Horror/Gothic Definition
Horror story, a story in which the focus is on creating a feeling of fear. Such tales are of ancient origin and form a substantial part of the body of folk literature. They can feature supernatural elements such as ghosts, witches, or vampires, or they can address more realistic psychological fears. In Western literature the literary cultivation of fear and curiosity for its own sake began to emerge in the 18th-century pre-Romantic era with the Gothic novel. The genre was invented by Horace Walpole, whose Castle of Otranto (1765) may be said to have founded the horror story as a legitimate literary form. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley introduced pseudoscience into the genre in her famous novel Frankenstein (1818), about the creation of a monster that ultimately destroys its creator.
The Gothic influence persisted throughout the 19th century in such works as Sheridan Le Fanu’s The House by the Churchyard and “Green Tea,” Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone, and Bram Stoker’s vampire tale Dracula. The influence was revived in the 20th century by science-fiction and fantasy writers such as Mervyn Peake in his Gormenghast series. Other masters of the horror tale were Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King. Isolated masterpieces have been produced by writers not usually associated with the genre, such as Guy de Maupassant’s “Le Horla,” A.E. Coppard’s “Adam and Eve and Pinch Me,” Saki’s “Sredni Vashtar” and “The Open Window,” and W.F. Harvey’s “August Heat.” Some of the best-known horror stories owe their power to full-bodied characters that develop in realistic social environments and to the very absence of a mysterious atmosphere. In this category are Aleksandr Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades” and W.W. Jacobs’s “The Monkey’s Paw.”In the Romantic era the German storyteller E.T.A. Hoffmann and the American Edgar Allan Poe raised the horror story to a level far above mere entertainment through their skillful intermingling of reason and madness, eerie atmosphere and everyday reality. They invested their spectres, doubles, and haunted houses with a psychological symbolism that gave their tales a haunting credibility.
Characteristics of Horror/Gothic Fiction
Chaykin, R. (2015, April 7). Characteristics of gothic literature [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b73OCo4iicI
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https://www.caracteristicass.de/en/characteristics-of-horror-movies/When the time comes when we want to watch a movie in a movie theater or from the comfort of home, we always find ourselves faced with the dilemma of what kind of genre we want to enjoy for such an opportunity.
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http://www.cmhumphries.com/blog/5-elements-of-a-good-horror-storyAt the risk of pointing out the elephant in the room, fear is by far the most important factor of a great horror story. The real trick to constructing a story based on fear is making sure you can scare people with fears they may not have.
Horror/Gothic Protagonist
The Gothic Protagonist
Critics have often commented on the ways in which Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost has provided a model for the doomed central characters of gothic novels. However powerful they are, there is often a feeling that they are in some way flawed; there is often a sense of impending doom hanging over them. Key features seem to be:
Some degree of tragic stature
Of high social rank
Somehow foreshadowed by doom
A tendency to be influenced by past events
Sharply contrasting qualities within the character
The possession of considerable powers
A striking physical presence
A strongly sexual element
Driven by some all consuming passion
A connection with the exotic
An occasional association with what is bestial or non-human – sometimes associated with metamorphosis
https://sssfcenglish.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/the-gothic-protagonist/
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http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:15005/FULLTEXT01.pdfIn this study, I will analyse the male characters in four important works by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe
is considered the inventor of the detective, science fiction and Gothic horror genres in English
(Magistrale and Poger 1). -
http://thefiendish.com/2009/04/gothic-hero-the-darker-reflection-of-self/A man with sinewy muscles, who fought wolves and demons, and protected the weak and women, has been central to the idea of a hero across patriarchic cultures. This theme can still be seen in cultures where morals, religion and other societal constructs hold their power over people, especially in Africa, Middle East and South Asia.
The Birth of Horror
Gothic
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Bowen, J. (n.d.). Gothic motifs. Retrieved from https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gothic-motifs
What does it mean to say a text is Gothic? Professor John Bowen considers some of the best-known Gothic novels of the late 18th and 19th centuries, exploring the features they have in common, including marginal places, transitional time periods and the use of fear and manipulation. -
Marotous, G., Bryant, S., Crossley, K., Crynes, D., & Mahoney, B. (2009). Origins. Retrieved from http://resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/creating/pages/origins.htm
Textual characteristics of the gothic.
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Dyster Phillips, A. (2007). The grotesque of the gothic: From Poe to the present. Retrieved from http://smago.coe.uga.edu/VirtualLibrary/Phillips.pdf
This four-week unit is designed to outline for students the historical background of the Gothic, including biographical information on Poe’s life. Students will examine and analyse how the Gothic has changed from Poe’s time until now, and wrestle with questions such as “what is attractive about the emotional experience of fear”?
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Lima, M. A. (2010). Poe and gothic creativity. The Edgar Allan Poe Review, 11(1), 22-30.
Poe's literary creations have undoubtedly enabled us to perceive the mystery and terror of our restless souls, showing that the manifestation of horror in creativity should be understood as a response to a world desensitised to violence and human perversity, and art is not immune to such destructive effects.
