Horror is a genre that is often overlooked due to a plethora of reasons. Readers tend to think of vampires or werewolves, but it is much more in depth. Horror is a genre that if dissected properly, can help the reader understand the correspondence to society. The Horror genre has been around since the 1890’s, when Georges Méliès was credited for creating the first horror film, emphasizing the idea that horror films have a cavernous meaning. In Georges Méliès famous short film, Le Manoir du Diable, the main character confronts Satan and has nowhere to run. This represents conflict within oneself, coinciding with the idea of a deeper meaning being prevalent throughout Shirley Jackson's work. In the novel, The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley …show more content…
The house has an appearance that sends a chill down the characters’ backs. On page 35 of the novel it says, "Except for the wires which ran to the house from a spot among the trees, there was no evidence that Hill House belonged in any way to the rest of the world" (Jackson). This shows the eeriness that the house makes people feel when they first see it, which reflects to the reader what the feeling of the novel will be. Also, the characters form an opinion about the house as if it were alive, which implies to the reader a sinister ambience. On page 32 of the novel it states, "All I could think of when I got a look at the place from outside was what fun it would be to stand out there and watch it burn down" (Jackson). The characters’ reactions and descriptions of the house allows the reader to understand the mood. Elizabeth Wilson, who wrote a paper on haunted houses in the horror genre, said, "Usher identifies the cause of this fear as the house itself, which he believes through water condensation, fungus and decaying trees, has dispersed a miasma which has had a fatal effect on his family over the centuries” (113-118). This directly relates to the setting of the novel because most of the characters described, when they first saw the house, as terrifying, which relates to the aura. Finally, the choice of words and emotions that the characters express allows the reader to understand that the house is unpleasant. On page 19 of the novel the reader is given a description of the house by Eleanor, "The tree branches brushed against the windshield, and it grew steadily darker; Hill House likes to make an entrance, she thought; I wonder if the sun ever shines along here" (Jackson). The house makes the characters feel petrified which sets the tone for the reader as soon as they learn about Hill House. The blood-curdling emotions that the house gives off
The Haunting of Hill House is a book about four people that all have backgrounds of experiencing supernatural events. Because of this, they were all chosen to explore the supernatural happenings occurring at Hill House. The house was originally built by a man named Hugh Crain. It had been a place of mysterious events and also the deaths of those who lived there. Dr. Montague, a supernatural investigator, then carefully selected three people with paranormal backgrounds, and invited them to explore the occurrences at the house. Luke, the future heir of the house, Theodora, a careless artist, and Eleanor Vance are invited to the house. Eleanor Vance is the main character and narrator of the story. She lived alone,
What is horror? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader. An example of a horror film is "The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was a well-known director, producer, writer and cinematographer. His films comprised of unique, qualitative scenes that are still memorable but one iconic film in his collection of work is The Shining. Many would disagree and say that The Shining was not his best work and he could have done better yet, there are still those who would say otherwise. This film was not meant to be a “scary pop-up” terror film but
The Fall of House of Usher is a novel written by Edgar Allan Poe. It starts with description by the narrator. The narrator is unnamed and there is no information about his background. He was childhood friends with Roderick Usher, The Fall of House of Usher is a sincere expression of horror. There are important parts the first part speaks about the element of horror in a novel. The second part explain how the writer is mocking the reader. The element of horror in a novel is the atmosphere the place. The narrator description the house. It is"Dark dull and soundless It color is black and shades drew on. The window like vacant eye. The narrator also mentions a small crack from roof to ground. The house ofUsher is very gloomy and mysterious.
The Haunting of Hill House is considered a classic to many people. It has a certain sense of feeling missing from today's novels. The Haunting of Hill House has suspense, horror, a little bit of romance, and an ending that will leave you thinking for days. Shirley Jackson is well known for her twisted work. At the beginning of the book, you our introduced to a character that has a major impact on all of its "guests". Hill House. "Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against the hills, holding darkness within." This is just one of the chilling sentences from the opening paragraph. The fear begins to set in. Shortly after, you are introduced to the strong yet cautious Dr. John
At the genesis of the short story, the narrator, upon a cursory inspection of the façade of House Usher, notes the existence of ‘a few white trunks of decayed trees’, as well as ‘a few rank sedges’ not only surrounding the House. This final observation is also noted by the house’s resident, Roderick Usher, who mentions the ‘many fungi which overspread’ the stones of the house. This, coupled with the physical deterioration of the house, which is severely cracked, ties the house symbolically to the physical deterioration of Roderick and Madeline Usher. The house is enshrouded by a ‘pestilent and mystic vapour, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden hued’, and the narrator believes the source of this vapour to be ‘the decayed trees, and the grey wall, and the silent tarn’. The decayed state of the vegetation surrounding the house and the resultant dense atmosphere appear to contribute to the symbolic value of plants as representing the mental illnesses that have ostensibly afflicted the Usher family ‘for centuries’, clouding their minds, ‘moulding’ their destinies, and converting them into the state in which the narrator perceives Roderick. Put simply, this ‘mystic vapour’, the source of which is the decaying vegetation surrounding the house, has poisoned the air, causing substantial illness to all who inhale it. This appears to symbolically reflect the negative
To continue, the narrator uses word choices and figurative language within the story to create a suspenseful feeling that brings chills down our spine. For example he uses words such as, “desolate (308)”, “paradoxical (311)”, and “peculiar (311)”. These words give us an eerie feeling that keeps us guessing what’s going to happen next or makes us feel uneasy. This story has the topic of suspenseful throughout the story because, in the beginning the narrator receives a letter from Roderick to visit him because his mother is very ill, “A letter however (310)”. As he arrives he tells us about the house and how it makes him feel, which is most inferring, uneasy, “a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit (308).” This most likely tells us that he has a bad vibe about the house. Next he tells us how he felt as though he was entering a new world, Roderick’s world, “...to show the vivid force of the sensations which oppressed me (311).” Finally, the narrator evacuates the home with the house crumbling to the ground behind him, “I fled aghast (325).” Overall the author creates a suspenseful topic because of his word choices and the way he organizes his plot, which also make the audience question their own health and opinion about society.
