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
This thesis examines the relations between social scripts and the ambiguity surrounding the existence of ghosts in The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw, and their modern Netflix...Show moreThis thesis examines the relations between social scripts and the ambiguity surrounding the existence of ghosts in The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw, and their modern Netflix adaptation The Haunting. It critically explores how the adaptation process has consequences for the nature of the ambiguity and thematic function of the ghosts within each narrative. In a visual medium, the representation of ghosts undermines the ambiguity of their existence. In turn, this has an impact on the themes of innocence and corruption that are explored in the narrative, which transform from psychologically oriented to socially oriented themes.Show less
