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…
After Marion asks why Norman doesn’t put his mother “someplace”, menacing music begins to play and Normans face gets much closer to the camera and he forgets what has been talked about, forgets his mother’s words and his facial expression changes, suddenly from calm to threatening. Talking as if he knows what it feels like to be inside a “Mad House”. This is the part of the scene that makes the viewers, alongside Marion, uncomfortable and nervous, and they see that Norman might not just be the simple motel owner he pretends to…
I believe that Norman bates displayed sinister nature threw his attitude, the camera angels of when he is being filmed and the lighting. Everything is put together to portray Norman bates and a very evil and sinister Character. This adds a lot of suspense to the movie.…
Gothic literature has a specific tone and vibe that sets it apart from other genres of literature. In many gothic literature stories and novels, it seems that there is usually a presence of monsters, one or more characters suffers from psychological issues, or one of the characters is stuck on a memory from the past. These elements play a key role in portraying the characters accurately, and giving a deeper understanding to the story.…
Social and Historical Effects Responsible for the Conception of the Fantastic and Supernatural in Gothic Horror…
“Gothic Literature is concerned with the breaking of normal moral and social codes” Discuss (40 marks).…
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.…
The world during the Gothic literature period was in chaos. In 1812 the British invaded the United States for the second time. Now the stakes were even higher as now the United States has doubled in population and became more industrialized than ever before. While this was taking place the Gothic era was booming, authors used imagery to show the gruesome scenes of battle, but many just read thinking it had only one meaning. Many authors were composing not just novels but short stories, poems and folklore. With more literature in the hands of the people, more educated…
Hitchcock constantly tricks and misleads his audience one direction, which builds tension and creates shock. From the very beginning of Psycho, Hitchcock guides his audience into thinking this film is a different genre than expected from the title.…
You can see this by the fact that Hitchcock cast fairly unknown actors. Anthony Perkins, who played Norman Bates, was known as a supporting actor and does not play main lead or “anti-hero” this was unexpected for the audience. The unknown actors meant that the audience could not tell what the film will be about due to the type-coating of the actors.…
The gothic genre is full of many themes and ideas that are considered to be very shocking to the reader, but maybe not to the reader of the 21st century but to…
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…
Another individual factor of its intertextuality is the perverse nature of Gothicism to reflect human Fears and Insecurities. Some would say that it is human nature to be fascinated with terror. The sheer unaltered fear one can feel brings an exalted, intrigued adrenalin rush, which draws us back for more with additional fascination as to why we enjoy being in the presence of fear, crushing social norms and shifting paradigms of the times in which they were created.…
From the creative mind of Alfred Hitchcock came many a classic film, but two that stand out are the thrillers Rear Window and Psycho. These films capture the viewer and create an atmosphere so unique and fresh that you feel as though you personally know the characters; sometimes you even feel like you're becoming the characters. Although the films have many similarities they both have completely different moods and themes. Most importantly the films can still hold up against today's incredibly high-budget Hollywood movies.…
In the film Psycho there are many reoccurring motifs such as birds, mirrors, and voyeurism, which are implemented by Hitchcock and often may be unnoticed by the viewer. Mirrors frequently appear throughout the movie, for example when the bathroom mirror reflects on the money Marion has taken. Probably the most noticed use of mirror is when Marion’s sister sees her reflection in two mirrors and is startled because she thinks someone is behind her. Voyeurism is also a reoccurring motif, not only seeing characters spy on others, but also making the viewer feel like they are also the ones spying. This is seen when Norman, the owner of the hotel, begins to spy on Marion and then the camera view enters the view of Norman causing the viewer to feel like they are also spying on Marion. The most used motif by Hitchcock is reference to birds as the film opens in a bird’s eye view and then enters through an open window. There are also many references to birds in conversations between characters like when Marion is told by Norman she eats like a bird. Norman also has a collection of birds in his parlor the mains ones being an owl and a hawk. The continuous reference to birds placed throughout the film help symbolize life and the aspect of predator and prey. The types of birds seen in Norman’s parlor and more predators which could suggest he is associated with the killer. Hitchcock’s ability to implement various reoccurring motifs throughout his storyline helps suggest a deeper and in depth meaning to the film.…