How typical are The signalman by Charles Dickens, The monkeys paw

Gothic literature usually brings to mind Edgar Allen Poe and dark foggy London streets but that's not all gothic literature is. Gothic literature usually has themes of mystery and eerie settings or characters. Themes such as physical and mental decay and isolation, abandonment, and entrapment are very prominent in Prey by Richard Matheson, The Feather Pillow by Horacio Quiroga and The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe.

In “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Poe is describe as gothic fiction because it sets in a house that looks like haunted house. This story was fill with dark gloomy scenes. Everywhere around this house was scary to the narrator. The lake and the nature that surrounds the house was dark and scary looking. Even the hall of the house was fill with darkness that gave fear to the narrator. Not only Poe’s work is gothic fiction, Hawthorne’s work, “Young Goodman Brown” is gothic fiction. The reason is because it is set in wilderness where Young Goodman Brown sees a devil and a witch influencing him to be like them. Because of these two works from Poe and Hawthorne gives fear and mood of darkness, these stories are classified as gothic fiction.

Gothic literature is having a setting that is spooky and dark. In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where is Here” contains a great example of Gothic Literature due to the story being spooky and having strange things happen. One example that proves it is a Gothic Literature in Oates’s story is, “one November evening at dusk, the doorbell rang, and the father went to answer it, and there on his doorstep stood a man he had never seen before (69)”. This sentence proves its Gothic Literature since it contains a strange or violent plot and a dramatic description. Therefore “Where is Here” is a Gothic Literature because it contains these things that create a spooky or chilling story. Gothic Literature is one of the crucial important genre in the Unit one “Allure of fear”. (Angelee Chea)

Gothic literature has a different way of captivating the reader. Page by Page, gothic themes are present that create mystery and evoke suspense. The Night Circus, a novel by Eric Morgenstern, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, by Washington Irving, and “The Oval Portrait”, by Edgar Allan Poe share two important themes: eerie setting and isolation. All the stories connect through a lesson that passion can become harmful.

There is a psychological theory which states that the whole is only as good as the sum of its parts. This is the basis for any novel or book, as it is important to acknowledge and utilize the various components of literature in order to write a cohesive novel. Gothic literature, which was especially prevalent during the early 1800’s, has many elements which make it a distinct genre. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley utilizes many Gothic literature components. These elements include characters who bridge the gap between the mortal and the supernatural; a constant sense of decay; and an isolated protagonist.

In the 1800s gothic literature made its waves across England with many authors popping up including Edgar Allan Poe, Ann Radcliffe, Emily Brontë, and Mary Shelley. These authors wrote books like The Raven, Wuthering Heights, and Frankenstein. Authors of gothic novels typically included characteristics with their stories and that happens to include extreme landscapes, supernatural manifestations, ruined buildings, horrifying events, and a passion-driven villain-hero, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, these characteristics persist in the story.

The short story I have picked to analyze on is The Monkey's Paw. This particular story is about a supernatural monkey paw that grants three wishes to the person that has possession of the paw. The downside of having the monkey's paw and getting three dreams come with a severe disadvantage, it alters fate. Mr. White had the paw and wished for money, but doing, so Mr. White got it from compensation. He got the money through compensation because his son had passed away. W. W. Jacobs uses several diverse literary elements creating this story giving it a very exhilarating, and nerve-racking tone.

In the writings The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne all have different gothic elements. With all these different types of styles from mystery to the supernatural; they still all have something relative to one another.

Gothic is termed in the dictionary with crude and barbaric, this definition coincides with gothic literature. Gothic literature was said to be born in 1764 when Horace Walpole published The Castle of Otranto, which is considered to be the first gothic novel ever written. Gothic literature explores the aggression between what we fear and what we lust. The setting of these gothic stories were usually in some kind of castle or old building that showed human decay and created an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The words chosen in these novels and short stories were very descriptive they tended to "blend the idea of the exotic and the familiar" (The Balkans, 75).Supernatural and

“O-okay... well goodbye then” Timothy said anxious to leave. He walked up to the entrance of the tunnel and looked around and back at all the woodland creatures that made up the court. He then looked down into the tunnel cautiously thinking that it may be a trap. He felt his stomach tighten and his bowels quake. He didn 't want to go into the

in the story through the tunnel, the second to last and the last sentences stated the following:

Gothic literature combines a lot of the factors that people now a day love to watch or read. Gothic literature is one of the most famous type of literature in novels today. In the 19th century the beginning of a famous monster character such as Frankenstein was developed. It was in the novel written by Mary Shelley. This attracted a lot of people’s attention into gothic literature. Another gothic literature novel was The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen. Both these novels have a lot of comparison in gothic literature and with the main characters in each novel.

The term gothic fiction implies a British literary genre from the late eighteenth, and early nineteenth century. The modernized term seems to have been generalized into anything that is dark, gloomy, or depressing. Gothic novels often time posses an emphasis on portraying the terror, a prominent use of supernatural circumstances, the presence of highly stereotyped characters, and the attempt to display techniques of literary suspense. There are also other parallels among this vastly popular genre. Gothic novels often time describe the city of London in corresponding ways. Also a common theme amongst gothic literary works is the duality of human nature, or the quality or characteristic of being twofold. These mutual themes are apparent in

state of mind. In a sunset he sees anger~ is this normal? He is indeed

In Gothic Literature, writers are able to choose between traditional and contemporary. This style of writing typically relates back to fiction that gives an atmosphere of uncertainty by featuring horror, death, curses or the supernatural. In “The Signalman” written by Charles Dickens, we can depict that his writing falls under the category of traditional gothic literature as he chooses to stress the fear of the unknown- whether it be the setting or the supernatural. On the contrary, Roald Dahl who wrote “Lamb to the Slaughter” chooses to write under the category of contemporary gothic literature, as we are introduced to a familiar setting, and common issues that arise when we face reality. Nevertheless, both stories choose to emphasize the