'The picture of Dorian Gray' and Gothicism

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book 'The picture of Dorian Gray' and Gothicism by Marlissa Gerken, GRIN Verlag
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Marlissa Gerken ISBN: 9783638828987
Publisher: GRIN Verlag Publication: July 13, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Verlag Language: English
Author: Marlissa Gerken
ISBN: 9783638828987
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Publication: July 13, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Verlag
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Seminar für Englische Philologie), course: Hauptseminar , 12 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Today, a Gothic novel is commonly defined as 'a story of terror and suspense, usually set in a gloomy old castle or monastery' . This definition is based on the traditional Gothic novel, which was originated by Horace Walpole in 1764 . A number of elements came to be classed as Gothic and by the end of the century, the genre was fully established . However, when examining different Gothic works that have been published since the beginning of the Gothic tradition, one finds that the Gothic cannot be reduced to a scary story with a medieval setting. The Gothic is a genre that changes over time. The traditional elements usually persist, but new features are added to enrich the genre and to catch the spirit of the time. Kelly Hurley made the important observation that the 'Gothic is rightly [...] understood as a cyclical genre that re-emerges in times of cultural stress in order to negotiate anxieties for its readership by working through them in displaced (sometimes supernaturalized) form.' When a nation is exposed to either internal or external threats, which often cannot be clearly defined, the people begin to feel uncomfortable. The Gothic novel then, according to Hurley, can help these people in distress by giving concrete shapes to their fears. When the Gothic novel first came up at the end of the 18th century, people in Britain were coping with the impact of the French Revolution. The tradition flourished until the 1820s, when Charles Maturin's work Melmoth the Wanderer failed to reach a large readership . In the 1890s then, which is known as the time of the Gothic revival, new Gothic figures emerged with even greater force than at the previous fin de siècle . The Victorian public had undergone great changes, resulting from the British Empire being threatened by external and internal forces. Interestingly, the setting was now no longer removed in time and space; Gothic occurrences at this point revolved around the city of London. Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is an important work of this era; it shows most of the new features of the New Gothic. This paper will focus on the changes in Victorian society that led to a revival of the Gothic novel and discuss the traditional as well as the new elements that have arisen in the Gothic tradition at the end of the 19th century. Wilde's novel will hereby provide the textual evidence.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Seminar für Englische Philologie), course: Hauptseminar , 12 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Today, a Gothic novel is commonly defined as 'a story of terror and suspense, usually set in a gloomy old castle or monastery' . This definition is based on the traditional Gothic novel, which was originated by Horace Walpole in 1764 . A number of elements came to be classed as Gothic and by the end of the century, the genre was fully established . However, when examining different Gothic works that have been published since the beginning of the Gothic tradition, one finds that the Gothic cannot be reduced to a scary story with a medieval setting. The Gothic is a genre that changes over time. The traditional elements usually persist, but new features are added to enrich the genre and to catch the spirit of the time. Kelly Hurley made the important observation that the 'Gothic is rightly [...] understood as a cyclical genre that re-emerges in times of cultural stress in order to negotiate anxieties for its readership by working through them in displaced (sometimes supernaturalized) form.' When a nation is exposed to either internal or external threats, which often cannot be clearly defined, the people begin to feel uncomfortable. The Gothic novel then, according to Hurley, can help these people in distress by giving concrete shapes to their fears. When the Gothic novel first came up at the end of the 18th century, people in Britain were coping with the impact of the French Revolution. The tradition flourished until the 1820s, when Charles Maturin's work Melmoth the Wanderer failed to reach a large readership . In the 1890s then, which is known as the time of the Gothic revival, new Gothic figures emerged with even greater force than at the previous fin de siècle . The Victorian public had undergone great changes, resulting from the British Empire being threatened by external and internal forces. Interestingly, the setting was now no longer removed in time and space; Gothic occurrences at this point revolved around the city of London. Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is an important work of this era; it shows most of the new features of the New Gothic. This paper will focus on the changes in Victorian society that led to a revival of the Gothic novel and discuss the traditional as well as the new elements that have arisen in the Gothic tradition at the end of the 19th century. Wilde's novel will hereby provide the textual evidence.

More books from GRIN Verlag

Cover of the book Die Interpretation der Johannesapokalypse in den Liedtexten Xavier Naidoos by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Der Konflikt zwischen Europäischer Union und den USA während den Verhandlungen über das Kyoto-Protokoll aus Sicht des rationalistischen Institutionalismus by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Die Entwicklung der Pressefreiheit in der Regierungszeit von Boris Jelzin 1991-1999 by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Anreize und Anreizprobleme bei Unternehmenskooperationen, insbesondere in Supply Chains by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Konsumtrend LOHAS. Eine Analyse nachhaltiger Tourismusangebote für das bewusste und nachhaltige Reisen by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Analyse der Werke 'Die Mühle von Wijk', 'Der Judenfriedhof' und 'Die Bleichwiesen bei Haarlem' von Jacob van Ruisdael by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Efficiency of Callogenesis and Amenability to Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation of Selected Traditional Sri Lankan Rice Varieties by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Management - institutionales, funktionales und prozessuales Verständnis by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Die Neuregelung zur privaten digitalen Kopie by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Reichsstädte im hohen Mittelalter by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Theorien des Spiels by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Die fünf Wege des Thomas von Aquin und die moderne Kosmologie by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book KARL ROHES Konzept politischer Kultur - Ein gelungener Versuch, den Pudding wieder in die Form zu bringen? by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Der Saguntkonflikt und seine Bedeutung für die Kriegsschuldfrage by Marlissa Gerken
Cover of the book Streitschlichtung an der Schule für Hörgeschädigte by Marlissa Gerken
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy