The presence of supernatural elements is a defining characteristic of Gothic literature, serving not only to create an atmosphere of fear and suspense but also to explore deeper themes of human psychology, morality, and the unknown. By integrating ghosts, curses, and other unearthly phenomena, Gothic novels delve into the complexities ...Read More
The presence of supernatural elements is a defining characteristic of Gothic literature, serving not only to create an atmosphere of fear and suspense but also to explore deeper themes of human psychology, morality, and the unknown. By integrating ghosts, curses, and other unearthly phenomena, Gothic novels delve into the complexities of the human mind, societal fears, and the thin line between reality and the supernatural.
Analyzing the role of supernatural elements in Gothic literature offers valuable insights into the historical and cultural contexts from which these works emerged. It allows for an exploration of how authors use the supernatural to challenge readers' perceptions and to comment on issues of their time. Furthermore, such an essay can illuminate the enduring appeal of the supernatural in storytelling and its impact on readers' engagement and imagination. Writing on this theme encourages critical thinking about the ways in which the supernatural influences narrative structure, character development, and themes, making it a rich topic for literary analysis.
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Is it not it a big mistake to fear such small things like darkness, silence, and loneliness when the real monsters lie in our heads? Clive Barker once said, “You just have to trust your own madness.” The story written in 1843 'The Black Cat'...
Throughout the book Flight by Sherman Alexie, the main character Zits is in search of where he belongs and why people have mistreated him throughout his life. In the midst of the action in the novel, Zits begins to experience character jumps, where he is...
The last three paragraphs of Chapter 1 of “A Room with a View” describe the actions of the two female protagonists, Lucy Honeychurch and Miss Bartlett, when they find themselves alone in their own rooms. This short scene is a brief yet extremely accurate representation...
Louisa May Alcott’s novella “Behind a Mask” portrays a protagonist who uses her acting skills to move up in society from a governess to a lady of British aristocracy. An article written by Elizabeth Schewe titled, “Domestic Conspiracy: Class Conflict and Performance in Louisa May...
The first few books of Daniel Deronda focused on Gwendolen Harleth, who shines as a self-centered, domineering young woman. In becoming trapped by marriage to Grandcourt, she develops growing fascination with Daniel, an attraction that began with their encounter in the opening pages of the...
To truly delve into Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing, a reader must understand the symbolic meaning of a mirror in the novel as well as its function as an object of symbolization itself implemented through the characters, their interrelations, and faculties of mind, such as memory and...
Jim’s search for identity throughout David Malouf’s novel Fly Away Peter is represented largely through his actions and interactions with others, as well as through his thoughts and interests. One of the strongest representations of this search is seen when he goes to Brisbane, where...
Throughout Giovanni’s Room, Baldwin makes a series of references to David’s sense of fabricated manhood or masculinity impressed upon him by his father. In the first chapters, David alludes to the hollow jocularity between father and son. This hyperbolized masculinity from his father leads to...
In The House of Mirth, Percy Gryce is a rich young eligible bachelor upon whom Lily, one of Wharton’s central characters, sets eyes on. Gryce is used by Wharton as a vehicle to convey the shallowness and brutality of the New York high society, often...
Romance and sexuality are not unfamiliar concepts to the typical Victorian sensational novel. Reversing and deconstructing these themes, however, marks a more sophisticated sensation novel and makes for a more enduring literary work. This technique is intriguing to a postmodern audience, but to a Victorian...
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In A.M. Homes’ novel Music for Torching, married couple Paul and Elaine find their relationship to be as static and boring as the Westchester County suburb in which they live. Unsatisfied with their marriage and fearful of a lifeless future, they take out their frustration...
The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a 1969 postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles, written in a double narrative form alternating between the Victorian era and the present day. Currently, some literary debate surrounding the novel concerns its validity as a Feminist text. There are...
John Okada’s No-No Boy illustrates the racial conflicts between the Japanese-American community and American popular culture as well as differing views on assimilation among Japanese-Americans themselves. Kenji, who suffers from a fatal wound sustained fighting for the U.S. in World War II, represents a sort...
Widely celebrated as a cornerstone text of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen’s 1929 novella Passing is concerned with its titular subject in more ways than one. While racial passing undoubtedly constitutes the text’s thematic center, Larsen’s narrative also implicitly addresses the theme of sexual passing....
Telling a story through the eyes of a child is by no means a new literary technique. Fantastical novels such as Rowling’s Harry Potter and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little Cabin in the Big Woods use the younger generation for their central points of view. This...
In psychology, one of the most frequently debated topics deals with the issue of environmental and societal impact on one’s upbringing. It is commonly believed that society plays a tremendous role in how one behaves and how one readily conforms to the environment he is...
The issue of immigration and American attitudes towards it are the object of satire in T.C Boyle’s novel ‘Tortilla Curtain’. Boyle uses sarcasm to attack what he sees as the self-obsessed nature of middle-class America and their naïve view of the world. He laments the...
Many scholars have scrutinized the idea of going “beyond Black and White” in relation to the construction of the Asian American identity. Many arguments have been put forward to explain the possible factors that eventually lead to the perpetuation of the “model minority myth” and...
Family Life is a semi-autobiographical novel by Akhil Sharma. This is Akhil Sharma’s second novel, which cost him years of hardship and emotional stress to write. It was published in 2014 and was released to widespread critical acclaim. The New York Times described the novel...
In the book the Wednesday Wars, Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader at Camillo Junior High in suburban Long Island in the 1967-1968 school year, with the entire book set in the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Holling’s teacher is Mrs. Baker, whose husband is...
Introduction Madeline L’Engle’s book, “A Wrinkle in Time” is a classic novel about a high school girl named Meg Murry and her adventure to rescue her father. Meg Murry is a girl that has academic and social issues at school; however, she has a genius...
The novel, set in Barcelona in the period following the Spanish Civil War, concerns a young boy, Daniel Sempere. Just after the war, Daniel’s father takes him to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a...
Maus, a graphic novel series written by Art Spiegelman, was published in two volumes. Volume I, My Father Bleeds History, was published in 1986 (“My Father Bleeds History” 4) while Volume II, And Here My Troubles Began, was published in 1991 (“And Here My Troubles...
The name of the book I would like to write, share and review is unresolved issue. It is an interesting story. It is family and relationships and child abuse story. This book was publishing in 2010. The name of the author is Patrick L. Brooks....
Disgrace is a novel written by John M. Coetzee, a novelist born in South Africa, which greatly influenced both his worldview and his creative activities. The fame brought by that particular literary work, Disgrace, is rather contradictory, though. On the one hand, it is the...
In this novel, we learn a lot about Emma on how she really feels and what she really wants. From what I have read, I personally think she is extremely selfish, inconsiderate and definitely crazy. Emma’s need for stimulation which may include sex or maybe...
Many people experience some kind of a challenge, or an extreme struggle in their lifetime, and often it can change their life entirely. Often, their journey also reveals the values of their community, and the society they live in. In Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, many...
Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is analyzed in this essay. The novel was published in 1999. The author was influenced by J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and enjoyed reading classics, fantasy, and horror genres during his teenage years, which eventually...
Introduction There are five significant quotes in the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. This novel is centered around a 15-year-old boy with autism investigating the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog and keeping track of what happens...
David and Goliath is a novel written by Malcolm Gladwell that discusses the mental and physical viewpoints of Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. His book highlights the likelihood of unlikely events occurring in certain situations where one outcome is greatly favored. The...