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Essay on gothic novels
Essay on gothic novel
Essay on gothic novels
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on gothic novels
Essay on gothic novel
Essay on gothic novels
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a Bildungsroman, a coming of age story that focuses on the psychological development, of the protagonist Catherine Morland. This essay will analyse the language, and narrative techniques of the extract, and discuss how this excerpt suggests vicissitude in Catherine’s personal perspectives, and relationships. In addition, it will discuss the ‘domestic gothic’ and abuse ubiquitous in ordinary situations. Furthermore, it will argue how Austen’s rhetorical techniques work to encourage reader interest, and to exercise perception, when distinguishing between appearance, and reality. Finally, it will conclude by briefly discussing the significance of the extract within the novel’s wider themes.
In Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen describes Catherine Moreland, an ordinary girl who becomes an unexpected heroine. Catherine Moreland led a simple life with her plain and pleasant family, and when looking at her childhood alone, she was certainly not destined for greatness, as most heroes are attributed to be. Austen details Catherine’s childhood and utilizes literary techniques to introduce and develop Catherine Moreland’s character. Throughout the passage, Austen uses indirect characterization and direct characterization combined with point of view to illustrate Catherine’s seemingly plain and simple personality. Austen begins with a description of Catherine Moreland’s home life and family, and through these descriptions, Catherine’s character is indirectly characterized.
The notion that a young woman must be either engaged or pursuing an engagement was a common standard for women in the 19th century. Women looking for an engagement, must uphold high standards with strong morals as well as being wholly pure of both body and mind. Jane Austen depicts the main characters of her novels as being strong individuals in the midst of these societal standards. These significant morals in Northanger Abbey, influence the characters, such as Catherine and Isabella, in how they make their decisions. Additionally, the main character Catherine Morland, a young lady, learns the ways of presenting herself in the best light possible.
Females are to behave in a feminine manner that constricts them to the domesticity within the sphere of the household in the 18th Century. It is part of the gender stereotype that they act elegant and lady like. Jane Austen uses Catherine’s character to refer her to a heroine that is out of ordinary from the stereotype. The first sentence of the novel “No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine” . This is where Northanger Abbey critiques the issues on gender for Catherine Morland the question is why no one saw her to be born a heroine?
As a gothic novel, Wuthering Heights encompasses many features that support the idea of entrapment as a motif for the book, including a framed narrative, and the use of locks and closed doors. Emily Bronte’s application of a framed narrative in Wuthering Heights emphasizes the emotional and physical smothering that Catherine experiences. The usage of a story within a story, as told by multiple characters, creates confusion and chaos both internally and between characters. The internal conflicts of Catherine emphasize the power of her emotions and create a feeling of suffocation and claustrophobia. According to Catherine, her chamber, settled deep into the labyrinth of Thrushcross Grange, is a “shattered prison” (116).
In the Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey, the author successfully satirizes the elements and forms of Gothic Literature through characters. The title itself has a gothic feel evoking the picture of a distant perhaps abandoned abbey, but the story is completely not about that. Austen criticizes Catherine’s interest in gothic novels tying in the gothic idea of supernatural into realism. The author doesn't want women to be distracted from reality, thus, satirizes the gothic genre making it clear that domestic novels for women are more beneficial. Throughout the novel Austen also utilizes Catherine to depict gender stereotypes that is frequently seen in gothic novels.
Bronte 's Jane Eyre transcends the genres of literature to depict the emotional and character development of its protagonist. Although no overall genre dominates the novel exclusively, the vivid use of setting contributes towards the portrayal of Bronte’s bildungsroman (Realisms, 92) and defines the protagonist’s struggles as she grapples with her inner-self, and the social expectations of her gender. The novel incorporates Jane’s frequent conflicts, oppression, isolation and self-examination as she defends her identity and independence. Set amongst five separate locations, Bronte’s skilful use of literal and metaphorical landscapes, nature, and imagery, skilfully intertwines with the plot and denotes each phrase of her maturity.
