Using Gothic Characteristics to Portray the Theme of Knowledge Essay

Using Gothic Characteristics to Portray the Theme of Knowledge in American Gargoyles, Johnny Mnemonic, Frankenstein, Good Country People, and Cyberpunk Gothic literature has been interpreted, and til now criticized by many people as just being shuddery stories. They feel the authors only purpose for using gloomy settings and grotesque characters is to deject the reader. This however is rarely true of Gothic literature, instead an author exit persona these characteristics to portray a deeper purpose rather than to just frighten away the reader. This is true of all genres of black letter literature including classical, southern, and cyber literature. One theme that has been prevalent throughout gothic history is that of knowledge. Several authors have apply gothic tendencies to convey the idea that too much knowledge can be dangerous. They use these characteristics to condemn the reader that knowledge is not always good. upright gothic literature, developed in the late eight eenth century, was most promising first concepted by Horace Walpoles The Castle of Otranto. Dark, dreary settings and frightening monsters often restrict the style of this category of literature. Mary Shelley, a classical gothic writer, has used these characteristics in her novel Frankenstein. In her novel Victor Frankenstein composes a putz that has all the potentialities of a child because it knows nothing. But this creature is far from looking for anything like a child. The monster, created from different body parts, is grotesque, he has yellow unclothe that barely covers his muscles, long black hair and is very large. However, just as a child, he begins to learn, through experiences and especially by reading some(prenominal) books. This new knowledge he has learned has a harmful ... ... situations to censure or horrify the reader about a deeper theme. The terror tangle by the reader as he/she reads the story mimics the terror other character is feeling in dealing with t his hidden theme. Authors often use these tendencies to portray their ideas on current social conditions in order to warn the reader. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Flannery OConnor. New York Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Di Renzo, Anthony. American Gargoyles. Carbondale Southern Illinois University Press, 1993. Gibson, William. Johnny Mnemonic. 5 April 2000 . Levine, George. The Endurance of Frankenstein. Los Angeles University of California Press, 1979. OConnor, Flannery. Good Country People. 5 Apr. 2000 . Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein. New York capital of Delaware Publications, Inc, 1994. The Cyberpunk Project. Christian Kirtchev. 3 Apr. 2000. 10 Apr. 2000 .