![]() ![]() Peter Sabor supports the importance of Walpole´s work for the development of Gothic fiction by calling it a “pioneering Gothic novel”. It was Walpole, however, who, in 1764, firstly published a novel that was far from the typical rationalist thinking that was predominant at that time. ![]() ![]() The revival of the medieval world, with its spooky castles, ghosts and supernatural events, as a counter reaction to the era of rationalism and enlightenment, began already in the early 18th century. The term “Gothic” describes, according to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “a style of literature popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, which described romantic adventures in mysterious or frightening settings”. However, this also gives the explanation, why the Gothic novel was so popular and so significant: “Some critics have seen it as an expression of the irrational side of the human psyche that had too long been repressed by the prevailing ethos of the eighteenth century.” One could argue, that people were searching for an outlet for their natural, human emotions and they found it in the Gothic novel. Anything that was not controllable by common sense meant a threat, a danger to the enlightened society. It seems as if scientific progress, and the enlightenment were closely linked with the suppression of human feelings. The more interesting it is, why this genre was so popular. Paradoxically, the conditions under which Gothic novel had flourished, enlightenment, Protestant religion and Science seem to form an obstacle to Gothic fiction itself. Science brought vast changes to the English society. Social changes, such as alienation and disorientation, caused by the movement of people from the country to the cities early forces of industrialization, and the breakdown of the accepted class structure forced people to rethink their morals and values. In the sublime capacity of the human mind and in the Most widespread effect was to encourage confidence The realization that the earth was a lesser planet of one relatively unimportant star among millions proved toīe less chastening than one might expect its ![]() Science and scientific progress grew more and more influential and it seemed as if there was no secret in the world that would remain unrevealed, which had important effects upon society and the human understanding of itself: The 18th century can be regarded as the so called “Age of Reason”, or the era of Enlightenment. Secondly, I will examine the means by which Walpole evokes fear in the reader, and the effects they had. I will argue that the horror as developed in The Castle of Otranto is not simply based upon the appearance of ghosts and supernatural events, but rather a subtle kind of horror.įirstly, an introduction into the Gothic novel in general, its characteristic features, and the examination of the cultural background of English Gothic fiction shall give a brief overview over the topic. It marks, in a certain aspect, a turning point in literature, since it is regarded the first Gothic novel. I want to examine the features of the Gothic sublime: what was new and different about it? how is this reflected in the novel? in order to prove the importance of Walpole´s work. In this paper I will examine the Gothic sublime by using the example of Horace Walpole´s novel The Castle of Otranto. 19th Century Academia Academic Writing Adaptations Art Audio Austen BBC Blake/Avon Blakes 7 Book Club Books cats Children Christmas Comics Cons David Copperfield David Copperfield Read-Along Diana Wynne Jones Dickens Dickens' Christmas Stories DIY Doctor Who Erotica Fairy Tales Fandom Fanfiction Fan Studies Fantasy Fanzines Fashion Female Authors Fiction Film Films Fluff Food Game of Thrones Games Gender Gormenghast Gossip Gothic History Horror Jewish Issues links Literature London Music My Fiction nature News Oblique Politics Queer Relationships Review Reviews Science Fiction sex Shakespeare Short Stories Social Justice Star Trek Strange Horizons Television Theatre Tor.2.2. ![]()
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