passages, spooky basements and dark corridors are very common in gothic stories. Furthermore shadows, moonlight and flickering candles strengthen the mysterious and gloomy atmosphere the Gothic novel aims to convey. The functions of all there mentioned are highlighted by the extreme weather and its thunders, which reinforce the mystery, the dramatic and the sensational. The Gothic atmosphere is frequently transmitted through castles or mansions and through “raging storms, dark nights, tyranny, incarceration, and torture” (Morris
Every genre of literature has distinct themes that weave together all the works classified under that genre, but what makes a work of (Gothic) literature so appeasing to all different types of people? Gothic literature utilizes dark and grotesque themes and phenomena to stir up shock and horror. This genre of literature is tied together by common themes that may include, but are not limited to: psychological issues, fascination with the past, and the pain and suffering inflicted by monsters. These themes are exemplified in: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, “Fall of the House of Usher” by Poe, “Dr. Heidegger's Experiment” Hawthorne, and “Feathered Pillow” by Quiroga as these authors were able to use Gothic elements
Many of the characteristics of gothic architecture all serve to fuel the dark image they portray. Gothic buildings were tall and grand, almost as it was attempting to intimidate the outside world. The buildings often were so large one can conclude it was difficult for light to reach every crevice. Darkness loomed over the corridors and brought a sense of horror, as darkness is often correlated with fear of the unknown. Electricity was not an existing utility during the dark ages. Therefore common people used candles or torches, in order to illuminate their surroundings. In Castle of Otranto, the author uses darkness for his imagery to write statements such as, “Through that long labyrinth of darkness. Every murmur struck her