Theme Of Metatextuality In The Castle Of Otranto

In this essay I will explore the idea that having a fundamental understanding of the concept of eighteenth-century “gothic” and the literary techniques involved in creating it is necessary in gaining a well-rounded appreciation for the works of authors such as Edgar Allen Poe. Through a close reading of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher I will illuminate the methods used by Poe to warrant it one of the most innovative pieces of gothic literature, and therefore establish how it paved the way for many gothic and dark romantic authors after its publishing.

Gothic, an aspect of the Romantic Period, continues to make an impact by inspiring most of the horror movies and books that we read this day. Surprisingly, Gothicism did not begin as a genre, but rather as a type of “garden design and architecture” (584). Horace Walpole, one of the main authors in gothic literature, obtained an estate called Strawberry Hill, three years after he began remodeling it into what he termed it a “gothick” style (584). Hopole added “towers, turrets, battlements, arched doors” which made it classified as gothic (584). It is inferable that he drew his inspiration from the modifications he made to his property. As did most authors of gothic stories from the romantic period, used the design of the setting play a key role in how the author creates horror. The Castle of Otranto, and The Romance of the Forest do exactly that. Chapter one of The Castle of Otranto, mainly centers on the declaration of love Manfred proposes to Isabella, and the escape of Isabella from Manfred after confessing his love towards her. The Romance of the Forest, focuses on Adeline and her curiosity as to investigate the origin of the sounds she hears around her residence. Both authors use the architectural environments of the gothic stories to emit a feeling of fear, by depicting the structure in a sinister and dark tone. Thus it creates a vivid imagery in your mind, feeling as though you are there.

The Gothic plot is Romantic in the literary sense; the myth of

The Other is configured in the two writers’ works as victims of power play, their unjust mistreatment subsequently exposing underlying social inequalities. Through adopting the Gothic medium characteristic of Romanticism, the texts induce within the reader emotions of terror and pity towards the marginalised, leaving a profound effect which impactfully conveys the intended social criticism.

In the book The Castle of Otranto the people of the castle are surrounded by unexplainable events. These events are in most cases damaging to one’s own mind. Those who are seen as great and loving are turn in to violent and unpredictable individuals. Those who were affected include the highest level of nobility, down as far as to the simple servant. While denial is shown by them there is no doubt that they have changed, and only in disastrous ways. Weather the person has good intentions or not they are changed and their intention becomes what they do. A corrupt power which cannot be stopped. People may try to help and form the person to their former self but in The Castle of Otranto this is not the case. When people react to unexplained

Angela Carter´s “The Bloody Chamber” belongs to a contemporary trend in narrative fiction known as “New” Gothic. This trend refers to “a more critical mode of literary composition which may be considered to be the postmodern offspring of gothic literature” (class notes). Thus, as we will see, the fragment that I am going to analyse contains characteristics that are typical of postmodernism. Nevertheless, the extract also contains some elements that belong to the “classical” Gothic and therefore, the purpose of this paper will focus on the discussion of the combination of both the classical and the modern traits of Carter´s work, and which give as a result a work that breaks new ground in the field of Gothic fiction.

First of all, the writer urges ‘The Lady with the Unicorn’ as ‘one of the most seductive examples of the Gothic spirit and depicts it using the terms ‘fanciful’, ‘poetical’, and ‘Profane’ and a detailed explanation of the elements in the art. For example, in addition to the apparent subject, four senses’, the unicorn and the lion in the art represent lust and ferocity. Thus, the art combines spiritual and worldly in a symbolic way of ‘love’; in other words, it is romantic. Second of all, the author demonstrates that the concept of love and fancy by having a detailed analysis on ‘North Portal of Chartres’. The figures carved on the painting represent the change in the image of women and states that the woman in the picture is an individual who is ‘austere’.

Dark, gloomy castles, noble peasants and virginal maidens are all staples of typical gothic literature. Without Horace Walpole’s, The Castle of Otranto, gothic literature would not be what it is today. While there is a plethora of recurring elements in gothic literature, the damsel in distress has been a founding staple of the genre and has persisted through time.

The novel Benito Cereno is multifaceted. The novel contains diverse areas of interests as it continues from scene to scene. The changing scenes provide a spectacle to everyone who has an interest in literature. Benito Cereno attempts to provide a vivid narration of the whole story in different parts as the story matures in different episodes.

The author of Arcadia, Tom Stoppard, uses a lot of irony and incorporates a web of relationships and coincidences into his plays that can get a bit confusing, especially if you are not familiar with the things that he makes reference to. In the play, on page thirteen, Lady Croom, Thomasina's mother, compares Mr. Noakes' landscape style to that of Ann Radcliffe's and Horace Walpole's imagery, both of which were Gothic novelists of the eighteenth century. The author's purpose in including this bit is interesting, especially if you are familiar with the novels he refers to. Here's some help:

This analysis is based on Gérard Genette’s theory of transtextuality, mainly, architextuality in order to extract the thematic (genre) aspects found in the Godfather (hypertext), that are part of The Iliad (hypotext) as far as heroism in both texts is concerned. A plot summary of both works will be first discussed, which will allow later the accordance of both characters on the same base of

Thus, the thesis structure includes a brief biography of the author under consideration, paying particular attention to his major life events and his important literary accomplishments. Relevant information about the novel follows, including the historical context surrounding the novel. such as the essential tools of characterization, including the names of the characters and the language usage. Then, there will be the analysis of some of the major and minor characters by offering an explanation on the type of the character and the major events that have contributed on their development. The paper provides textual evidence from the novel and other different sources to support the claims.

For as much as it represents exploration, ingenuity, and freedom, the ship has secured a place for itself in the Gothic imagination as a space of claustrophobic terror and enslavement. As a Foucauldian heterotopia, the space of the ship is indeed “a place without a place”, which functions only in relation to the void that surrounds it. However, the asylum a ship provides is what also makes it a prison, trapping its crew with any hostile elements that may be aboard. Focusing on a select group of texts, including Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno and Moby-Dick, this paper will examine the ship, that “heterotopia par excellence”, as a Gothic environment. It will discuss not only the ship’s potential for Gothic horror, but also the role of the ship

composition, etc. Like many romantic amalgam, the story posits thick and dark plot lines, while at the same time showing the poetics of romanticism. In the words of Lazzarich, intertextuality in this novel can be seen in the

Romantic literature is very well-known for its extensive use of imagery to express different themes within a story. The Castle of Otranto is a Romantic Era story, by Horace Walpole, which expressed the expectations thrust upon women in the 1700’s in a different - and rather terrifying - light than was seen at that time. Romance of the Forest is also a Romantic Era story, created by Ann Radcliffe, which tells the story of a woman who discovers a terrifying secret that exists just on the other side of her bedroom walls. In both The Castle of Otranto and Romance of the Forest, the imagery used to describe the gothic environments of each story further adds ‘haunted’ and ‘scary’ feelings to the stories.