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Elements of the gothic in the picture of dorian gray
An analytical note on gothic fiction
Elements of the gothic in the picture of dorian gray
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The term Gothic was originally used as an architectural term and it refers to medieval buildings, such as castles and cathedral. Its an style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear, horror, death and gloom. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the house of Usher” is an good example of Gothic Literature because it has a gloomy mood. “ The storm had been a welcome diversion.
PSYART.com) Pre-modern day gothic writers wrote about psychological issues hundreds of years before professionals addressed mental illnesses, by extension shows that gothic writers helped popularize and influenced the study of psychology. The connotation of the word "gothic" carries the stigma of the emotion melancholy and the grotesque. ("Stigma, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, June 2017, www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/190242. Accessed 16 November 2017.) Humanitarians and those alike tend to believe that the Gothic genre is to showcase the darker side of people, the subconscious being of humans.
The researcher decides Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned to be the objects of the study on inferiority and superiority complex causing hedonistic lifestyle in main character. The first reason, both of literary works cover the changing of each life of the main character, society and ultimately the individual. Second, they both share the same social background of the main character in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian, displays a well-respected young man. He doesn’t recognize his own beauty until he sees it reflected in Basil’s portrait, and, once he does, it’s all too late. While Anthony in The Beautiful and Damned is illustrates reaching pleasure as the lifestyle and it becomes a habit.
The term Goth or gothic has had many changes and renditions over the years, all of which depict a darker execution of the human mind. Regarding modern, the term gothic is a popular style or lifestyle developed that follows elements of high emotion, which relate to dark undertones. This subculture of gothic was highly influenced by gothic fiction, a writing style that carried elements of horror and romance. The term Gothic fiction is characterized by elements of horror, death, terror and gloom with romantic undertones that coincide with strong emotions. Matthew Lewis offered the first characteristics to follow the genre of Gothic fiction in his explicit novel of monastic violence and perversions entitled The Monk published in 1796.
There seems to be a thread that works out well the genre evolution –from its origins in the eighteenth-century English Gothic novel– and that has been characterized by a progressive and endless search for new ways of communicating to the reader the repertoire of restlessness, destabilization... which are part of their horizon of expectations from the initial terror to current
The use of gothic Romanticism can be seen with various amount of stories. For example, " The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe which he wrote over his wife 's death. Also Poe does a good job with the tone of the story making it seem gothic, with him being in the dark during a storm. The supernatural presence in the story is the raven itself , and since the death of his wife it showed up to his window. In the story as Poe talks to the raven and tells it his feelings all the raven whispers is " nevermore" which give the audience the dark gothic feeling.
What is Goth? Goth can be many of things, teenagers dressing in all black, movies like Coraline and even architecture, but when it comes to literature what makes it Gothic? Gothic literature can be defined as, writing that employs dark and mysterious settings that include elements of death, insanity, revenge and the uncanny. In the short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe, the narrator has committed a murder but claims that his insanity is not a disease that cripples his mind but is quite the opposite and is capable to narrate just how cleverly he murdered an old man. In the second short “The Cask of Amontillado” also by Edgar Allen Poe, the narrator Montresor feels he is in power to make justice and gives himself the idea to seek revenge and kill Fortunato a wine enthusiast after he insulted his honor.
‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is the title of this book which wrote by a great author named Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde had writing many books based on his experiences and most of his genre is quite dark and mysterious, same as this book he wrote which contain gothic genre. I found this story had gothic genre because the storyteller, which is Oscar Wilde illustrating supernatural event in this story such as the Dorian’s wish seem like coming true as the portrait was the one that kept aging instead of Dorian Gray himself. Thus, the portrait has reflected as Dorian Gray’s soul and his personality grew darker and more evil as his life continued. This book that I read has quite artfully as it is like engaging me to keep reading more to know the
A classic element of gothic fiction typically involves a threatening atmosphere and it is very important that this is not just part of the background, but forms a crucial part
The genre of the novel is a terror, drama, psychology, humanitarianisms, romance and paranormal components. The Picture of Dorian Gray begins on a beautiful season day in Victorian-era England where Lord Henry Wotton, a determined man, is observing the sensitive artist Basil Hallward painting the painting of Dorian Gray, a handsome young man who is Basil 's ultimate inspiration. Though sitting for the painting, Dorian listens to Lord Henry adopting his hedonistic worldview and begins to think that beauty is the only aspect of life worth trying. This encourages Dorian to wish that the painted image of himself would age in his stead.
As soon as Dorian enters in Chapter 2 of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wildes’ one and only novel, its is evident that there will be a battle between who will have the most influence on his pure, untouched soul. Basil Hallward, a painter and worshipper of art is an optimist and sees only the good in even the wickedest of people, such as Lord Henry. Lord Henry is a charming, self-indulgent aristocrat that shapes and molds Dorian to lead a life devoted to pleasure. Both Basil and Lord Henry represent two important opposing forces in the novel, good and evil. The greatest struggle in The Picture of Dorian Gray is inside Dorian; he himself embodies both pure good and pure evil.
Influence in The Picture of Dorian Gray And The Book of Job The Picture of Dorian gray is a book written by Oscar Wilde and it was published in 1880. The book was later revised by addition of more chapters and reprinted in April 1891. Dorian Gray is the main character in this book that is described as a beautiful and unspoiled male who changes his life completely by sinning and pleasure after meeting Lord Henry. Basil Hallward who is a painter develops obsession for Dorian because of his beauty whereas Lord Henry Wotton Basil’s friend influences Dorian with his theories about life, pleasure and women even though he had no intention of changing Dorian’s personality. Lord Henry’s influence in Dorian leads to his downfall.
The Gothic seems to be disordered and a self - contradictory form, without a clear determination of its aim or implication. Many criticisms were denoted concerning the gothic, which reflected its contradictory nature. Some modern critics assert the psychological influence of the gothic ,as Robert Keily who points out that the subordination of the character to the setting enables the gothic “ to explore the whole concept of individual identity”, to view “human personality as essentially unstable, inconsistent ” 7,or revealing the dark side of human nature and destructive, primitive
Some of the plenty gothic elements are: the evil, the secret places, the scary atmosphere. The protagonist is good at first, but transforms in a bad person; handsome at first but he transforms in an ugly person at the end because of his character and the portrait, represents his inner soul. The portrait, the main symbol of the novel, carries all the marks of Gray 's degeneration, who is exploring all possible vices and desires, without to notice his moral decay. And all these marks show on the canvas, become a sort of conscience for Dorian.
As the portrait significantly becomes more hideous, Dorian gradually loses his mind. The reader understands that what eventually leads Dorian to kill Basil Hallward, the only true friend he has, is the constant reminder of the evil found at the heart of Dorian’s nature, as represented by the portrait. In Dorian doing so, the reader realises that not only does Dorian kill Basil, he also kills his only chance of redemption of his soul. The reader realises that the statement that Dorian had expressed earlier in the story was the truth: “Yes, Basil could have saved him. But it was too late now.”
