Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Gothic elements in Frankenstein and Christabel

Powerful Essays
1480 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gothic elements in Frankenstein and Christabel
Analysis of gothic elements in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and S.T.Coleridge's Christabel
Romantic writers commonly used gothic elements to describe supernatural events that included a dark setting and gloomy atmosphere, usually followed by a dreadful crime. Many writers took interest in the gothic, and in this essay I will try to analyze and discuss the use of those elements in Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley and Christabel by S.T.Coleridge.
“The Gothic novel could be seen as a description of a fallen world. We experience this fallen world though all aspects of the novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme.” (De Vore, D.; Domenic, A.; Kwan, A.; Reidy, N.: “The Gothic Novel”)1
The setting is very important in Gothic novels. The novels are usually set in castles, graveyards, dungeons, ruins.. The mood is dark and gloomy, full of horror and suspense. There are also supernatural events and creatures, as well as damsels in distress. The emotions are heightened, there are crimes such as murder or kidnapping. I will start with the analysis of gothic elements in Christabel. “’Tis the middle of night by the castle clock, / And the owls have awakened the crowing cock.” (l. 1-2) These first lines of the poem introduce a macabre setting. We soon learn that the plot is set in the dark woods and the castle. “What makes her in the wood so late, / A furlong from the castle gate?” (l. 25-26) Christabel has gone to pray for her knight, whom she is to marry, when she heard a noise:
“It moaned as near, as near can be, / But what it is, she cannot tell.” (l. 39-40) There is suspense, but we soon learn that the sound comes from “..a damsel bright, / Drest in a silken robe of white.” (l. 58-59) As I have stated before, the gothic novel usually included a damsel – Geraldine in this particular situation. As the story goes on, we find out that a kidnapping took place. “Five warriors seized me yestermorn, / Me, even me, a maid forlorn: / They choked my cries with force and fright.” (l. 81-83) Christabel agrees to help Geraldine and take her to her father's castle, but as soon as they came to the gate, Geraldine faints and Christabel has to carry her over the threshold. Here we have a supernatural element, vampiric to be precise, since “a vampire cannot cross a threshold without the invitation.” (Twitchell, 10)
“A little door she opened straight, / All in the middle of the gate; / The lady sank, belike through pain, / And Christabel with might and main / Lifted her up, a weary weight, / Over the threshold of the gate: / Then the lady rose again, / And moved, as she were not in pain.” (l. 125-133). Another element that invokes suspense and gloom is the behaviour of an old mastiff, when she and Geraldine were passing through on their way to Christabel's chamber – “The mastiff old did not awake, / Yet she an angry moan did make!” (l. 147-148)
“In this poem Coleridge takes liberty to introduce a frightening Gothic element – the possession of a woman by another women.” (Ritter, S. “Gothic Elements in the Poetry of Coleridge and Keats”)2 We can see clearly from the text that Geraldine is troubled, even possessed at times, and then she goes back to being normal again. “Alas! what ails poor Geraldine?” (l.207) “And why with hollow voice cries she, / 'Off, woman, off! this hour is mine — Though thou her guardian spirit be, / Off, woman, off! 'tis given to me.' ” (l. 210-213) The first part of the poem ends with Christabel being seduced by Geraldine. While Geraldine was praying, Christabel looked at her, and suddenly her robe fell and exposed half her body. Geraldine is ashamed but lays next to Christabel and comforts her, saying there is a spell working over her but she can still fight it. “'In the touch of this bosom there worketh a spell” (l. 267)
In the second part of the poem, when Christabel takes Geraldine to meet her father, numerous Gothic element are presents. First off, when meeting Sir Leoline, Christabel's father, Geraldine has a vision about Christabel, and produces a hissing sound. “The vision of fear, the touch and pain!” (l. 453) “Again she felt that bosom cold, / And drew in her breath with a hissing sound” (l. 458-459). Another element that invokes fear and dread is Bracy the Bard's dream, about Christabel in danger. “I stooped, methought, the dove to take, / When lo! I saw a bright green snake / Coiled around its wings and neck.” (l. 548-550). Here, Christabel is portrayed as a bird, and Geraldine most likely represents a snake. Nevertheless, Sir Leoline commanded the Bard to leave with Geraldine and take her home, putting his daughter's life in danger. The lines I will finish the analysis with are: “A snake's small eye blinks dull and shy; And the lady's eyes they shrunk in her head, / Each shrunk up to a serpent's eye, / And with somewhat of malice, and more of dread / At Christabel she looked askance.” (l. 583-587), depicting Geraldine's last look toward Christabel, when she turned into a snake, therefore causing Christabel to fall into a trance.

