Gothic Fiction Of Hawthorne And Poe Essay - 1919 Words

Gothic Fiction of Hawthorne and Poe When discussing gothic fiction many early authors come to mind, Mary Shelley, the Bronte Sisters, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde, to name a few, were all exceptional European writers of this style. As for American authors, there are two names that hold top places of honor, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Poe, with his talent for lyrical, poetic prose and conveying the macabre, is considered by many to be the master of gothic fiction. However, Hawthorne with his propensity toward humor and his ability to breathe humanness into his characters is an excellent contender for the title. They both exhibited gothic traditions in their writing, while at the same time adjusting elements of this previously European genre to fit into American surroundings, all the while delivering their own unique contributions to the gothic scene. I will explore and compare some of their works with hopes of identifying what I find to be some of their genius contributi ons to this dark romantic style. Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that is comprised of numerous particular elements. It is a subgenre of romanticism and can be conflated with dark romanticism. This flavor of writing was most popular from the late eighteenth through the early nineteenth centuries. The name gothic fiction relates to gothic European architecture built during the middle ages. Massive cathedrals and castles were erected with pointed, stained-glass windows,Show MoreRelatedPoe Hawthorne949 Words   |  4 PagesContrast of Poe/ Hawthorne Poe and Hawthorne are the most significant American writers of 19th century. They have their own way of relating to their audiences that’s varied and similar at the same time. Poe’s writing involves the reader emotionally. Hawthorne on the other hand considers author’s imagination important and paints a picture based on it. These innovative thoughts and experimentations in language have forever changed what we appreciate in writing. Poe and Hawthorne used variousRead MorePoe vs. Hawthorne: Dark But Not Necessarily Gothic Essay1544 Words   |  7 PagesIn the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, a new literary genre sprung up, the Gothic story. In the United States, the most prominent exponent of Gothic fiction was Edgar Allen Poe, whose â€Å"horror† tales conjure up the dark side that many of us at least half-believe is hidden just beneath the surface of the most conventional lives. In this paper we will discuss the Gothic in light of two of Poe’s stories, â€Å"Ligeia†, and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† and contrast Poe’s story with a somewhatRead MoreSimilar Gothic Elements in the Work of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne2436 Words   |  10 PagesSimilar Gothic Elements in the Work of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are considered masters of American gothic fiction. They used similar gothic elements in their writing and used it to build up a sense of impending doom. Even today numerous readers enjoy, study, and discuss the gothic elements both utilized in their work. Gothic writing is a style that is concerned with the dark side of society, an evil that lies within the self. Poe and HawthorneRead More Allegory, Symbolism, and Madness – Comparing the Demons of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne3842 Words   |  16 PagesMadness – Comparing the Demons of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne As contemporaries of each other, Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne endeavored to write about man’s dark side, the supernatural influence, and moral truths. Each writer saw man as the center-point in his stories; Poe sees man’s internal struggle as madness, while Hawthorne sees man as having a â€Å"secret sin.† Each had their reasons for writing in the Gothic format. Poe was not a religious man; he was well educatedRead MoreAnalysis Of House Of The Seven Gables Essay1617 Words   |  7 PagesEvil within the Portraits The traditional Gothic taste for â€Å"portraits† is frequent in many novels and short stories that follow the conventions of literary mode making it present in these both texts; House of the Seven Gables by Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Oval Portrait. Often the characters in such Gothic romances are haunted by the tyranny of the past, which make it inescapable. It often leads to the destruction of their loved ones. Others motive of escape is often pulled back by a curseRead More##arison Of Gothic Fiction In Young Goodman Brown And The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe746 Words   |  3 PagesBecoming popular in the 19th century, Gothic fiction has been defined by such works as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Horror, death, supernatural events, the grotesque, the dark, and sometimes even the romantic are key characteristics of the Gothic genre. There are the obviously Gothic stories of Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawtho rne and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe but also the less recognizable Gothic stories such as A Clean Well-Lighted Place writtenRead MoreDark Romanticism By Edgar Allen Poe1625 Words   |  7 Pagespeople who like this style are know to be obsessed with gothic nature. Dark Romanticism is also know to come from darkness in the human soul, original sin, and a dark outlook on society. Dark Romanticism is the complete opposite of romanticism. According to what is dark romanticism â€Å" Dark Romanticism is. A sort of genre threat combines traditional love objects, like visually heart shapes, cute Costumes, and cupids, with distinct elements of the gothic, such as the color black,animals familiar like catsRead MoreAmbiguity of American Gothic Fiction1765 Words   |  8 PagesJulie Fallows 6423747 Sean Moreland November 27, 2012 Ambiguity of American Gothic Anxieties Since the 19h century, American Gothic fiction started to exist independently from the British type. In fact, the latter was marked by its use of fantastic, externalized and metaphysical elements as opposed to the boundaries of American Gothic fiction in which were expressed by historical, internalized, racial and psychological characteristics. (Edwards, XVII) In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, FallRead MoreGothic Fiction : The Castle Of Otranto1443 Words   |  6 PagesAngelic TR – 8a-9:15a Comp. 2 Gothic literature was almost single handedly invented by Horace Walpole with his novel The Castle of Otranto in 1765. A mix of romance and horror, many authors today and many authors in the past have used gothic fiction to fill the readers with suspense and terror. Edgar Allan Poe used elements such as suspense, setting, and language to create a plethora of gothic fiction stories. Stories such as Poe’s Cask of Amontillado capture the gothic element perfectly. A combinationRead MoreAnalysis of Poes Successes and Failures in Poetry and Fiction1745 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of Poes Successes and Failures in Poetry and Fiction Edgar Allan Poes career may have been a failure considering what he set out to do, but he did achieve some success and notoriety in his own lifetime. His most successful poem was, of course, The Raven, a piece he composed to satisfy popular taste. But some of his short fiction was popular as well. As an editor and publisher, however, Poe did not quite achieve the greatness he sought. His legacy grew only after his death, thanks