Republic of uzbekistan samarqand state institute of foreign languanges faculty of foreign languages

Elements of a Gothic Novel

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  Supernatural imagery. If asked to describe Gothic Literature, you might first think of dark and/or supernatural imagery, which are key devices used against the confines of realism.
  
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  Elaborate diction. Where formal realism uses simple diction, Gothic novels go elaborate.
  
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  External drama. Where formal realism focuses on the inner workings of the individual, Gothic novels home in on the environment and how all the character's actions come into play.
  
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  Romance. A Gothic novel is something of an inverted romance, as it tends to see things from the seamy side.
  
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  Blend of Fantasy and Realism. However, what makes Gothic Literature unique is not in the type of life it sees and represents but in how it blends the real with the imaginary. This blend produces terror because of the suspense and unpredictability associated with the paranormal and unknown and also makes the characters within Gothic Literature even more realistic than those in novels from other genres.
  
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  Real People in Unreal Situations. No matter how fantastical and insane the situation is, a Gothic novel's characters always react in ways that are truer to everyday responses to these circumstances than the circumstances themselves, even providing natural explanations for what the reader knows is supernatural. This is a key element in Gothic Literature. Its blend of realism and fantasy means that the characters are developed as true to what they would be in the real world while they are place in situations that are completely unreal. To put it simply, Gothic Literature is about how real people react in unreal situations. For example, if a monk is offered a deal with the Devil he can't refuse, will he take it or just walk away?
  

In the end, it's pretty safe to say that the works of Gothic literature do everything formal realism would not even touch, which can either delight those readers who hate formal realism or disgust them with stories that seem too ridiculous to take seriously.
Pedro Lastra via Unsplash What Is a Gothic Novel? I have all the characteristics of a human being: flesh, blood, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.” Here, Ellis is clearly committing to the features of a horror. Bateman’s “nightly bloodlust” is a typical indicator of the supernatural elements of traditional gothic novels, most associated with characters like vampires and werewolves. The fact that the night is mentioned, also fits the gothic feature of the notion of darkness and nighttime association, with the idea that most of the horror will take place in this time frame due to, typically, some sort of transformation. An example of this is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where a hideous transformation takes place over a seemingly normal man which turns him into a supernatural creature with a bloodlust. However, in American Psycho the transformation is internal rather than external, as Bateman doesn’t physically transform into a nighttime savage creature. Instead, the transformation that creates the horror surrounding Patrick Bateman is psychological, which is perhaps highlighting a more modern interpretation and creation of a gothic novel. This quote also highlights the gothic feature of deception and that things appear to be what they’re not, shown when Bateman confesses that he is not in his mind, a true human being and feels that he is wearing a “mask of sanity” promoting the terror in the novel.
• The idea of the American Dream and the desirable life in 1980’s America is explored in American Psycho. Bateman has all aspects of the American Dream within his grasp: money, a successful job on Wall Street, an expensive and extremely desirable apartment and women who want him. However, Ellis flips the American Dream on its side and reveals the horror it can create.