The Role Of Fear In Gothic Literature

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.”

The spooky outdoor setting is made to prepare the reader for the appearance of a cozy indoors, whereas the landlady’s scary features on the inside are covered up by her warm but deceitful personality. She tricks unsuspecting young men with her generous and very motherly personality.

The fear of the unknown is a common Gothic theme that is used to create fear and uncertainty in the responder. This is achieved through the use of a number of different techniques and conventions. The fear of the unknown is expressed through dark, uncertain and mysterious circumstances cause responders to feel vulnerable and fearful. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula the overpowering force of the sublime, the prominence of religion, death and use of darkness accompanied by typical Gothic techniques evoke a fear of the unknown in responders. This common Gothic themes can also be observed in The Road by Cormac McCarthy, in which the fear of the unknown is enhanced by the sublime, the prominence of religion, death and the use of darkness. Furthermore,

Haunting is a common sign in the gothic literature. According to the e-publications of Marquette, “hauntings” are divided into phantasy, apparitions, the haunted forest, which refers to a gothic setting such as castle, and the haunting past. The haunting past contains the ancestral curse, which means “evil, misfortune, or harm that comes as a response to or retribution for deeds or misdeeds committed against or by one's ancestor(s)”, the "burden of the past," which is like the ancestral curse, but closer to the present the pursued protagonist, which represents “the idea of a pursuing force that relentlessly acts in a severely

In Gothic Literature, it is common for the setting to be taken place in a castle. This castle could be haunted, ruined, or abandoned.etc The authors used this setting to make the character and reader convey a feeling of fear, terror, and suspense. With the setting taken place being at a castle, it gives a dark and uneasy mood that anything could take place at any given time; “...Gothic gave Romantic writers and readers a way to describe accounts of terrifying experiences in ancient castles and ruined abbeys-experiences connected with subterranean dungeons, secret passageways, flickering lamps, screams, moans, ghosts, and graveyards.” (Greenblatt, 584)

In most Gothic literature stories, imagination plays a big role in creating fear that for the reader to feel. Both of the stories that were read in class, “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “House Taken Over” included elements of Gothic literature which made the reader use their mind and have a imagination. These short stories involve many examples of imagination conquering of reason.

In fact, the first five paragraphs of "The Fall of the House of Usher" are devoted to creating a gothic atmosphere. An ancient, decaying castle paints an eerie, moldy picture. The surrounding moat seems stagnant and sullen. The time period also ties into this mood. It's autumn and the weather is cool and dreary. How many horrors take place in the daytime? Not many, and this story is no different. It's dark, or at least semi-dark. Immediately Poe entraps the reader. There is a sense of being confined within the walls of the Usher house. Outside a storm is raging and inside there are mysterious rooms where windows suddenly whisk open, blowing out candles. Creaking and moaning sounds fill the air. The wind is whipping, and the landscape is barren. This is gothic writing and these are its trappings. The darkness of everything symbolizes death to come. Upon entering the gothic archway of the deteorating mansion, the narrator is led "through many dark and intricate passages" filled with "somber tapestries" and "ebon blackness". Over everything, Poe drapes his atmosphere of sorrow and irredeemable gloom. He evokes his primary effect, the anticipation that some fearful event will soon transpire.

Poe’s imagery also achieves specificity, which shows how madness and insanity are connected with evil. "An atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from the decayed trees, and the gray wall, and the silent tarn - a pestilent and mystic vapour, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued" (Poe). Poe, or the narrator, describes the mansion in a dark and gloomy tone. The imagery gives the reader a sense of

Fear is an element of life; everyone faces it. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a clear representation of this. Throughout this early 1900’s mystery, the driving force of events is the fear of what may happen to the Baskerville family as a result of the evil intentions and actions of Sir Hugo, one of the early Baskerville leaders. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson are left to solve this eerie case after Sir Charles’ sudden death and the arrival of the new heir, Sir Henry. In the novel, Doyle uses fear as the strong force that rules over people and their actions through the Baskerville legend, sounds on the moor, and characters losing their mental fortitude.

Gothic literature uses the reader’s senses and emotion to spark suspense and the natural instincts of fear. In the stories A Cask of Amontillado, A Feather Pillow, The Mask of the Red Death, and the book The Night Circus, many of these senses and feelings emerge when the author uses a dark setting or a feeling of abandonment. In gothic literature darkness symbolizes the unknown and alludes to death, leaving the reader feeling uneasy.

Silent. At the edge of the sky there was a magnificent white patch, a turning page, catching the sun. The rest was ivory grey, with a subtle hint of mauve, just enough to announce the coming sunset. Scanning the horizon were the white cotton balls on cerulean satin, with a subtle layer of dove grey underneath, which was thin enough to let the light through. Stood there like a ghost, a silent observer of the venerable castle, and the clouds. The colossal mountains were shielding the inferior castle. Beyond the towering mountains was a decrepit, venerable and ancient castle like structure. The azure roof was coated and concealed by the thick opaque dust. The roof was as dusty as an abandoned warehouse floor. It was an elderly going paler as it got older and ancient. As I nonchalantly walked up the moaning narrow staircase, a thick mist of cold crisp air blew through me, rustling my hair and sending a chill down my spine.

The gothic tone is intensified by strong language and a series of effective individual words, aiming to build up a sense of fear and insecurity for the reader. " Shrouded", "dangerous", "dread" are among other words that are

The setting is American Gothic, because it’s set in the woods at around midnight. The low mist magnifies the suspenseful feeling. The fact that the woods at night is simply unnerving. People tend to feel fear by simply because of the dark could represent the unknown, and fear of the unknown. I believe the woods should be more of a forest,

Imagery- Symbolism- An old building is a reoccurring symbol throughout the popular gothic works of the time. These old buildings are called abbeys and they would have belonged to nuns and monks and later sold to lords or barrons who became gothic novel villains. For the main character Catherine, the abbey symbolizes an imagined ideal, and she begins to imagine herself as the heroine of her imagination. The abbey, to Catherine, is a place of mystery and thrill.

This in turn hints to the sinister intent of the antagonists and furthers the eerie mood. Old, dark, winding staircases that could crumble at any moment, with massive beams that blend into the shadows making the darkness seem endless. His decaying castle and warped iron bars on its windows visually represent Dr. Frankenstein’s tenuous hold on