Charles Brockden Brown’s novel, Wieland, explores the aspects of both a Gothic and sentimental novel. The novel investigates on subjects such as gender norms, religious views, and femininity. Clara, being both the narrator and protagonist, is driven by gender expectations of the eighteenth-century. She resembles the heroine of a gothic novel, but has independence due to her living on her own. Clara breaks through the eighteenth-century thinking that women were passive and ruled by their bodies and their emotions.
Edith Wharton stated once that at some stage in a story there will be that turning point or “illuminating incident” that would be a window that opens to convey the whole message and show the deeper meaning of the work. Basing this on Pride and Prejudice, the most significant, shifting point would be when Elizabeth realizes that her first impression has done her wrong, and that she’s the one being prejudicial, not Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen follows the development of Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship in how they both change in order to overcome their own vanities and be able to love each other. Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley, accompanied by her aunt and uncle, causes her to reconsider her thoughts about Mr. Darcy and shows how naïve and inconsiderate she was. After knowing the truth, Elizabeth’s reaction help build up the main themes of Pride and Prejudice which is to learn before making any judgments.
Though at first the melodrama and overplaying of the imagination scenes may seem to be a typical blunder on the part of the movie makers, they are actually consistent with Catherine’s character and poke fun at the melodrama often portrayed in movies of similar genres to Northanger Abbey. This parody on other films mirrors Austen’s parody of the gothic novel. Still, on the whole, there is something to be desired when looking at how the gothic does and does not find its way into the movies. Though the imagination scenes certainly do portray gothic scenarios as Catherine perceives them, they poke more fun at overdramatized film adaptations of romantic and 19th century novels than they do at the genre’s themselves. Furthermore, the imagination scenes are
Abstract Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a novel that, despite being the focus of abundant critical feminist analysis, largely ignores the character of Isabella Linton. Academics have been appallingly neglectful and even disdainful of furthering the discourse about the character of Isabella Linton. In 1851 the Eclectic Review called her, "one of the most silly and credulous girls that fancy ever painted," and this perception of her is still the prevailing attitude towards her character, despite this review being written a hundred and sixty years ago. There are a few critics who have been willing to acknowledge her role as a foil to Catherine Earnshaw, but only in a dismissive way that serves to emphasize her inferiority to Catherine.
Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a Bildungsroman, a coming of age story that focuses on the psychological development of the protagonist, Catherine Morland. This essay will analyse the language and narrative techniques of the extract, and discuss how it suggests vicissitudes in Catherine’s personal perspectives and relationships. In addition, it will discuss the ‘domestic gothic’ and abuse ubiquitous in ordinary situations. Furthermore, it will argue how Austen’s rhetorical techniques work to encourage reader interest as well as exercising perception when distinguishing between appearance and reality. Finally, it will conclude by briefly discussing the significance of the extract within the novel’s wider themes.
Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a Bildungsroman, a coming of age story that focuses on the psychological development of the protagonist, Catherine Morland. This essay will analyse the language and narrative techniques of the extract, and discuss how it suggests vicissitudes in Catherine’s personal perspectives and relationships. In addition, it will discuss the ‘domestic gothic’ and abuse ubiquitous in ordinary situations. Furthermore, it will argue how Austen’s rhetorical techniques work to encourage reader interest as well as exercising perception when distinguishing between appearance and reality. Finally, it will conclude by briefly discussing the significance of the extract within the novel’s wider themes.
1.4 Literature overview At the end of the nineteen century, was published a book, for the first time, concerning Jane Austen’s literary work. Exactly in 1890, the writer Godwin Smith gave for printing Life of Jane Austen, and from then he started a new era which values the author’s literary legacy, so others begun to write critics; thus, this moment marked the first step of the authorized criticism, focused on Austen’s writing style. In conformity with B.C. Southam Critical Heritage, the criticism attributed to Jane had increased after 1870 and became formal and organized. Therefore, “we see the novels praised for their elegance of form and their surface ‘finish’; for the realism of their fictional world, the variety and vitality of their characters;
I. Introduction Jane Austen’s Persuasion contains an abundance of references to reading and literature. Characters often read something, be it a book, a newspaper, a navy list or an advertisement. Examining the episodes in which reading or literary works play a part provides an excellent opportunity to study and interpret the novel from a specific and well-defined point of view.