The second piece of work in which I will analyze the Gothic elements is Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein, as well as Christabel, contains nearly all characteristics of a gothic novel. There is the setting, in Geneva and the Swiss Alps mostly, then the plot – the crimes taking place, gruesome murders especially, the sole process of creating a monster and raising the dead. There are also typical gothic characters – we have a protagonist, an overachieving scientist who gains interest in creating a new life, a new species, and on the other hand, the monster as antagonist, a horrific creation. The atmosphere is dark and full of horror and mystery. The lines I will use to support my thesis are: “It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.” (Shelley, M., Frankenstein, p.58)
I think that this passage perfectly fits the pattern of Gothic elements. It was a dark, rainy night when Victor, locked in his laboratory, brought the creature to life. The horror that Victor felt upon seeing his creation was enormous. “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?” (Shelley, M., Frankenstein, p.58) He felt desperate and guilty about what he had done. “Mingled with this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment”. (Shelley, M., Frankenstein, p.60) And then the real horror – the murders. Victor and Elizabeth, his wife, proceeded to their honeymoon, but the creature had waited for them. Victor was scared and anxious, “..so soon as night obscured the shapes of objects, a thousand fears arose in my mind. I was anxious and watchful..”, (Shelley, M., Frankenstein, p.240) and he had every right to be, because the monster took his revenge - “I heard a shrill and dreadful scream. It came from the room into which Elizabeth had retired.”...“She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed..” (Shelley, M., Frankenstein, p.241)

To conclude, I would like to point out that the use of Gothic elements in the Romantic literature was very broad and had a great role. Many writers took interest in the Gothic, mainly to produce a macabre and dreary atmosphere, to create a sense of mystery and fear.
“These writings create feelings of gloom, mystery, terror, suspense and fear as they seek to explore humanity’s dark side and arouse questions in mankind about good vs. evil, the role of the supernatural, the experience of fear or terror, and others.” (Philips, A. “The Grotesque of the Gothic: From Poe to the Present”)3 All of these things we can connect to the works I have analyzed, Frankenstein and Christabel, and agree that they are among the best representatives of Gothic writings in the Romantic period.

Works cited:
1) Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. Christabel
2) Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus
3) Smith, Andrew. Gothic literature. Edinburgh, Edinburgh City Press, 2007. Print
4) Twitchell, James B. The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1981. Print

Web sources:
5) De Vore, D.; Domenic, A.; Kwan A.; Reidy, N. “The Gothic Novel” http://cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html#elements 22.5.2013
6) Philips, Amy. “The Grotesque of The Gothic: From Poe to the Present” http://smago.coe.uga.edu/VirtualLibrary/Phillips.pdf 21.5.2013
7) Ritter, Susan. “Gothic Elements in the Poetry of Coleridge and Keats” http://courses.wcupa.edu/fletcher/britlitweb/sritterb.htm 22.5.2013

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Frankenstein and Terror

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A classic gothic novel emphasises fear and terror. It has the presence of the supernatural, the placements of events within a distant time and an unfamiliar and mysterious setting. Romantic writer Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein conforms to these conventional ‘classic’ Gothic traits as well as to the modern conceptions of what is considered as Gothic. Shelley’s Frankenstein is host to a range of significant gothic elements, evident through Victor’s creation of the gigantic creature, the dark setting of the novel, set in places of gloom and horror, and the disempowered portrayal of females, in which women are threatened by the tyranny of males and are often in distress. Omens and visions are also evident in the novel, further enhancing the Gothicism found in the novel. Frankenstein is defined as a Gothic novel through the many Gothic aspects it features. The connections, and relevance it has to today’s modern society and the lessons that can be learned from it, is what classifies it as being classic.…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gothic literature is a type of writing that is characterized by the elements of fear, death, and gloom. Edgar Allan Poe's “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a good example of Gothic Lit because it uses the factors of a spooky home, the weather is bad, and there is a ghost or a monster. “He suffered from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was alone endurable.(18)” This sentence is tied to gothic literature because he is in a old house and he is going crazy. Therefore…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gothic Literature is a unique form of writing that encompasses: fiction, horror, death, and romance. This type of writing uses the idea of the supernatural as well as the capacity for evil in a human being which ultimately thickens and intensifies the plots of the stories and makes them more intriguing. In the following three works: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, “The Raven”, and “The Black Cat”, there are many unique elements of gothic literature, however the most prominent are: psychological issues, ambiguity, the color black, spirits/demons, and violence.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Frankenstein: What makes it a Gothic Novel? One of the most important aspects of any gothic novel is setting. Mary Shelly 's Frankenstein is an innovative and disturbing work that weaves a tale of passion, misery, dread, and remorse. Shelly reveals the story of a man 's thirst for knowledge which leads to a monstrous creation that goes against the laws of nature and natural order.…

