Gothic Themes In The Film Rebecca

The narrator is always trying to fit into ‘coats’ that are “too big” and “too long” that Rebecca has left. Everyone around her is subconsciously comparing her to Rebecca and the narrator feels very uncomfortable around most people. In some way it is almost like Daphne du Maurier takes the conventions of a romance-genre and twists them so although Maxim apparently ‘saves’ the narrator from Mrs Van Hopper in fact he destroys her life. His world is full of pain and torture and now she has to go through that too. Another way in which Rebecca subverts the conventions of the romance-genre is by incorporating a murder into the plot. The narrator thinks Maxim to be dark and mysterious, which he is, because he has been hiding the fact that he killed his first wife and apparently his child. Daphne du Maurier has written a romance novel that actually subverts the conventions of a romance in many ways.

Although many gothic novels are written in a complex manner, the novel “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” is very different. This gothic novel is written in a simplistic fashion which is understandable on the surface. However, if one digs deeper than the surface of this novel, “We Have Always lived in the Castle,” proves to be full of details and themes. There are many important themes in this story and some which are not as important. In the novel, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” there are many extremely important themes such as, domesticity, rich vs. poor, and sibling relationships. Also, in the novel, “We Have Always lived in the Castle,” there is one theme which is not essential to the novel, which is the supernatural and potential witch elements in this story. All of these themes help to portray the message of Shirley Jackson’s novel, “We have Always Lived in the Castle.”

Both Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Julio Cortazar’s “House Taken Over” have similar settings because both take place in a spooky large houses. However, in Poe’s story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,”the setting is different because it was dark,gloomy and old house in the middle of nowhere. By contrast, Cortazar’s “House Taken Over,”the house is a little more modern and bright, well taken care of and the environment is greener.Gothic Literature is literature that has bleak or remote setting, a gloomy or melancholy mood. Also, characters or sometime tormented in a physical or psychological way. Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the house of Usher” is a good example of gothic literature because the setting of the story is very bleak and dark,and the characters in them are tormented physically and psychologically . for example, in the story, it states ,”With the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit (13).” This sentence proves my claim because the quote is saying that the character’s spirit feels tormented when he starts to walk into the house. Therefore, “The Fall of the house of Usher” is gothic literature because it shows it shows characters in the story being tormented.

Mrs de Winter in Rebecca, is a young woman who openly admits to herself and her readers that she is "a martyr to [her] own inferiority complex";

One of Diana spookiest experiences of her life was when her cousins and Diana would hear weird sounds in the night. This scenario relates to the traits of Gothic Lit and Magical Realism because the sounds did happen so it's reality. Gothic Lit and Magical Realism are similar because they are both scary, mysterious, and are dramatic. Edgar Allen Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher” is an example of Gothic Literature because it has a dark and gloomy setting in a large old mansion. While Julio Cortazar’s “House Taken Over” is an example of Magical Realism because it has a mysterious ending.

Gothic literature is a style characterized by multiple elements, such as fear, death, gloom, as well as romantic elements like nature, individuality, and high emotion. Magical realism, on the other hand, began as a painting style. It then evolved into the literary style associated with Latin America, which puts fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction. One of the most important elements of these genres is the setting of the stories. In The Fall of the House of Usher and House Taken Over, the setting creates atmosphere, reflects genre, and reflects characters.

To begin, “The term Gothic fiction refers to a style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear, horror, death and gloom, as well as romantic elements, such as nature, individuality, and very high emotion. These emotions can include fear and suspense.”. (Greaver, 1). This specific style of writing began in the late seventeen hundreds. Gothic fiction was created in order to keep a narrower set of viewers or readers more intrigued and interested. “The term Gothic actually originated as a term belittling the architecture and art of the period, which was dark, decaying, and dismal. The settings were often old, dilapidated buildings or houses in gloomy, lifeless, fear inducing landscapes.” (Greaver, 1). Gothic literature is often explained as an illusion that is unexplainable. “Gothic fiction hovers between the uncanny and the marvelous, offering little

Although Gothic Elements can be very sadistic and twisted the use of it is seen in all types of stories. Some of the more famous stories that Gothic Elements are used in are the following “ A Rose for Emily,” “ The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “ The Tell- Tale Heart”. In these stories, gothic elements are found all over the place do you know why? Well the reason is that all these stories are darker stories than most. Gothic Elements are needed to make a superb scary story.

The reason for a Gothic setting is to ably portray the dark and sepulchral undertones of the psyche of the stories’ characters, and through them, the nature of humans in general.

Although, Rebecca was adored by many, she only loved herself and cared only for herself. She was also good at manipulating people. Even Maxim was unable to recognize her manipulation and became overwhelmed by the thought of the actions she was choosing that he killed her. While Maxim is explaining the death of his first wife, he mentions one thing Rebecca told him, “If I had a child, Max, neither you, nor anyone in the world, would ever prove that it was not yours. It would grow up here in Manderly, bearing your name.

"I'm invariably ill-tempered in the early morning. I repeat to you, the choice is open to you. Either you go to America with Mrs Van Hopper or you come home to Manderly with me."

     The very first characteristic of a Gothic novel is its sinister setting. The opening sentence in Frankenstein sets the mood

The Red Room, by H.G. Wells, Coraline directed by Henry Sellick and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen are all successful examples that show the reader how gothic literature is shown. Coraline and The Red Room both use the setting; at an old gothic house which both have an atmospheric feel of fear and dread. Weather is an additional aspect that is shown to be gothic in Northanger Abbey and Coraline that describe the stormy night with howling wind and the treacherous rain which both cause a gothic feel. Lastly Northanger Abbey and Coraline have included a range of gothic elements to express the gothic effect throughout the texts such as extremely confronting elements such as shadows, creaking doors, candles, and statues to increase the creepy moments

The use of the supernatural gothic element is present when Mrs. Danvers is talking to the narrator and reveals her strong adoration toward Rebecca, to the point of obsession, by saying, “I feel her everywhere. You do too, don’t you? Sometimes when I walk along the corridor here, I fancy I hear her just behind me” (Du Maurier 175) Mrs. Danvers’ obsession has led her to hear and feel Rebecca’s presence in Manderley, even though she is dead. The use of the supernatural also demonstrates the common image of the haunting of Rebecca and the past.

Manderly as an Appropriate Setting for a Gothic Novel A Gothic novel is characterized by picturesque settings, an atmosphere of mystery and terror, and element of violence and the supernatural. In Chapter 7, Manderly is being described and introduced.