"The invaluable works of our elder writers re driven into neglect by frantic novels, sickly and stupid German Tragedies, and deluges of idle and extravagant stories in verse. The human mind is capable of being excited without the application of gross and violent stimulants.."
William Wordsworth, Preface to The Lyrical Ballads, 1802.
"..Phantasmagoric kind of fiction, whatever one may think of it, is not without merit: 'twas the inevitable result of revolutionary shocks throughout Europe thus to compose works of interest, one had to call on the aid of Hell itself, and to find things familiar in the world of make believe.."
Marquis (Donatien Alphonse) de Sade, "Reflections on the Novel.",
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It was not until around 1960 that academics like Robert Hume rose to its defence. (Maybe its renewed popularity was something to do with the very unique socio-political situation in the 1960s echoing a the unique situation of the late eighteenth century, the heyday of the genre.) Since then there has been a deluge of commentary which has elevated the genre to a critical and scholarly favourite.
It is often said that one of the unifying features of Romanticism is its intentional political relevance. Much of the canonical Romantic literature is inspired or informed by socio-political events. We need only look at Blake's work or key poems by "second generation" Romantics like Shelley's Ode to the West Wind or The Mask of Anarchy to verify this.
The same is true of Romantic Gothic which arose around that unique period in European history posthumously defined by the French Revolution but significant for its trans-European massive cultural and social upheaval indicated in part by repeated rioting in Britain (Lowe, vii) and a widespread clamour for various reforms. Victor Sage writes, "English Gothick of the eighteenth century is seen as a collective symptom of political pressure felt all over Europe."
The Marquis de Sade in his "Idees sur le romans" ("Reflections on the Novel) - quoted above - was one of the first
The Inferno is a tale of cautionary advice. In each circle, Dante the pilgrim speaks to one of the shades that reside there and the readers learn how and why the damned have become the damned. As Dante learns from the mistakes of the damned, so do the readers. And as Dante feels the impacts of human suffering, so do the readers. Virgil constantly encourages Dante the pilgrim to learn why the shades are in Hell and what were their transgressions while on Earth. This work’s purpose is to educate the reader. The work’s assertions on the nature of human suffering are mostly admonition, with each shade teaching Dante the pilgrim and by extension the reader not to make the same mistakes. Dante views his journey through hell as a learning experience and that is why he made it out alive.
Often, we cannot see the good in something until we’ve experienced the bad. Dante Aghileri, a poet who stars in his Divine Comedy as a pilgrim, finds himself lost in a dark wood. Though he sees a safe path to the light and out of the wood, he is forced to take an alternate route through an even darker place. The Divine Comedy is an allegory representative of the Christian soul. As the ending is bright and hopeful for Dante, Aghileri spreads that the ending for even the most sinful Christians can be as hopeful as dante’s, provided that they take the steps needed to achieve salvation. Thus, Dante the pilgrim goes to hell to better understand the nature of sin and its consequences in order to move closer to salvation, his journey an representing that of the repenting Christian soul.
Why Might Parents Allow Their Children to read Gothic Literature? According to some parents, Gothic Literature provides a sense of escape for the child and allows the child to relate to their own real-life problems that they may be facing in their own lives. However, when parents allow their children to read Gothic Literature, they are opening their children's minds up and allowing them to go into the dark world and face many unknown challenges and experiences, in hopes of overcoming and conquering their fears that they may have once had. In these Gothic Literatures, there is often a recurring theme that allows the child to put themselves in that character's place or shoes.
At times, the world itself can be hellish. As the renowned author of No Exit, Jean-Paul Sarte, once said, “Hell is—other people” (Sarte). People can be cruel and horrible beings. However, as hellish as our world may seem at times, the idea of hell is worse. Ever since the time of the Christ as well as Dante Alighieri’s famous Devine Comedy: The Inferno, the world’s idea of Hell has not been a pretty picture. In The Inferno, the sign above the gates of Hell says, “Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here” (The Inferno, Page 742, Line 6). Hell is a subject that everyone thinks about yet hardly speaks of out of fear. No one wants to be sent to such a horrible place, therefore, it is a very good incentive for good
The Red Room was written in the late 19th century by H.G Wells. During this time the gothic genre was incredibly popular with every type of person as it was a great form of entertainment due to the fact they didn't have a television or a computer back then. The gothic genre started becoming most popular in 1837 and continuing untill 1901 during the Victorian period, they appeared in magazines as short,cliffhanger ending,eerie stories. The most famous examples of gothic stories are "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelly and "Dracula" by Bram Stoker which most people have heard of.
