The Characteristics Of Gothic Literature

Gothic horror, what does it symbolize, does it connect to our modern lives, what exactly is it? Gothic horror is the genre of literature that has elements of both romance and horror. Gothic horror is very dark, stormy full of eerie winds and is usually set in an old mansion or in castles on high cliffs. Usually gothic horror is a combination of fiction, horror, and romance. This genre was famous throughout England and had and still does have a big influence on British culture and how they live their lives today. “Some get the gothic horror mixed up with paranormal romance but the difference between the two is in the results The Gothic builds up the protagonist until he achieves what he’s after, and then details the terrible consequences of achieving it” (Dittmer 1). The theme in Dracula is that classic Gothic theme of the epic battle of good versus evil. “In this novel this is expressed in a very direct way, there is never any question as to who is right and who is wrong. According to Duran “it can be clearly seen the protagonists on the side of good have many endearing qualities while the antagonists on the side of evil have a pact with Lucifer and are of the purest evil” (mikeduran.com). Bram Stokers Dracula demonstrates how religion can influence the mind of others and how they react and encounter to different situations of their lives.

Dracula is a widely known novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. It is popular worldwide for its intense love story and backstory of the infamous Count Dracula. Stoker was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1847. As a child, he was very ill, so in an attempt to entertain himself, he read several books and listened to the horror stories his mother told him. In turn, Stoker became interested in ghost stories and began writing them. Gothic fiction was a genre that was extremely popular during this time period, and Dracula is a wonderful example of this type of literature. Bram Stoker’s Dracula has all of the classic elements of a Gothic novel. Stoker incorporates these elements beautifully through the use of a variety of rhetorical devices, including symbolism, theme, tone, and setting.

The Gothic genre is easily misconcepted in today’s society but, there is a way to rule out if a novel is Gothic or not. In order for a book to be qualified as a Gothic novel, the novel has to contain six specific tropes. These tropes include wild and desolate landscapes, a distinct villain, mysterious deaths, the supernatural, violent emotions, and cultural anxieties. In the novel, Dracula by Bram Stoker all six Gothic tropes are present which qualifies it as a solid Gothic novel.

Dracula by Bram Stoker is the original vampire book, the one that started it all. From it derived the now so beloved and famous teen-romance vampire genre, with novels like Twilight. However, Dracula is not remotely like the sparkle-in-the-sunlight, falling-in-love-with-mortals vampire any more than Harry Potter is like the Wicked Witch of the West. Dracula is a gothic horror novel set in Transylvania and England during the Victorian Era. Letters, diary entries, and newspaper clippings from the viewpoint of several characters tell the story, allowing for a wide variety of viewpoints that highlight happenings in Dracula as well as present the social issues pertained within. While it contains action, suspense, horror, and romance, it also displays the corruption within the everyday society. The way the women are presented, interacted with, and how Count Dracula affects them brings forth the issues within the Victorian society, especially the men’s treatment of women and the different social and gender roles, which Stoker uses to highlight the situational irony found within the novel.

Brown does not rely on most of the conventions of the gothic literature. Brown does use conventions of a Gothic genre. Brown follows the topics shared in an American Gothic novel. Allan Lloyd-Smith talks about how many American Gothic writers would exchange key aspects that can be seen in a European gothic novel. For example, instead of a castle the setting of the novel will include a remote house in the country side away from most of the population. Brown does not include a great deal of the setting but uses atmosphere and suspense to inflict fear into his readers. Brown stays away from the European gothic conventions discussed in “The Gothic Novel”. Brown does not include castles, dungeon and does not place his gothic novel in the medieval

The novel Dracula is a very popular book that was written in the form of Gothic Literature. This novel was written by Bram Stoker in the Victorian Age. A large portion of this piece of writing deals with many famous Gothic motifs. Gothic Literature combines the usual Gothic horror with fiction and Romanticism (Wikipedia). A motif is a distinctive symbol or dominant idea used in literature. So therefore, a Gothic motif is a literary symbol that usually combines fiction with either horror or romance. Bram Stoker’s usage of Gothic motifs not only helps define Dracula as a piece of Gothic Literature, but also helps the reader become better acquainted with what is happening in the novel. Gothic motifs are found in many different forms in pieces of work, and if readers are already accustomed to these motifs, it makes reading Dracula clearer and easier. Stoker uses many different Gothic motifs throughout this novel, but there are only a few that are the more important and stand out from the rest. These motifs are: castles and strange places, power and constraint, and revenants.

