Historical fiction novels allow the reader to explore outdated philosophies by presenting the information from a different perspective with pressure on having an authentic mindset from the time. Historical fiction authors such as Whitehead use the idea of “entertainment” value, better described as emotional appeal (pathos) to their advantage, manipulating the reader into learning details from a historical time period that they wouldn’t otherwise obtain from a textbook. The genre breaks down extensive topics such as slavery into individual accounts that are representative of the overall ideas in history, without overwhelming the reader with seemingly endless content. While at first glance historical fiction seems to be a rather trivial concept, with further examination it proves to be much more complex, using literary devices to leave the reader with an unforgettable view of
The outline of the first chapter 1 Introduction 2 Terminology of the Holy Grail 3 Pre-Christian Holy Grail 4 The Holy Grail as a Christian symbol 5 The quest of the Holy Grail in literature Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time Introduction “The grail remains one myth that fails to die with the passing of time “(Griffin 6). From antiquity, there have been many mythical stories about great adventures, magic, romantic love and mystery, taking for instance, Robin Hood’s legend, and the famous love story of Cinderella, but none of these have approached the Arthurian legend for its endurance and popularity, one may link this to the Holy Grail which was described by Sandra Miesel, the co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax, in her article”
Firstly, the archetypal plot of the two novels will be identified and discussed as well as the effect of using an archetypes in literature. Thereafter the character of Yossarian will be compared to Gilgamesh. Lastly, the reoccurring themes in both novels will be discussed. The novel Catch 22 represent, to some extent the archetypal plot of The epic of Gilgamesh. An archetype is a reoccurring symbol, motif, theme or plot structure throughout literature that represents universal patterns of human nature (Hung: 2014:1).
The occult belongs to Gothic literature. It began with a novel from Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto. The Gothic literature is a mixture between horror, full of terror story and romance. The Gothic novel tries to awake fear and terror upon the reader through supernatural and inexplicable events. The prevalent atmosphere is a doom and gloomy one, in order for incomprehensible situations to take place.
Terror, mystery, paranormal activity, doom and death were the main features of gothic novels during the era of gothic romanticism. Gothic novels and poems were given their own genre mainly because they include extreme emotional content and intensely dark themes. The natural settings were castles and monasteries which are typical forms of gothic literature. By 1840 the gothic genre had played itself out and this was partly due to writers who were developing the
Lewis utilizes an eclectic blend of literary devices, elements and conventions, to keep the reader engaged as well as entertained. Lewis’ incorporation of compositional techniques namely, genre conventions, setting, character development, allegory, and plot to convey the theme of morality to various audiences, earning a prestigious level of literary merit for the novel. The genre classifications for the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe provide a large amount of the framework for the story and its objectives in character development and allegory. The first genre applicable to the novel is fantasy. The imaginative universe allows for events completely independent of real world possibilities, and creates different ways for characters experience growth.
The plot starts off normally for their respective genres, some subtle foreshadowing soon after, then the story suddenly turns very dark and ends. The term gothic novel refers to stories that combine romanticism and horror. Common elements include supernatural events, mysterious places, and strange happenings. The Veldt also touched on overdependence of technology. Some famous novels include Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula.
Early Gothic texts were typically set in continental Europe (especially in France and Italy) because of the supposed differences of beliefs between Southern Europeans and the British. What is more, political implications as well as religious denominations played a significant role in selecting locations for Gothic fiction, since countries with the feudal, Catholic past were perceived as wild and exotic, whereas protestant Great Britain with the developing democracy as rational. According to Reeve (2012: 233): “Gothic is an allusion to or characteristic of the Middle Ages, or, more obliquely, the ‘mediaeval’ or ‘romantic’, both of which are positioned as opposites to the classical”. Pseudo-medieval texts include frequently high feelings, supernatural creatures or events, touches of romance together with such motifs as damsel in distress or woman treated by a tyrannical male. This particular style is not rarely characterised by terror, which involves an atmosphere provoking fear, capturing the reader’s imagination (although literally nothing happens) and horror, which entails an earthy, gory, violent presentation of the macabre.
Prophets and prophecies abound in Western literature. From the ancient texts designed for people of all walks of life— such as Homer’s Odyssey and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, to more modern works targeted to specific audiences— such as the Harry Potter and Gregor the Underlander series, authors have employed the literary device of prophecies to entice the reader to stay with the story. Instead of telling the reader outright what is going to happen, or how a situation will play out, the author offers a prophecy of some kind to the reader. Such prophecies are generally ambiguous, and often the reader is left confused as to what is actually going to happen. By using this technique, the author piques the interest of the reader yet allows for the
These gothic novels showcased events that were about the supernatural and were laced with violent passions, horror, terror and exaggerations. The typical story was far from the shores of rationalistic England, it was rather somewhere in faraway south. The name of Ann Radcliff is associated with this type of fiction. Italy kept returning as the background of these fictions. But geography is not the only factor.