In “The Fall of the House of Usher” the story starts with the narrator saying that he is overcome with a feeling of gloom upon first seeing the house. He compares the windows to vacant eyes. The narrator goes on to tell how the house appears to him but then tries to explain it away as his overactive imagination.
What is a horror? What does it mean to be terrified? The definition of a horror fiction is "fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle, or horrify the reader." Since the 1960s, any work of fiction with a morbid, gruesome, surreal, or exceptionally suspenseful or frightening theme has come to be called "horror" (Wikipedia) . "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a great example of a story on the basic level of a gothic horror, in which the element of fear is evoked in its highest form. There are many different elements, such as setting, feelings, themes, and characters, that play an essential role in suggesting this.
First of all Poe uses the decaying setting to give a sense of dread. The narrator describes the atmosphere as similar “to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium”. It is dreary unearthly. The narrator also says that it is a dreary autumn day. Poe chose to set the story in autumn because it is a season commonly corresponding with death and fear. The actual house is decaying and covered in fungi with a large fissure going down the front of it.. This represents Usher’s state of mind during the visit. Moreover the shape of the house is said to be skull-like which could symbolize the presence of death throughout the story. The interior of the house is no different form its exterior. Once the narrator is led inside the house he finds
reader feel a sense of dread and despair because unlike the house the reader knows the owners
The events that have occurred in the novel could not have occurred if it was not for the setting. Jerry J. Watson writes “To promote students’ critical thinking about setting and plot relationships teacher might pose the following question: Can this story occur anywhere or anything other than what the author assigned to the story? Some stories can take place only in certain settings.” This setting is much different for any others. The plot would never be the same if it was in a different setting because the house would not be just as detailed with hauntings as Hill House is. The setting of the house really sets certain conflicts that are not able to occur somewhere else. “The writing was large and straggling and ought to have looked, Eleanor thought, as though it had been scribbled by bad boys on a fence. Instead, it was incredibly real, going in broken lines over the thick paneling of the hallway. From one end of the hallway to the other the letters went, almost too large to read, even when she stood back against the opposite wall” (Jackson 107). Conflicts such as the writing they found on the wall could not have existed in a different house or setting. Most of the conflicts in the novel include a ghost or manifest of some sort which could not be in a different house or environment. The setting was the main reason for the occurrences happening in Hill House. Danger due to the house
Horror is a really interesting genre. Sometimes, it will include weird and wacky themes and elements, other times it will be all serious and mysterious. That is what makes horror such a great genre, worthy of being included in the Class Canon of Literature. It is an unexpecting genre, with every new book or movie, being filled with new surprises.
Horror fiction is designed to create an eerie and frightening atmosphere which can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. Sometimes in the form of unseen paranormal things and sometimes presented in the various forms of a very human kind of evil, such as serial killers and psychopaths. These scary stories are designed to frighten, scare, and/or startle readers by provoking a response that's either emotional, psychological, or physical to cause them to react with fear and induce feelings of horror and terror. Most of our horror fiction has its roots in local folktales and religious traditions which usually focus on the unknown, death, and all things that we simply depict as “evil” beings or acts. These stories evolved and
Almost any house, trapped unexpectedly or at an odd position, can turn an extremely amusing look on a watching person; even a mischievous small chimney, or a dormer like a dimple, can grab up a beholder with a sense of companionship but a house arrogant and disgusting, without guard, can only be evil. This house, which appeared someway to have formed itself, flying together into its own powerful model under the hands of its builders, fitting itself into its own construction of lines and angles, raised its great head back against the sky without concession to humanity. It was a house without kindness, not purposed to be lived in, not a fit place for people or for love or for hope. Exorcism cannot alter the expression of a house; Hill House would stay as it was until it was destroyed.
The long family line has imprinted its aura onto the house, and in turn, the house conduces the inhabitants towards a predetermined lifestyle. The Usher family, as the narrator says, despite its age, has always been feeble, because it has never been able to generate an enduring branch. Just as the family, the house has a sturdy appearance, given by its endurance through time, but it is marked by decay and so are its surroundings: the crumbled stones, the trees and the spooky tarn all add to the oppressive, uncanny atmosphere. Just as the individual parts which shape the domain are marked by decomposition, so is each member of the family plagued by some form of disintegration.