Here are some important links and content for Gothic Fiction.
Conventions
of the Gothic
Gothic
elements include the following:
1.
Setting in a castle. The action takes place
in and around an old castle, sometimes seemingly abandoned, sometimes occupied.
The castle often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or
hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections. The castle may be near or
connected to caves, which lend their own haunting flavour with their
claustrophobia, and mystery.
2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense.
The work is pervaded by a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown.
Often the plot itself is built around a mystery, such as unknown parentage, a
disappearance, or some other inexplicable event. Elements 3, 4, and 5 below
contribute to this atmosphere.
3. An ancient prophecy
is connected with the castle or its inhabitants (either former or present). The
prophecy is usually obscure, partial, or confusing. "What could it
mean?" In more watered down modern examples, this may amount to merely a
legend: "It's said that the ghost of old man Krebs still wanders these
halls."
4. Omens, portents, visions.
A character may have a disturbing dream vision, or some phenomenon may be seen
as a portent of coming events. For example, if the statue of the lord of the
manor falls over, it may portend his death.
5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable
events. Dramatic, amazing events occur, such as
ghosts or giants walking, or inanimate objects (such as a suit of armour or
painting) coming to life. In some works, the events are ultimately given a
natural explana tion, while in others
the events are truly supernatural.
6. High, even overwrought emotion.
The narration may be highly sentimental, and the characters are often overcome
by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror. Characters suffer from raw
nerves and a feeling of impending doom. Crying and emotional speeches are
frequent. Breathlessness and panic are common.
7. Women in distress.
As an appeal to the pathos and sympathy of the reader, the female characters
often face events that leave them fainting, terrified, screaming, and/or
sobbing. A lonely, pensive, and oppressed heroine is often the central figure
of the novel, so her sufferings are even more pronounced and the focus of
attention.
8. Women threatened by a powerful,
impulsive, tyrannical male. One or more male
characters has the power, as king, lord of the manor, father, or guardian, to
demand that one or more of the female characters do something intolerable. The
woman may be commanded to marry someone she does not love (it may even be the
powerful male himself), or commit a crime.
9. The metonymy of gloom and horror.
Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand
for something else (like sorrow). For example, the film industry likes to use
metonymy as a quick shorthand, so we often notice that it is raining in funeral
scenes. Note that the following metonymies for "doom and gloom" all
suggest some element of mystery, danger, or the supernatural.
wind, especially howling
|
rain, especially blowing
|
doors grating on rusty hinges
|
sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds
|
footsteps approaching
|
clanking chains
|
lights in abandoned rooms
|
gusts of wind blowing out lights
|
characters trapped in a room
|
doors suddenly slamming shut
|
ruins of buildings
|
baying of distant dogs (or wolves?)
|
thunder and lightning
|
crazed laughter
|
10. The vocabulary of the Gothic.
Here are some of the words (in several categories) that help make up the
vocabulary of the Gothic
Mystery
|
diabolical, enchantment, ghost, goblins,
haunted, infernal, magic, magician, miracle, necromancer, omens, ominous,
portent, preternatural, prodigy, prophecy, secret, sorcerer, spectre,
spirits, strangeness, talisman, vision
|
Fear, Terror, or Sorrow
|
afflicted, affliction, agony, anguish,
apprehensions, apprehensive, commiseration, concern, despair, dismal, dismay,
dread, dreaded, dreading, fearing, frantic, fright, frightened, grief,
hopeless, horrid, horror, lamentable, melancholy, miserable, mournfully,
panic, sadly, scared, shrieks, sorrow, sympathy, tears, terrible, terrified,
terror, unhappy, wretched
|
Surprise
|
alarm, amazement, astonished,
astonishment, shocking, staring, surprise, surprised, thunderstruck, wonder
|
Haste
|
anxious, breathless, flight, frantic,
hastened, hastily, impatience, impatient, impatiently, impetuosity,
precipitately, running, sudden, suddenly
|
Anger
|
anger, angrily, choler, enraged, furious,
fury, incense, incensed, provoked, rage, raving, resentment, temper, wrath,
wrathful, wrathfully
|
Largeness
|
enormous, gigantic, giant, large,
tremendous, vast
|
Links to the text extracts:
Dracula: Dracula Chapter 1
Frankenstein: Frankenstein Chapter 5
Twilight: Twilight extracts
Dead Until Dark: Southern vampires
I am Legend: I am legend
Interview with the Vampire: Vampire Chronicles
The Walking Dead: Walking Dead
The Red Room & The Tell Tale Heart: Wells & Poe
These text extracts are intended for educational use only.
Happy reading
Miss F