Is there anyone out there who has not heard of the novel Dracula? This story is one that is very famous for its creepy nature, vivid descriptions, and being a perfect example of gothic literature. When the novel is being read, it is easy to imagine the scenes as they play out in the book. A reader is easily able to identify the attempts at an eerie novel; one way Bram Stoker establishes this, is by using various gothic motifs. A motif is a recurring subject, theme or idea. Throughout the story, there are many great examples of gothic motifs used. These motifs are used to help with the intensity of the story, along with pulling together an established theme. The three gothic motifs cemeteries, dreaming/nightmares, and unreliable narrators are very beneficial to the story and without them, Dracula would not have the same feeling to it.

The supernaturalism in the novels written in this time period left its mystical characters or beings as inexplicable. Dracula, however, was published at the end of a century when supernaturalism and the Gothic genre was prominent and ended with the group to discovering his powers and a way to kill the abomination. When the group first encountered the Count’s powers, he seems invincible until later when the group learns that he is only at his strongest when it is dark outside. It was not until chapter 18 of Dracula that Van Helsin’s group began to understand how dangerous their foe is. In chapter 18, the group gathers together to discuss how to track Dracula down.

Dracula written by Bram stoker is a Novel that many people enjoyed. It talks about the good and evil. It was a Novel about suspense horror and mystery. In the novel Dracula Bram Stoker tell us the story of a vampire known as count Dracula who is known by the people of Transavia to be completely evil. I will be analysis the novel to see why Stoker wrote the book, who he wrote it for, the good people in the story, and some other analysis. First I will beginning with the reason Stoker choose to write about Dracula.

To begin with, the story inhabits dark and dreary landscapes. As one of the main characters, a young London solicitor named Jonathan Harker, progresses in his business travels to Castle Dracula, the atmosphere is decidedly sepulchral and puts the reader on alert. Bram Stoker feeds the ideals of horror with the forlorn setting in the woods outside Dracula’s Castle. The wind sighs, the tree branches clatter together, and Jonathan and the driver are surrounded by a supernatural blue light and howling wolves. Jonathan describes it as a “sort of awful nightmare.” (13) Another example is found when Jonathan tries to trace the Count’s whereabouts in the castle. He tracks

The Structure of Gothic Literature Gothic literature starts with some realistic and some being fictitious, the authors will distributes their stories with characteristics seen in reality or heard in fairytales. Spirits, mystery, and entrapment are gothic characteristics preserved throughout the works of Morgenstern, Irving, Hawthorne, and Poe. Spirts are used between “The Devil and Tom Walker” and Night Circus to show the horrific side of the dead. In “The Devil and Tom Walker”, Irving uses the Old Scratch to resemble the devil. As Tom Walker makes a deal with devil, Tom agrees to become a usurer in return he would get availability of the treasure in Old Scratch’s service.

Gothic Horror comes from the popularity of Gothic fiction and novels from the 1800’s onwards. Two of the most famous gothic novels are Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). Gothic Horror is a genre or mode of literature that combines horror and romance. It can be classified as a gothic horror by the film techniques that are presented in the film. Burton’s use of setting in the film add to the dark gothic atmosphere. The setting of the town Sleepy Hollow itself fits this genre, it is a town by itself with hardly any sun hitting the town during the day, the housing is plain and boring, the low key lighting also gives it an element of gothic horror throughout the film as there is dark lighting, mist and fog throughout

During the Victorian era people enjoyed gothic horror because of the industrialization of the time in which they lived. Dracula is a very popular book that rivals Frankenstein in popularity. The book sold 3,000 copies in the first printing. Dracula is a dark gothic horror novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. Stoker uses many setting elements to add to the gothic nature of the novel which are a ruined castle, fog/mist, and blood.

Gothic literature is the literature of love and terror. This genre of fiction is considered the new literary movement. It has many characteristics that distinguish it amongst all available genres in the English literature. The most significant characteristic of both, old, and new Gothic literatures is the existence of the plot. One can argue that without the plot, Gothic literature would make no sense. Horace Walpole was the first Gothic writer who invented the Gothic story. His first novel, The Castle of Otranto, was plotted from the beginning until the end. It is fair enough to say that Walpole indeed did set the standard for all of the Gothic writers who followed him. The Castle of Otranto had the scenery, the old castle, the protagonists along with the other characters; the romance, the lust, the mystery, the crimes, and all of them took place in a perfect setting that would bring terror the reader.

Southern Gothic has shaped American society today. Southern Gothic appears in novels, movies, theater plays, nevertheless many other works. American society reflects the southern Gothic genre in many aspects of entertainment. Southern Gothic is a genre of southern writings that focus on grotesque themes.