1. Introduction
The following piece of writing will explore factors of a gothic novel. It will exclusively do so in regards of the two novels Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein. These very famous novels will be looked at in a very in depth piece of writing. Each novels main themes and their background will be presented. The morality and the gothic novel with specific reference to Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights will be assessed. The second aspect will be the social and cultural of the genre, the genre being the gothic novel. Thirdly, the monster as punishment and the punishment of the monster in both novels. The final aspect that will be analysed is the constructed nature of boundaries in both texts.
2. The Novels
2.1. Wuthering Heights
This novel was one written by Emily Bronte in the 1800s and it was a very famous novel. This novel was based in the town of Moor. This novel is a novel that is narrated throughout and has many ups and downs with many events that might
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He used different body parts of dead people to create the crazy monster. What changed the monster to be vicious was the fact that he was left alone and made to cope on his own because his master had left him behind. This monsters appearance also made him to be as angry and vicious as he turned out to be. What critics ended up arguing is if the monster was made to be very angry and mean or he was created that way. The surrounding factors of the monsters surroundings was believed to be the reason behind his anger and violence. This is evident in the novel where the monster camps outside a house and learns how to interact with humans through watching how they behave and learning their speech. This is a sign that the monster wanted to be one with the people and not be an outcast but he was battered and beaten when he tried interacting with the family. This was the final straw that set the monster
I can compare Frankenstein to the movie I saw by Tim Burton, Frankenweenie. They are similar but instead of a human body, it was a dog and the mad scientist was a young boy named Victor Frankenstein. The young Victor Frankenstein brings his dog back to life after being hit by a car for a science fair project while the real Victor Frankenstein wanted to create a real life human. Just like the real Frankenstein monster, the dog brings trouble. In the book, the mad scientist, denies the monster but in Frankenweenie, the young boy convinces his family and friends to like his creation. Some of his classmates had known the young Victor Frankenstein creation and was intrigued to do the same experiment like his but it went out of the standards of
The value of participating in life, and society is particularly important and plays a major role in one’s health, and mental state. The two novels from our class display a clear image of the pain and agony you feel after being rejected, and looked upon differently. Stephen Chbosky’s, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, we witness how characters in both novels try to participate in life, and just want to be accepted like everybody else. However, they all encountered problems as the society refuses to accept them for who they are. They are either picked on or completely disowned and forced to stay away from civilization, and as a result, their mental state begins to decline, which leads to consequences. These consequences
Frankenstein’s and society’s rejection of the monster, however, drove him to an uneven passionate pursuit for a companion. He forced Frankenstein to create a female monster, and he provided motivation by killing Frankenstein’s loved ones and threatening to kill more of them. The monster recalls in this final scene of Shelley’s novel how his desire drove him to evil. “. . . do you think that I was then dead to agony and remorse?--He . . . suffered not more in the consummation of the deed;--oh! Not the ten-thousandth portion of the anguish that was mine during the lingering detail of its execution. A frightful selfishness hurried me on. . . .” (153) At that point in the novel, the monster has changed from good in nature to evil in nature. His own desires are more important to him than the well-being of others and he is willing to commit murder in order ensure the fulfillment of his desire.
The monster tried to make friends and meet people but as soon as he would try and talk to someone they would run away and be scared of him. One of the main reasons that the monster caused terror is that he was misunderstood by people. He was actually a kind monster but nobody would get past his looks (He actually conducted himself nicely). They decided based on his appearance that he was murderous and intimidating. For example, in the novel, the monster was talking to the blind man then, “ The cottage door was opened, and Felix, Safie, and Agatha entered. Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me? Agatha fainted, and Safie, unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung, in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick” (Shelley 161). The blind old man could not tell that the monster was ugly and intimidating so he had no problem with him, the other cottagers saw him and they immediately got scared of him and beat him with a stick. He spent his life alone, with nobody to talk to and he became envious of other people. That is why he killed people, not because he is mean, but because he had no way to control his anger
Deep, gut-wrenching horror and passionate, gripping love: these are what the novels Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice, respectively, are chiefly remembered for. The differences in their plotlines are striking. While Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein’s creation of a monster and the havoc that the monster wreaks, Pride and Prejudice recounts the charming and colorful love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. However, despite the obvious differences in the novels’ subjects, the authors of both works share a similar purpose. Both Shelley’s Frankenstein and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice depict the dangerous results of hubris with the purpose of warning society to keep one’s pride in check, lest devastating consequences ensue.
Mary Shelly’s depiction of Victor Frankenstein and Shakespeare’s illustration of Othello show the similarities and difference how tragic heroes fall by their tragic flaws in different ways. Throughout the novel, both characters made a flawed mistake which led to their misfortune and tragedy. Shelly illustrates Frankenstein as a recalcitrant scientist who was fascinated by the secret of life. He creates a monster to life, and refuses to admit to anyone the horror of what he has created. In the other hand, Othello is a general trusted by many of his companions. He was manipulated by his friend Iago, who accused Othello’s wife Desdemona having an affair with Cassio. Othello kills his wife, and committed suicide after finding out Desdemona’s
All too often the gothic literature genre is reduced in its interpretation to gloomy weather and archaic haunted houses. These patterns do exist, but they do not define the genre. Gothic literature found its niche in the 18th and 19th centuries, and during the Victorian era it served a more nuanced purpose than simply to scare readers. Many gothic authors used a monster as a vessel to symbolize topics that the Victorian era sensibilities would label as “monstrous.” They are the incarnation of the taboo subjects society is trying to repress. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Tell-Tale Heart”, the authors use Freudian symbolism along with literary symbolism to demonstrate the repercussions of repressing “id” desires.
