Essay Topic Gothic literature is generally regarded as either a variety of Romantic literature or as separate genre evolving out of Romantic literature. Research as much as you think you need to about Gothic literature. Describe Gothic literature and then identify at least three novels from the 1800s and at least one movie from the 1900s/2000s that can be described as “Gothic.” Show how each one shows the characteristics of Gothic literature as you understand it. Write 4 page essay using provided outline. Cite resources. Gothic Literature and Movies Outline Introductions – Introduction: Gothic literature started developing in the middle of the 18th century and has been regarded as the predecessor of the mystery and horror genres (Brown et al., 2018). – Gothic literature and art implement dark and foreboding scenery, seeks to startle the audience with a stark contrast between the melodramatic and the macabre while creating an atmosphere of mystery, fear, and dread. – Authors and texts identified as Gothic: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Jekyll and Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Film: Interview with the Vampire by Neil Jordan. – Thesis: When considering the key aspects of Gothic Literature, one can see that Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as Interview with the Vampire, all fit the Gothic genre. Body Paragraph 1: Dracula – Topic Sentence: Dracula by Bram Stoker is the quintessential piece of gothic literature. – Detail 1: The main hero is a vampire; – Detail 2: Gloomy land of Transylvania, ancient castle; – Detail 3: Dracula preys on beautiful women and turns them into vampires; – Concluding Sentence: The sinister undertones in combination with darkness, gloom, and mystery make Dracula an excellent example of Gothic literature. – Quote: “Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer–both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams” (Brown et al., 2018, p. 73) Body Paragraph 2: Jekyll and Hyde – Topic Sentence: Jekyll and Hyde by Stevenson presents a terrifying struggle between a man and his own dark side, with innocent people often getting in the way of their battle. – Detail 1: The main hero, Gabriel Utterson, has a good and evil side; – Detail 2: In his struggle, he locks himself up to try and come up with a way to control his evil side; – Detail 3: Commits suicide to protect the world from himself. – Concluding sentence: The terrifying internal struggles, the focus on the duality of man, and the self-inflicted death while being alone and full of despair make the story a great example of Gothic literature. – Quote: “You must suffer me to go my own dark way” (Brown et al., 2018, p. 91). Body Paragraph 3: The Picture of Dorian Gray – Topic Sentence: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a story that mixes together both the Gothic motifs with a solid mystery hinging on the edges of being turned into a horror. – Detail 1: Portrait ages instead of Dorian Gray – Detail 2: He made his paramour, Sybil, kill herself by rejecting her. – Detail 3: After a trail of murders and a failed attempt at absolution, Dorian kills himself by stabbing the portrait. – Concluding Sentence: The story channels mystery with exotic magic while spinning a tale with multiple deaths, culminating in a suicide; all of these elements make it a classical Gothic piece of literature. – Quote: “The brain had its own food on which it battened, and the imagination, made grotesque by terror, twisted and distorted as a living thing by pain, danced like some foul puppet on a stand and grinned through moving masks” (Brown et al., 2018, p. 132). Body Paragraph 4: Interview with a Vampire – Topic Sentence: Interview with a Vampire retells the story of Louis slowly being turned into a vampire and then participating in turning a child into one. – Detail 1: Depicts the slow descent of Louis from what he was to what he is; – Detail 2: Vampires drinking the “dead blood” of boys who died while overdosed on drugs; – Detail 3: The conversion of a 10-year-old into a vampire; – Concluding Sentence: The movie invokes the atmosphere of regret, fear, internal struggling, and macabre horror, matching the requirements of the Gothic genre. – Quote: “Evil is a point of view, God kills indiscriminately … and so shall we. For no creatures under God are as we are none so like him … as ourselves” (Brown et al., 2018, p. 144). Conclusions – Dracula offers the classic mystery and atmosphere; – Jekyll and Hyde explores the hideous dark side and the duality of man; – Portrait of Dorian Gray is a story of suicide and murder with no redemption at the end; – Interview with a Vampire has blood and fear intermixed with philosophy about evil. – Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as Interview with the Vampire, are all examples of Gothic literature and art; References Brown, S. L., Senf, C., & Stockstill, E. J. (2018). A research guide to gothic literature in English: print and electronic sources. Rowman & Littlefield.
