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The Characteristics Of The Gothic Hero In Gothic Fiction

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usually associated with important events like the climatic, anticipating moments in the novel or the appearance of the evil figure .84 Thirdly, the Gothic Hero (Protagonist) , in any gothic fiction a vicious character is substantial to establish the atmosphere of horror . However, a gothic hero is not necessarily a gothic villain . As in early gothic novels, specifically Radcliffean gothic fictions, the gothic protagonist is simply a helpless heroine: The very words "Gothic heroine" immediately conjures up a wealth of images for the modern reader: a young, attractive woman running in terror through an old, dark, crumbling mansion in the middle of nowhere, from either a psychotic man or a supernatural demon. She is always terminally helpless and more than a bit screechy, but is inevitably "saved" by the good guy/future husband in the nick of time.85 …show more content…

By the development of the genre , the gothic villain appears as the main character in a gothic story . The gothic hero – villain characteristics often embody three main types as their model : Milton’s Satan, a rebellious compelling figure derived from Milton’s “Paradise Lost”; or Prometheus ,a mythological character who exceeded his limit by stealing fire from Zeus, the father of gods in Greek mythology, and offers it to mankind ; or Byronic hero, a complex moody, cynical, character derived from the famous English romantic poet Lord Byron, marked by his rejection of traditional values with noticeable intelligence, cunning, intense feeling of passion and strong sensual desires .

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