The term Gothic has drawned-out its meaning into 'Germanic' , 'Medieval' or ' Barbarous', having its origins in the Germanic Goths tribe, from the 4th century. Gothic was frequently correlated with things that were savage, uncultivated and blunt, but, fascinatingly, it also developed into an association with legislative rights, picking up a positive connotation on the way.
The Gothic Art is a style which was developed in Western Europe from the Middle Ages till the Renaissance. The term “Gothic” has nothing to do with Goths, but was initially used as a synonym for “Barbaric”. Gothic art remains a standard one in the study of art history (Martindale, 2007). The extensive artistic stage that began in the northern of France had expanded throughout western and central Europe. This period was defined throughout the cities and was developed at a different pace; included architecture, sculpture, and painting.
Horror, in essence, is fear of the unknown. Horror films are disturbing, frightening films designed to elicit strong emotional, negative reactions from the audience such as fear, panic and dread. These kind of films are dark and eery, commonly featuring scenes that shock viewers through means of the supernatural, violence, gore and mystery. The irrational forces of terror portrayed through the audiences’ worst fears and nightmares need to be overcome in order for the films to end with victory and the return of normalcy. Horror films seem gross and terrifying, nevertheless they are huge in popularity.
This week we look at how individuals’ economic consumption of goods, hobbies and entertainments has contributed to the development of different social identities.
Throughout history, mankind has enjoyed a good horror story. Perhaps it is something in human nature, the desire for thrill without putting one in harm’s way, the desire for suspense and chills that make a person’s blood run cold. Horror stories and culture surrounding the macabre can be found in just about every society known to man, from the east to the west. This is especially prominent during the late 1700s when the Gothic literature first made its debut. Its origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole with his novel The Castle of Otranto. From there the genre evolved further as many people began to publish works relative to the style and format created through the Gothic genre. Many famous gothic works include Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein,
In the opening to his book entitled, "What is Goth?" Aurelio “Voltaire” Hernandez explains: "To the mundane, Goths are weird, black-clad freaks who are obsessed with death; they are sad all of the time, have no sense of humor, and are potentially homicidal" (p. 2). Despite the outcry for equality from this subculture, many Americans fall prey to this stereotype because of the many negative connotations from the media. The Columbine High School massacre, the Dawson College shooting and the murder of Pamela Vitale by Scott Dyleski are but a few of the ways the media has misled the public into thinking the Gothic subculture, as a whole, was responsible for these atrocities. In each case, it was proven soon afterward that the people
While on the vigorous journey through a novel, a reader can be faced with many questions, put forth intentionally by the author, as well as ones they might conjure up for themselves. Roland Barthes says “Literature is the question minus the answer.” For the most part this is true, however when one is reading for leisure or the author does not portray as well as they could this statement is invalid.
Throughout gothic literature, there is an underlying theme of mystery. In this genre, Ransom Riggs’, Edgar Allen Poe’s, Washington Irving’s, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories are all related through gothic elements such as, psychological issues, the use of the supernatural, and fascination with the past.
Gothic Literature depicts a style of writing that is characterized by elements of death and horror, as well as individuality, nature and a distinct superior emotion. It has been known for incorporating various different elements, in order to evoke the emotions of terror. Throughout Gothic Literature there has been multiple successful authors like Edgar Allan Poe - the father of Gothic literature- Richard Matheson and Horacio Quiroga, who have all incorporated psychological problems and violence themes in their short stories in order to fascinate the readers and add suspense to the story. These three gothic authors correlate the themes of violence and the psychological/ mental issues in order to depict anticipation and terror of the unknown for the reader. The aforementioned is evident in the following literary classics: "The Black Cat," "Prey,"and "The Feather Pillow."
Humans actually seek to be scared. Since 2005, the amount of money spent on Halloween has doubled to 7.5 billion dollars. What is the reason for this sudden increase in spending? According to the Allegre Ringos interview Dr. Ker “Scare Specialist” discussed that dopamine is released into the brain and produces a natural high. Which is what some people like thrill seekers love that feeling when they go on a rollarcoaster or skydive. Of course it all just depends on the person since some people HATE the feeling of being scared or just arent interested in it. People are sometimes fascinated with things that scare us like monsters or even death, since we don’t know what happens after we die. Rather some get scared from reading scary stories, as a way to get scared without having to go out without to be frightened since the stories give us the chills. When reading scary stories its as if you are going into a whirl of mysterious, disturbing, and frighting feelings. Poems like ( The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe )or (Beware: Do Not Read This by Ishmeal Reed) involve the reader with the story not with spooky ghouls but with the despairing thoughts that can occur in the human mind and involve detail which provides us with imagery of what is happening in the poems, the structure, and style of the poems are Gothic Litrature.