Notesale: Turn your study into money

Document Preview

Extracts from the notes are below, to see the PDF you'll receive please use the links above

---

“In gothic writing, the presentation of places is often more interesting than the presentation of
characters
...
I believe that the intriguing characterisation of the Marquis in Carter’s
The Bloody Chamber outweighs the presentation of setting, for instance
...
Physically, he
is characterised as animalistic through his ‘’dark mane,’’ with the lexical choice of ‘’mane’’ reading as
leonine and ferocious
...
He is, however, attributed with a face that ‘’seemed to me like a mask
...
Presented as a captivatingly peculiar enigma from his introduction,
the Marquis is also linked to a prevailing symbol throughout the story: the ‘’funereal’’ lilies
...
The narrator observes ‘’gravity’’ in his desire for a new
wife, which seems to be linked to the pungent portrayal of the lilies that ‘’stain you
...
’’ Whilst lilies are a common symbol of death, it
can be suggested that this intense presentation of the lilies within the narrator’s bedroom only
becomes significant due to the Marquis’ own character and intentions
...
Though a castle is a notable feature of the Gothic genre, having
appeared as dark and foreboding in text’s such as Hill’s The Woman in Black, the ‘’amphibious place’’
described within The Bloody Chamber becomes all the more terrifying and intriguing due to the
Marquis’ desires
...
The interior of
this castle is presented as being littered with disturbing décor, such as the ‘’Rape of the Sabines,’’ an
artistic representation of the 750 BC historical event by which the first generation of Roman men
abducted and sexually violated women from the neighbouring Sabine families
...
Whilst this setting is interesting for its images of terror, it
becomes even more fascinating on account of the Marquis’ interaction with the paintings coupled
with his own implied masochistic desires
...
Moreover, whilst
exploring, the narrator discovers that ‘’the electricity, for some reason, did not extend here’’ as she
approaches the Marquis’ ‘’private slaughterhouse
...

Within Webster’s The White Devil, the setting is used as a tool to enhance the schemes of the
characters within it
...
’’ Whilst the depiction
of mystery and secrecy sets up the ambiance of the scene, Bracciano’s reaction of ‘’excellent, then
she’s dead’’ to his wife’s murder is far more interesting and is intensified by these bizarre
surroundings
...
For instance, although Francisco is angered by the way Bracciano has
been treating her as of late, Isabella remains the loving wife by surmising that ‘’all my wrongs are
freely pardoned
...
Moreover, after Bracciano’s slew of vile comments towards her,
Isabella claims she will ‘’make myself the author of your cursed vow,’’ adopting the role of the
jealous wife in front of company
...
Despite this act of
adultery between Bracciano and Vittoria, of which was illegal in the era and is still deemed morally
wrong today, Isabella remains unwaveringly loyal to her estranged husband, presenting herself as
the self-sacrificing maiden common in other Gothic texts such as Hippolita in Walpole’s The Castle of
Otranto
...
’’ The lack of remorse from Bracciano reiterates the immorality of the world
described within The White Devil, plus shows that the setting is used as a tool by Webster to
enhance the characterisation of individuals, allowing the audience to view them in a new light
...
The prominence of the
arctic, of which Walton and Frankenstein are entrapped within, serves as a symbol of the novel’s
prominent theme of alienation: ‘’mountains of ice which admit no escape
...
These forms
of isolation are incredibly different to one another, with Victor’s reading as far more self-imposed
...
It is evident that
isolation is not a burden upon Frankenstein, in fact he chooses to relish in it, opting to avoid contact
even in the form of a letter, and sets up his laboratory ‘’in a solitary chamber
...
’’ Despite this, even when Victor finds
himself in the company of his family, he is alienated from his surroundings due to his choice in
scientific viewpoint
...
Despite
these archaic viewpoints, even during a revolution in terms of science and new ideas, Victor still
continues to study them and is consequently alone in his studies and ideals
...
’’ Victor thusly blames his
father for not explaining the principles of Agrippa, and therefore his own ideas that lead him to
disaster: ‘’the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse that led to my ruin
...
To counteract this, the Monster is rejected from
birth
...

On reflection of his experiences with humanity, the Monster remarks that ‘’I see bliss, from which I

alone am irrevocably excluded
...
Evidently, the Monster is entrapped in a form he does not wish to be in, although this form
is dominantly physical as opposed to mental
...
’’ The
lexical choice of ‘’fiend’’ reiterates a direct allusion to Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in
the novel, ‘’he knows a frightful fiend doth close behind him tread,’’ insinuating the theory that the
Monster is Victor’s Gothic double – a duality of two halves, making for an interesting layered
exploration that far outweighs the presentation of setting
...
Despite this life-saving act, with ‘’extreme labour’’ suggesting he worked hard
to save the girl, he is shot as a result
...
Whilst the ‘’immense and rugged amounts of ice’’ serve as a symbol of this
prevailing entrapment throughout the novel, it is important to remember that this is not exclusive as
Shelley’s Frankenstein covers a myriad of other themes such as the aforementioned themes of
emerging science, and social prejudices
...

However, it can be argued that the presentation of setting is equally as interesting as the
presentation of characters within Carter’s The Erl King, with both aspects of narrative interlinking
and complimenting each other
...
These negative, yet supernatural,
connotations of the Erl King are explored further as an allusion to Stoker’s Dracula is made when he
is described as bearing ‘’white, pointed teeth’’ which reads as foreboding and threatening
...
The intense description of the woods links with both the
theme of entrapment and the characterisation of the Erl King as it ‘’swallows you up,’’ with the
lexical choice of ‘’swallows’’ perhaps relating to the protagonist’s masochistic desire to be
consumed
...
This is further explored through the portrayal of
the Erl King’s knowledge: ‘’he knows all about the woods and the creatures in it,’’ suggesting that,
opposite to the Marquis within Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, he is mysterious due to the setting, but
they both depend on one another and are presented accordingly as an interesting sole unit
...
Within Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, the setting is presented as interesting, but only
reads as so intriguing due to the characterisation of the Marquis
...

However, alienation is not the only theme explored within the novel, and the ground-breaking
characterisation of both Victor and the Monster far outweigh this
...
Carter’s The Erl King is an exception as the Erl King himself
and the forest surrounding him operate as one, and so are both equally interesting by default

---