A Southern Gothic Literary Analysis

Historians approach history in various ways to catch their reader’s attention and make sure that their books are interesting at the same time. They tend to write histories based on concrete evidence from the past− ethnography, journals, and research. However, John Demos went beyond the normal stereotype. He approached history unconventionally by drawing hypothesis from certain historical evidence and connecting history to his subject rather than just speculating; he made it personal. In Unredeemed Captive, he made it clear that he wrote this historical novel based on research, also, journals and diaries left by the Williams family.

Capote focuses several of his stories on the south,so naturally the southern gothic is very apparent throughout most of his texts; however, even some of his stories that do not take place in the south are reflections of the southern gothic. What comes with southern gothic is something that is entirely essential to the plot -- the gothic setting. Gothic settings can take many shapes, but as we have seen, they are usually dark, dreary, menacing places filled with dilapidated houses that are generally unwelcoming in one way or another. What the reader can count on coming from these settings is a character who shares qualities of the grotesque. To start examining the connection between a gothic setting and it’s guaranteed production of grotesque

Historical fiction, loved by many. Historical Fiction tells a story through fictional characters who are placed in a real time in history. Hearing/watching a historical event through the eyes of a character, and sometimes an unexpected author of history seems to draw people in more than one would expect. The historic events are told in a more relatable and comprehensible way appeal to people. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak does just that, draw people into the story.

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential writer of all time, as he was one of the first writers to explore darker themes through literature such as death and revenge. He has revolutionized the gothic genre for years to come. Throughout the many gothic works of Edgar Allan Poe including, The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, and many more; Poe gives a unsettling tone which defines most of his writing. Poe tries to do this through incorporating specific literary techniques like erie imagery and cryptic diction. Some influences that could have a possible effect on Poe could be the fact that he was brought up in bad conditions.

The Gothic Movement heavily influenced Emily Dickinson’s poetry. Literature often reflects the writer’s emotions about an event that are taking place at that time period. For example, the Gothic Movement appeared in the late 18th century as a branch of the Romantic Movement within the arts. The Gothic Movement was in reaction to the Enlightenment, which emphasized individualism rather than tradition, and was significant in this period. However, some writers found this too optimistic, and therefore unrealistic, and in reaction, created the Gothic Movement.

Literary Genres, the definition is in the name. A type of writing that runs on nothing but one’s imaginations and in some cases worst fears. It is created to give the readers a type of escape from the real world, and keeps them up through through the night flipping pages until they are finally finished the novel. Within literary genres comes a couple fan favourites, the Horror Genre, and the Romance Genre. The two tend to alternate reality in a way that creates a fantasy, or nightmare for us living in the novels of each genre.

People began to question the existence of God or a higher power and Gothic novels allowed writers and readers likewise to delve and analyze all those unexplored, unknown territories of life and beyond, through storytelling. To sum up, Gothic literature makes use of all that is valued by the romantics, such as intense emotions and aedthetics but has an almost sinister side. In addition to decadently aesthetic features, Gothic Romanticism also contains nihilistic features: the hold, handed down values are lost, dark, melancholic resigned moods. In the same way, morbidly absurd inclinations, the so-called "night sides" of the human mind as well as fantastic-ghostly and grotesque are discussed. In addition, this tendency, especially in the trivial literature, with its partly amoral-abnormal theme (incest, necrophilia), finds two manifestations: the horror romance and the ghost story.

Gothic literature is a blend of horror and romance. The genre of gothic novels has been around for centuries, and therefore can be seen as indispensable in the literature world. Due to the dark sides and supernatural occurrences in these kind of books, reading these story can be quiet thrilling. The question that easily can cross our mind is what are the significant elements, so obligatory elements in order to create a gothic atmosphere? For this purpose, Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” will be analyzed, as well as the use of Gothic motives.

Composers of literary works often immerse their readers into a world of fictitious narratives and personalities. Although the majority of authors desire this immersion, communicating their stories is not ordinarily their only objective. Many novelists covet the notion of allowing their readers to discover a deeper meaning within their passages. Most notably, authors achieve this through implementation of literary constructs such as symbolism and allegory. One instance in which the audience is cognizant to such literary constructs is through Bobbie Ann Mason 's short story, "Shiloh".

Authors Experiences in Creative Writing Styles Many authors will write a piece of themselves into the stories they create. We see evidence of this through Jeanette Winterson’s novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. This novel combines both the writing styles of an autobiography as well as fictional writing. Throughout Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit we are able to analyze aspects of the story to uncover the truths of her life as well as the fictional aspects. Jeanette writes with what she describes as “Authenticity … a genuineness there that comes from you that is passed out” (Vintage Books).