Key Issue One: The role of the supernatural in Gothic Writing (Raphael / Tristan / Illiane )

 

The role of supernatural in gothic writing

Iliane -Tristan - Raphaël

 

Key issue explanation :

  ✓       Gothic writing can include a movement from natural to supernatural . We follow the hero and witness through his perspective how he slowly fluctuates from one state of mind to another.


        ✓       By observing supernatural entities in Gothic, we notice the way many of them came from the same place ; they were humans and they deviated later . They are a mix between an animal and a human.


        ✓       It makes us wonder about our place as humans in society. We can question, how long until we start shifting to what we have always  feared?


        ✓       In Gothic Literature, supernatural elements are added in order to frighten and to intrigue .That is why we get to ask ourselves:

What part of us is human and which part is animal ? 

What is it to be human?  

In this way, the supernatural elements encourage us to interrogate ourselves. .


        ✓       Usually the hero of the story will be forced to fight against a supernatural being ; however he will always be at a disadvantage because the hero is destined to die when the supernatural antagonist will always be eternal (vampires, mommies , werewolves, etc..) . In the end us humans are always faced with this handicap : Will we ever be able to put an end to supernatural to win against them when they are undying and we in fact are meant to die ?


        ✓       All that is supernatural exists outside of the norms. Supernatural beings have never been proven to exist ; therefore they are creations of the human minds , they represent our fears. However, and importantly, the hero will win against supernatural so realise we can win against our fears . It is a message of hope!

List of resources :

https://timemapping-net.saltisalt.com/?p=57 – History of vampires

https://westportlibrary.libguides.com/werewolves - History of Werewolves

https://reframingthevictorians.blogspot.com/2014/11/victorian-gothic-literature-supernatural.html - another source on supernatural in gothic writing

https://www.amazon.fr/Picture-Dorian-Gray-Oscar-Wilde/dp/B098CR95HV/ref=asc_df_B098CR95HV/?tag=googshopfr-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507143537929&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2875989252937125247&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9055933&hvtargid=pla-1391511121082&psc=1 – Book of the picture of Dorian Gray on Amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp7xAM-ZCCg – Trailer of Warner’s adaptation of The picture of Dorian Gray 1945

Link to Dorian Gray :

The concept of the supernatural is predominant within the novel and it plays a pivotal role influencing Dorian. 

Evidently, the most significant supernatural element within the novel is the portrait.

The portrait is made to serve a moral purpose, being transformed from an object of overwhelming beauty into a horrifying record of sins, something bestial, sodden and unclean.

Over time the portrait begins to alter in accordance with the corruption of his very own soul. 

The supernatural personifies the concept of cruelty and as so cannot be physically portrayed. 

The role of supernatural is also to influence the characters and make all of them feel the fear, as even Dorian Gray lives in constant distress of his supernatual secret being discovered.

 

Commentaires

Enregistrer un commentaire

Posts les plus consultés de ce blog

Key Issue Eight: Melodrama and Realism in Gothic Writing (Milla and Madeleine)

Melodrama and realism in Gothic writing Melodrama and Realism are two main concepts that Gothic authors used and explored to bring the readers into the atmosphere they created.  Melodrama The Melodrama movement was born in France, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as part of the Romantic literary period. The romantics wanted to express their emotions through art, inspired by imagination, individuality, and nature.  The word Melodrama is made from two different Greek words: Melos meaning music and drama meaning action.  A melodrama is the foundation of every American movie of our time, as it contains a story with conflict coupled with music .  This dramatic form also shows a battle between Good and Evil in three major plot elements:  1. provocation, whatever provokes the villain to act devilishly to the hero;  2.pangs, the pains that the hero suffers through because of the villain’s evil;  3. and the penalty, the denouement, the last part of the...
Lire la suite

Key Issue Seven: Power and menace in Gothic writing (Alexis / Liam / Malo)

Key Issue Seven: Power and menace in Gothic writing (Alexis / Liam / Malo) Closely linked together, power and menace are both fundamental for Gothic Literature . Even though they are not the first criteria someone would think about after watching a Gothic movie or reading Gothic literature, power and menace are nearly always presented in Gothic art. I. Power Looking at power portrayed through Gothic writing, we can already declare that power can come in different forms: fear, torture (violence), psycological aspects (mental), etc.  Power is dependent on a constraint, someone or something that needs to feel or be submissive to this powerful character. In Gothic writing, we can see this through vulnerable characters being driven by fear, for example Lucy Westerna in Dracula.  In Gothic literature, villains (humans or creatures) usually always hold the power, and they use this power over the other characters through violence and fear, for example, Dracula, or Frankenstein....
Lire la suite

Key Issue Six : Heroes and villains in Gothic writing (Daniel / Lilas / Eléonore)

Heroes and  Villains In Gothic writing, a specific atmosphere prevails in which heroes and villains are easily distinguishable from other literature genres.  The hero-villain relationship is often ambiguous, and in a number of works of Gothic writing, attraction and love between the two characters might even occur.  Within heroes, boundaries opposing morality and immorality tend to be vague.  In fact, heroes of Gothic writing—oftentimes characters of high social ranking—could be described as morally “grey,” as it is their own goodness—the hero’s tragic flaw—that brings them, through decadence, to villainy. On the other hand, the antagonist is, from his very outset, portrayed as a flawed, lonesome, or outcast figure who must overcome obstacles in order to re-join society.  Generally, Gothic Villains represent one of two archetypes: the Evil Father or the Dangerous Lover. Villains who embody these figures include, respectively, Victor Frankenstein and Heathcliff...
Lire la suite