    • 642 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many Gothic elements in the Frankenstein novel starting with the graveyards where Frankenstein gathered body parts for his morbid work. The atmosphere of fear when he first sees his hideous creation. The environment in which they lived the rugged terrain, the lonely forest and the desolate northern setting further along in the story all contribute to the atmosphere as well. There was a supernatural element in the story pertaining to the monster’s superhuman strength, endurance and ability to traverse the dangerous landscape easier that any mortal man. This story was abundant in emotion especially from the monster, his emotional pleas, he begged his creator to make him a mate, when this did not pan out for…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Francis Russell once said “fiction evocative of a sublime and picturesque landscape… depict(ing) a world in ruins.” Gothic fiction can be characterized by the elements of fear, horror or the supernatural. Other elements that characterize this type of fiction might include darkness mystery, or romance, lust and even dread. William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” uses a gothic setting to describe Miss Emily’s home. The upstairs and the outside of the house shows the darkness romance and lust of the setting in which she lived.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and William Faulkner have presented gothic literature throughout their writing during the 18th and 19th centuries. Gothic literature is defined as a "distinct modern development in which the characteristic theme is the stranglehold of the past upon the present"(294 Drabble and Stringer).Therefore, to deliver this theme to their readers they used gothic elements to create a "dark" sensation especially in the area of setting. All three authors in their literature portray accursed or decaying settings that are associated to violence, poverty, and human behavior. It appears authors like Poe, Hawthorne, and Faulkner were drawn to this elements of Gothicism for what it revealed about human psychology…

    • 1549 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Gothic settings are desolate, alienating and full of menace”. In the light of this comment, consider some of the ways in which writers use settings in the gothic texts you have read.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The gothic genre has many defining qualities and features, and as a gothic novel, Frankenstein (or the Modern Prometheus) exhibits some of these traits. However, due to the time period in which it was written by Mary Shelley there are also many features of Romanticism apparent in the novel, such as the emphasis on the beauty and restorative powers of nature in chapters 8 and 9. Therefore it is questionable which aspects of the Gothic genre are to be found within Frankenstein.…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Gothic Literature is concerned with the breaking of normal moral and social codes” Discuss (40 marks).…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gothic Literature is “a literary genre that began in England in the late 1700s”(33). This literary genre contains elements such as weird or violent plots, gloomy and eerie moods, characters in torment(physical and psychological), and desolate settings. In Poe’s story, Poe writes, “upon the mere house, … an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the subline.”(Usher 14). This citation shows the element of gloomy and eerie moods, creating an element of Gothic Literature. Therefore, proving…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gothic literature, which is sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre that links horror and romance into one tale of ‘transgressing the boundaries’. Gothicism was unheard of until the late 1700’s, this movement into a new genre of literature. This was pioneered by the English author Horace Walpole, in his famous fictional book ‘The Castle of Otranto’, or as Walpole alternatively titled it ‘a Gothic story’. Horace Walpole himself had transgressed the boundaries slightly; by introducing this new style of writing he had added a whole new genre into literature. Walpole’s style of writing was unique and captivated the readers mind and imagination to let he or she share the act of transgression, or as Robert Kidd, a renowned critic put it, “The Gothic has somehow seduced the reader so that he or she is complicit in engaging in whatever he or she might encounter”. This is what kept Gothicism alive, the author’s ability to intrigue the reader and give them a thirst to read more gothic literature.…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gothic Literature

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Gothic literature is, in essence, a genre which aims to create vivid moods and appeal to human emotions. It uses sensory language to create an atmosphere of foreboding and horror in order to create a feeling of terror. An important aspect of gothic texts is the heightened passion and sensibilities combined with an element of melodrama, a characteristic of the genre which renders it susceptible to parody and satire. The setting and characters are pivotal features in gothic literature and are used to reinforce the gothic theme whilst building suspense and intriguing the reader.…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    also cause or hinder the actions of Frankenstein and his monster as they go on…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gothic literature can objectively be boiled down to a series of commonalities that are prevalent in some way, shape or form throughout the figureheads of the genre. Themes tying monstrosity to that of bodily deformity, duplicity, desire and degeneracy are deeply rooted in the genres subtext raising many questions regarding humanity as opposed to the humanities. This view is in part, a product of the Victorian era in which this genre thrived. At the time, much study was being conducted in regards to the possible connection between physical appearance and criminality. This created an unnecessary link between the perceived atavistic properties of an individual and the probability of them housing a malicious nature. These perceptions are only further embellished…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays