In this thesis, I examine the gothic and metafictional genre elements of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel 'House of Leaves.' Chapter 1 is split into two sections: section 1.1 contains an analysis of the...Show moreIn this thesis, I examine the gothic and metafictional genre elements of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel 'House of Leaves.' Chapter 1 is split into two sections: section 1.1 contains an analysis of the gothic elements present in 'The Navidson Record' central to the novel and, in section 1.2, I proceed to examine the novel's metafictional characteristics and how metafiction and Gothicism are intertwined in the text. In both preceding sections, the reader's knowledge gap—referred to in my thesis as the epistemological gap—is prevalent in my reading of the novel. Consequently, in Chapter 2 I explore this knowledge gap further, relating it to the gothic and metafictional elements analyzed in the preceding chapter. Lastly, I argue that the audience might fill the epistemological gap by projecting their own personal interpretations of the text onto it. One of the main characters inside the narrative, Johnny Truant, projects his childhood trauma onto the text and processes it in his annotations to 'The Navidson Record.'Show less
Nineteenth-century London expanded tremendously due to British imperialism. The Britons were acquinted with new cultures and religions. Besides the benefits of the forming of London as metropolis,...Show moreNineteenth-century London expanded tremendously due to British imperialism. The Britons were acquinted with new cultures and religions. Besides the benefits of the forming of London as metropolis, the citizens experienced new anxieties. Urbanisation from immigrants led to xenophobia. The use of alcohol and opium rose and the city became even more divided wealth wise. Stevenson, Wilde and Stoker explore these Victorian anxiety.Show less
‘Gothic has, in a sense, always been ‘queer’’, or so Hughes and Smith argue in their introduction to Queering the Gothic. Other critics have suggested that Gothic is queer in the sense that it has...Show more‘Gothic has, in a sense, always been ‘queer’’, or so Hughes and Smith argue in their introduction to Queering the Gothic. Other critics have suggested that Gothic is queer in the sense that it has always occupied the liminal spaces and transgressed boundaries in order to interrogate what is “normal” in society . In the Victorian age the sexual aspect of the queer becomes of pivotal importance. When the Labouchere Amendment was passed in 1885, acts of homosexuality became officially criminalised. Research shows how the Gothic then evolved even more strongly into a space for expressing ‘sexual defiance’. Late Victorian authors found ‘a safe location’ in the Gothic genre to ‘explore the landscape of sexual taboos’. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray are both narratives of the late Victorian period and have been widely researched for expressing homosexuality in their narratives. This thesis examines the two novels explicitly for the similar Gothic tropes they use in order to express their queer narrative. This thesis is a close reading of the two novels, comparing and contrastingthese texts by showing how they employ similar Gothic tropes the two novels use to express their homosexual narrative, namely: contemporary anxiety around degeneration, a repressed hidden identity, and the strategical use of elision and “silence”. Through this I will investigate how The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray mirror one another’s queer narratives and how they use the Gothic to criticise and accuse Late Victorian society and law enforcement for marginalising homosexual men and thus creating the internalised double homosexual ‘monster’.Show less
This thesis explores the Romantic-era nature/nurture debate as represented in Gothic fiction, by examining the representation in Frankenstein of Mary Shelley’s standpoint regarding the significance...Show moreThis thesis explores the Romantic-era nature/nurture debate as represented in Gothic fiction, by examining the representation in Frankenstein of Mary Shelley’s standpoint regarding the significance of nurture for human mental development. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores the role of parenting and education in the formation of individual identity. Frankenstein is first analysed in relation to the work of Shelley's parents regarding parenting, upbringing and education. Shelley's representation of the malleability of children is examined, after which Frankenstein's creature is read as a Female Gothic victim-heroine, in order to demonstrate how Shelley extends existing Gothic conventions to illustrate her beliefs regarding the influence of upbringing on the formation of individual identity. Finally, this thesis explores the role of the cult of domesticity on Frankenstein, in order to complete its analysis of Shelley's intellectual standpoint regarding the importance of nurture for the formation of individual identity. Shelley is shown to take up an intellectual position between the radical egalitarianism of her parents and her husband, that stresses nurture above everything else, and the more conventional – Christian – wisdom concerning human development as exemplified in Ann Radcliffe’s Female Gothic romances. Frankenstein shows that even though sociopolitical institutions have the power to corrupt individuals, the individuals have the responsibility to act according to their conscience.Show less
In this thesis I have argued that the tombs of Blanche en Jean, children of Louis IX, were personal dedications instead of monuments with public intentions. Through the use of tomb type, metal and...Show moreIn this thesis I have argued that the tombs of Blanche en Jean, children of Louis IX, were personal dedications instead of monuments with public intentions. Through the use of tomb type, metal and heraldry, the monuments show the felt need to provide answers for the tehologically difficult situation that an early death brought. These tombs were there to give the two children a solid base from which their identity and therefore their eternal remembrance could be ensured. The tombs were not necessarily reliant upon the viewer to construct its message, it was a self-sufficient visual manifestation of the said message, in which the viewer had no active role.Show less
One might argue that the Christian themes in Flannery O'Connor's fiction were prevalent not because she wished to produce religious texts about redemption, but rather because Christianity and the...Show moreOne might argue that the Christian themes in Flannery O'Connor's fiction were prevalent not because she wished to produce religious texts about redemption, but rather because Christianity and the church played a great role in her life and in the South in general. In fact, she claimed that “the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ- haunted” (861). This thesis argues that Wise Blood is not a religious novel nor does it have a religious message. Instead, O’Connor deploys the gothic, or more specifically its southern variety of the grotesque, to criticise Evangelical Protestantism for obscuring and sustaining the social injustices in the South.Show less
Most Lovecraftian adaptions merely scratch the surface, no matter the medium. They incorporate the aesthetic without any regard to the underlying themes central to H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror,...Show moreMost Lovecraftian adaptions merely scratch the surface, no matter the medium. They incorporate the aesthetic without any regard to the underlying themes central to H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror, most notably human insignificance. FromSoftware's Bloodborne, however, has taken on the challenge and this thesis argues through a transmedial analysis how the video game has been able to translate the genre of cosmic horror into a medium that incorporates visuals and interactivity - aspects that often clash with the genre itself.Show less
Gothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary...Show moreGothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary (even in times when outright protest could be dangerous), and the Gothic is no exception. As such, Gothic Literature forms a representation of the society that formed its’ base, and a study of the gender roles as portrayed within the novels allows for an understanding of the gender roles within Gothic society- even more importantly, the novels of the time contain the bases of the changes that marked the period. The writers of the Gothic commented on the old patriarchy through their prevalently male adversaries warring against young heroines, and called for a new form of patriarchy that would rid women of the sometimes violent oppressions they suffered under outdated notions of gender roles. The heroines of the Gothic as such become the embodiment of a new generation of women that treaded outside their traditional sphere, demanding education and rights, even if remaining under the protection of their fathers and husbands. This commentary on patriarchy, and the representation of proto-feminism in Gothic Literature will form the core of my research, and this thesis.Show less
A critical analysis of Charles Brockden Brown’s Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale (1798) and James Hogg’s Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824). Through...Show moreA critical analysis of Charles Brockden Brown’s Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale (1798) and James Hogg’s Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824). Through psychoanalytical and dialectic models, this thesis compares and contrasts Brown and Hogg's critique of religious fanaticism in two separate (British and American) contexts. The focus is on the Gothic trope 'the Double' used by both authors to unfold their criticism.Show less