Whenever Gothic literature is mentioned, most people would consider the novel Frankenstein to fall under this genre. It is viewed as one of most popular and defining novels of Gothic fiction, remaining an icon throughout society until the present day. However, a lesser-known, but equally brilliant novel, also deserves to be regarded as a quintessential Gothic work. The Monk and Frankenstein bear several similarities to each other, which makes them stand out in their Gothic fiction. Despite this, there are enough major differences between the two books that further prove how important they are to the genre.
Introduction Boundaries are important as they indicate a limit a person not supposed to cross, it important that people respect boundaries as once boundaries are crossed, it can affect the relationship between two people or society as a whole. Crossing boundaries come with consequences. In regards to this assignment we will be looking at consequences of challenging boundaries in the gothic novels Wuthering heights and Frankenstein. The social and cultural background of the genre gothic novel According to Mullan, (2014), gothic fiction began as a sophisticated joke Horace Walpole first applied the word gothic to a novel in the subtitle – ‘a gothic story’- of the Castle of Otranto, published in 1764. According to Tiffin (2011) the historical context of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century is important to the gothic form, as
The novel Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley in 1818. This gothic romance novel tells the story of a philosopher who discovered how to create life, without the full knowledge that his actions could cause grave consequences. Universal Studios made the film version of this novel in 1931. Unfortunately, the film version of Frankenstein has more differences than similarities to the novel. In the novel, Victor’s mental obsession seems to be more severe than in the film. The character of Victor Frankenstein was portrayed in both the novel and the film as a veriphobe, or one who is afraid of the truth, in this case, the truth of his actions. He
Gothic Literature is a style of literature popularized during the late 18th century and the early 19th century with the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This style usually portrays fantastic tales dealing with the horror, despair, the grotesque and other “dark” subjects. Characteristics of gothic literature includes the presence of victims and their victimizers who usually hold immense powers along with their evil purpose. The setting of this kind of literature generally takes place within impenetrable walls, whether physical or mental. This setting creates a sense of hopeless isolation within the victim. The summarization of the characters and situation creates an atmosphere pervaded by a sense of mystery, darkness, oppressiveness, fear, and doom.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. Frankenstein’s direct association with fundamental Gothic literature is extremely renowned. However, the novel’s originality is derived from the foundational thematic values found within the relationship (or lack there of) between Victor Frankenstein and the monster he had created, in combination with a fascinatingly captivating plot. Understandably, Frankenstein can often be associated with a multitude of concepts; however, in this particular instance, the circumstances in the book seemed remarkably coherent with Shelley’s Romantic beliefs in preserving the natural world, and one’s natural existence. These values present themselves as metaphorical symbols that
Mary W. Shelley’s brilliant gothic story, Frankenstein, is one that emits the prevalent theme of light versus dark, in which possesses obvious characteristics of a novel written during the romantic era. The novel tells the account of the overambitious Victor Frankenstein, who created a monster in hopes that he’d be known for crafting something human from the body parts of corpses with physical and mental advantages in society, basically playing the part of God on Earth, but through the auspices of science. Instead of creating a “normal” human, his creation ended up being a disfigured creature who he then neglects. Upon his abandonment, the monster seeks revenge on Victor after being cast away by society due to harsh physiognomy in which
Gothic novels came into place in the late seventeen hundreds betraying supernatural events, dishonor, death, and disaster. Gothic novels are significant, because it allows people to explore a different world through their own imagination, which condones hidden desires or curiosities. Frankenstein is a fine expression of a gothic novel where Mary Shelly uses different situations to have Victor Frankenstein create a monster “under the cloudy circumstances which victor gathers body parts for his experiments and the use of little known modern technologies for unnatural purposes” (Harcourt 1), being unknown by man for Victors creations in showing suspenseful innovations, reflects on the elements of a gothic novel. Mary Shelly Frankenstein shows how Victor Frankenstein strives for knowledge to go against the laws of nature and natural order. The natural order of a human corps is to be born, lived, aged, and to die then decomposed, but by Victor creating a man like being from human corps, off sets the natural order of mankind.
Novel in particular and literature in general is more than just a work of fiction but in fact the hidden reflection of a specific historical era. Although, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights and Dracula were written in different times and each leaves its readers with different emotion and contemplation stages, they all share an affinity: the presence of Gothic elements. Indeed, these novels are designed to lead their reader into thrilling journeys through spooky dark setting, suspense horrifying plot, and claustrophobic atmosphere. These elements, though appear in various forms throughout these three novels, still excellently accomplish their mission of enticing the readers to be caught up in the narrative.