Synoptic Topic (Oral exam): Gothic Topic

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 Four: the monster and the monstrous in Gothic Writing (Achille / Sorcadh / Augustin)

Monster and monstrous The word ‘ monster ’ means ugliness, irrationality and unnatural events. It is the opposite of neo-classical values of harmony and unified composition.  During the eighteen th century, the world became better known through scientific studies and experimentations, thus monsters disappeared from studies of nature and medicine step by step. Monster and monstrous in Gothic literature However, at the same time, they were becoming popular in the Gothic genre, which was starting at that time. This genre portrayed monsters and monstrous characters, and focussed on their deformity and irregularity. It involved works that crossed the boundaries of reason and morality , presenting excessive and viciously improper scenes and characters. Gothic literature needed negative and socially unacceptable features: the use of monsters and the use of the notion of monstrosity permitted Gothic authors to darken the atmosphere of their novels, while bringing fantasy. T...
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