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The Haunting Of Hill House Analysis

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Recommended: Elements of gothic literature

This essay is going to explore in which ways is the boundary between realism and fantasy presented in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. The novel belongs to the American Gothic genre, which is a variant of the Gothic. The Gothic is a literary genre which appeared in the 18th century in England and it showed up as a response to the social and cultural changes that occurred in Europe. The Enlightenment was the leading movement during the 18th century and they tried to erase the prejudices, errors, superstitions and fears due to the fact that they believed in logical reasonament of mysterious and irrational phenomena. Gothic authors want the reader to explore the unknown of the world that they know and also to achieve a different
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In the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe were known for their use of gothic elements in their types of writing. The plot of gothic literature novels typically involves people who become involved in complex and oftentimes evil paranormal schemes, usually against an innocent and helpless heroine. Poe used gothic dimensions to explore the human mind in extreme situations. Hawthorne examined the human heart under conditions of fear, vanity, mistrust, and betrayal. Even though Hawthorne and Poe used the gothic elements, they still used different types of darkness to portray their writing to the reader.

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Both the film Sunset Boulevard and the novel Haunting of Hill House are set in a gothic context. I found similarities in the way both main characters from the novel and film, maintained relationships with others. In contrast I found that the feelings associated with the two main characters, Norma Desmond and Eleanor were presented differently. I also found the representation of the gothic in the settings of both the novel and film contradictory. It is evident that both characters Norma and Eleanor had self hatred, which made their relationships with others difficult.

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The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 caused more damage than reparations to worldly peace. Years following the bombs were agonizing to live through, it was impossible to inhabit the bombed areas due to the substantial amounts of radiation in the air.(Warren 98) Evidence can be compiled to believe the bombs had done more harm than justice. “Since the latent period of cancer may be long and cancers in general increase in later life, con- siderable effort has gone into determination of changes in incidence of various cancers as the surviving populations have aged. There is evidence that cancers of the thyroid, female breast, and the lung may be slightly increased among the survivors.” (Warren 99)

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1230 Words | 5 Pages

Have you ever thought that your house has its own intentions that could affect your everyday life? Shirley Jackson, in her novel The Haunting of Hill House , personifies Hill House; giving it human like characteristics, which furthermore allows the reader to question the “link” between the house and Eleanor, the protagonist. In addition to the “link” between the two, Jackson makes the house feel uncanny with her details of the house and the lack of information she gives the reader, moreover, the lack of information given to the reader allows them to create their own thoughts of what is happening. This gives the reader the idea that the House itself is a main character that purposefully affects the group.

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729 Words | 3 Pages

The novel “The Haunting of Hill House,” written by Shirley Jackson, closely follows the traditional tropes of an American Gothic. The main character of the novel, Eleanor, begins her journey to self growth after accepting an offer to live in a suspected haunted house for the summer. Moreover, Eleanor meets three other people that have an important effect on her development as a person. These characters slowly begin to question their own sanity due to the house’s destructive nature. Jackson appeals to fans of the American gothic through her particular description of the house and how the characters interact with it in order to show the environments foil of an absolute reality.

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2098 Words | 9 Pages

In the late 1950’s, Americans across the nation began to question the ideas of the nuclear family and a woman’s role in society. The concept that a woman could obtain her own autonomy without the help of a man and the effect it has on the family began to appear more as a common discourse in literature and it lead to a debate that even now, has not had an end. Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is a novel that brings into question the consequences of a woman searching for her own autonomy but more importantly, it illustrates the conflict, anxiety, and repression a woman during this time period experienced while attempting to make their own way and how it can affect her. Eleanor, the main protagonist, reflects a variety of issues that

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391 Words | 2 Pages

Gothic novels dated back to the 18th century. In the

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293 Words | 2 Pages

Retelling the regression from Enlightenment reason back to the folklorist traditions of the Middle Ages, in the “gothic literature” entry in the Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature, Mary Ellen Snodgrass expresses how the gothic movement urged consideration into prejudice and class through grossly disturbing narratives and emotional elements. Pulling from Middle Age ideology—witchcraft, piety and religious barbarism, and scientific innovation—literature returned to the exploration of the mystical, combining with French and German themes to create the gothic movement. Summarizing the increase and development of the gothic movement, Snodgrass tells how “disturbing behaviors forced readers to interpret subtexts of prejudice and abnormality into thought

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730 Words | 3 Pages

In The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, the atmosphere of fear is created throughout her novel. Shirley Jackson creates this feeling for the reader by including many literary techniques. Literary techniques are used to influence the reader’s experience and keep them on the edge of their seat. The three most impactful literary techniques that created an atmosphere of fear in the novel are foreshadowing, symbolism, and repetition.

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1226 Words | 5 Pages

Writers can enrich their story in many ways. The use of conflict, foreshadowing, and personification can be used by authors to deepen their story. The short stories “The Open House on Haunted Hill” by John Wiswell, “The Chaser” by John Collier, and “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury all contain evidence of these literary devices. Dispute, foreshadowing, and personification are all elements that enhance short stories.

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In Gothic literature, authors use ambiguity to create suspense and add scary details to their stories. Ambiguity defines the Gothic genre by developing questions and have the audience wanting more. The author of “Where is Here?” uses ambiguity more effectively than other Gothic authors like Edgar Alan Poe and Josie Couterez because of the use of fear of the unknown and the frustration of unanswered questions.

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459 Words | 2 Pages

Gothic literature and magical realism are different because one is based on supernatural occurrences on Earth while the other is based on scary but natural things on Earth. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher,” Usher 's sister dies in a natural way and so does Usher so nothing unnatural happens. For instance Usher tells the narrator that he buried his sister alive and that he 's been knowing about it for

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1959 Words | 8 Pages

In any novel, mystery and suspense is a popular characteristic, but contributes very well to what secures a gothic theme to a novel. Here, mystery and suspense are built throughout the novel based on the predicament of the characters. Initially, mystery is built very early on in the story, where the reader is interested to know who the

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1029 Words | 5 Pages

Gothic Literature is a genre that was popular between 18th to 19th centuries in North Germany. It is always being associated with Dark Romanticism which the emphasize was more on nature, terror and death, horror and many more. It involves dark and gloomy setting and also unexplainable things that are beyond human senses and reason such as ghosts and monsters. The main characters, on the other hand, are always ineffectual which they do not give much effect on the story plot. This can be seen through Washington Irving’s “Rip van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” which can be considered as American gothic work in terms of its description of setting, the involvement of supernatural element in the story and also the characteristics of the main character.

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1056 Words | 5 Pages

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

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