The Presentation Of Conformity And Subversion Of Gothic...

Discuss the presentation of conformity and subversion of gothic archetypes The gothic genre has been a prominent literary style throughout many eras, a popular example being ‘The Castle of Otranto’. I have studied three texts; Emile Bronte’s novel ‘Wuthering Heights’, published in December 1847, ‘The Selected Poems of John Keats’, published in 1817 and the later ‘The Bloody Chamber’ by Angela Carter, published in 1979. They all use gothic elements in different ways to create a variety of effects and reflect on their own personal views, Carter in particular as a post modern writer and Keats’ confusion of sexuality. The three texts I have studied all conform to the gothic genre in similar ways such as, the use of setting (use Gothic conventions to develop setting). For example in ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ the primary setting is a medieval castle which is portrayed as being sinister and isolated, Keats describes a â€Å"lowly arched way†, the adjective â€Å"lowly† suggests the insignificance and unimportance of the castle. The â€Å"cobwebs† could further highlight the fact that the castle is old and has remained uninhabited for a number of years suggesting an ominous presence. In addition to this, it could also suggest the prescence of insects and spiders within the castle connoting danger and eeriness creating a spine-chilling atmosphere. Keats further makes use of the gothic setting within Madeline’s bedroom Similarly, Bronte creates a highly gothic setting in ‘Wuthering Heights’ – Lockwood