Gothic fiction primarily sought to be ‘anti-Enlightenment,’ and the antithesis of Christian, western ideas. It is mostly attributed to the Goths, a group of Germanic people who played a key role in the fall of Rome and the emergence of the Middle Ages. In literature, Gothic motifs and ideas are reflected in morality, architecture andContinue reading “The Gothic in ‘Jane Eyre’”
Tag Archives: Gothic
Lucy Westenra’s Transformation in ‘Dracula’
Lucy and Mina are the two main female characters in the Gothic novel ‘Dracula,’ and both have very different roles. Mina is dark haired, Lucy is fair haired, Mina is the brains, Lucy is the progressive thinker, in terms of relationships and sex. Together they are ‘woman,’ and individually form two sides of the sameContinue reading “Lucy Westenra’s Transformation in ‘Dracula’”
The Queer Displacement of Desire in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Dracula’
Today we navigate through the dangerously queer displacements of desire in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Dracula’! Before we start, some definitions: ‘Displacement’ originates from Freud and is defined as the unconscious ‘shifting of energy’ from one person to another, the ‘energy’ in question being desire. [1] ‘Queer’ refers to anything that opposes the dominant ideals that humanityContinue reading “The Queer Displacement of Desire in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Dracula’”
The Gothic in ‘A Christmas Carol’
Searching for the Gothic in Dickens’ Christmas classic! ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a classic Christmas story, as it encompasses all that should be at the heart of Christmas. Love, joy, family… and a prize turkey that can feed the five thousand. It also gives us the lesson that people can change and that sometimes theyContinue reading “The Gothic in ‘A Christmas Carol’”
On the Madonna-Whore Complex of Women in Gothic Literature
Feminist criticism formed the idea of the ‘feminine Gothic,’ a term that examines the portrayal of female characters within the Gothic genre.[1] Critics focused on the tendency of male writers to keep female characters within the constraints of social stereotypes, leaving them victims of the traditional misogynistic and patriarchal culture.[2] Within this stereotype is theContinue reading “On the Madonna-Whore Complex of Women in Gothic Literature”
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