Final Review of the Class

I truly enjoyed learning lots of interesting information about gothic literature. I knew nothing about gothic literature when I entered the course and now I feel that I have learned and am knowledgeable about many aspects on the topic. I feel like now when I read any type of gothic fiction I will now be able to recognize and be much more interested in the symbolism and the aspects of the gothic elements in the story, not just in the plot. I really liked learning about the doppelganger in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "Fight Club", and many more of the novellas where the doppelganger was less evident but could be interpreted. I also liked learning about a lot of the female gothic. It was interesting to learn about the perspective of females at different time periods. It was really cool to be able to see the connection between the female gothic and a coming of age or bildungsroman. Each one of the stories we read were really good, and I usually never wanted to quit reading or put down the book. Some of the stories were hard to read and understand at first, but once things were explained it was more clear. I really enjoyed the class and feel that I benefitted from it

Assignment 11: The Yellow Wallpaper

When reading the short story the "Yellow Wallpaper" I was unsure about what was going on and then I began to pick up on the madness of the women's disease through her repetitive descriptions of the yellow wallpaper which begins her development of far-fetched ideas and obsession. After reading, I went back and read some historical information on Charlotte Perkins Gilman and realized that she herself went insane. The short story almost completely mocks or imitates Gilman's own life. After marrying and becoming a mother, Gilman felt as if she had been robbed of her freedom. She went insane over this, and was sent to Doctor S. Weir Mitchell, whom she also mentions in her short story as one of the best doctors but he is much like her husband but only worse. Gilman believed that he did not take her case seriously and gave her simple orders to live as much of a domestic life as possible. Although, we see that the domestic lifestyle is what was truly making Gilman and her character in her short story insane. Alot of the story lines up with Gilman's life. In the story her husband's remedies resemble Dr. Mitchell's advice to Gilman. We see that her confinement leads to her obsession over the wallpaper. The character in the story goes insane over her boring and domestic lifestyle which is what truly happened to Gilman in real life. It was interesting and pretty creepy to find out this piece mocked the writer's life and experiences.

Assignment 10: "Jean-Ah Poquelin"

In the short story, "Jean-ah Poquelin", Cable describes two brothers, one of which mysteriously disappears. The two characters are Jean and Jacques, who one might argue could be a doppelganger? Jean's younger half brother, Jacques, is described at the very beginning as gentle. The reader finds out that the once strong, Jean, is now a recluse and his brother, Jacques, has disappeared 7 years prior to the setting. We see qoutations around the descriptions of Jacques at the beginning of the story when he is being described by his older brother as good, wise, just, far-sighted..etc. At the beginning we see that this could possibly indicate some hostility from Jean towards Jacques or maybe Jean the "recluse" is trying to hide something. The two brothers are very opposite but seem to make one person. Whereas Jacques seems good, but weak, his older brother Jean is strong, but appears to have some mysterious qualities about him. The narrator even tells us that these very different qualities in the two men led to the estate's decay. It makes the reader wonder at first if it is one person with a double? Anwyay, the reader sees a lot of Jacques' meagerness portrayed as a characterisitic in White, when White tries to stop the angry mob from going to Jean's estate. He is able to subdue the crowd at first, but later in the night the crowd overpowers White's authority. But, we do see some of White's authority and strength described before he decides to privately "investigate" Jean Poquelin's property. It seems at this point that White loses his strength and becomes completely weak as he flees from the terrible scene at the estate. I feel as if Jean and Jacques could maybe be two-sides to White's personality.

Assignment 9: Charle's Chesnutt's "Goopherd Grapevine"

As we discussed today in class, sometimes pieces of fiction tend to intice the reader more than an autobiography or biography on someone's life. I think having the story start out with the present and "real life" was an interesting way to capture the audience's attention but the fact that the story switched from the present to the past intrigued me. At the beginning we find out that someone (the narrator) is looking to purchase an old vineyard. This already begins to make the reader's mind wonder about what happened to the vineyard and why the last owner was no longer living on the plantation. Then as the mysterious character of Julius appears, and tells the new comers to not move onto the plantation, we see the gothic element begin to become more prominent. At this point I really wanted to know what had happened and really wanted to know the story that Julius had to tell so I was glad when he proceeded into the story of the vineyard. I feel like the set up of the short story was done in this particular manner in order to grasp and hold the reader's attention to the very end when we find out that Julius was somewhat unreliable due to the fact that he was prospering living off the property without an owner. Adding Julius and his story to the novel brought in the gothic aspect and made a form of suspense. Blacks were very much played as a commodity throughout this novella. We see through Julius's story that the blacks on the plantation and surrounding plantations are not allowed to eat the grapes. This portrays them as unequal and shows that they are merely on their plantations to work and not expect much else from their owners. We also see Julius describe Mars' Dugal' McAdoo's behavior toward Henry as flakey. Mars' Dugal only wants Henry when he is able to provide him with hard labor and money. Whenever Henry does well in the spring he keeps him around, but then quickly disposes him to another family in the fall when he knows Henry will become useless and sick because he does not care to deal with Henry when he is in this state. Even at the end of the story, we see the narrator describe Julius as a commodity when he defines him as unreliable and ends the story discussing how he should be more than satisfied even though he moved onto the plantation because he pays him well. He takes no consideration for Julius's feelings.

Assignment 8 "Our Nig"

This book was very different in the setting and characters but still maintained manyh qualities of the gothic novel. It was interesting because I don't think thus far that we have read a novel or short story that contained anything but white people. This could be do to the time and setting and the societal issues that had occured up until this point. As for the gothic elements we see a lot of the female gothic. Frado has been orphaned by her parents and the reader sees the typical stock character through Mrs. Bellmont and Mary who could represent the evil step mom and daughter if you look at the book from a cinderella point of view. The fact that Frado attempts to run away from the Bellmont home shows her path to self discovery which the reader also sees through her interest in christianity. Eventually Frado escapes the Bellmont home after years of abuse, and the story has a "cinderella" ending as well when Frado finally escapes, finds love, begins a family of her own, and escapes from the wicked Bellmont family, who at the end of the novella all end up dying except for Aunt Abbey.

Assignment 7: "The House of Usher"

So far, I think I've had the most trouble understanding and following this short story over all of the others. The reader at first believes that Madeline is dead when she is placed in the coffin, along with the narrator of the story. We later find out as Roderick Usher's strange behavior grows and the tension builds that something is not right. Eventually, Usher confesses in some kind of mad rage that Madeline is alive and that the noises he has been hearin are coming from the coffin down below from which she is trying to escape. I feel as if Usher confessed to knowing she was alive because of the story that the narrator is reading. He confesses at the part of the story that is being read where the hermit's door is broken down and there is the death cry from the dragon and the clangor of the shield because the story is coming to life in the sense that all of these things are happening downstairs where Madeline is locked in the dungeon. I'm not sure exactly if she is alive or if Usher feels guilty for possibly killing her and is being haunted by this sin?? In the end the narrator says that the door is busted down and Madeline pulls Usher to her and takes him to death along with her? So does Usher die with her due to his possible murder and guilt??

Assignment 6: Young Goodman Brown

I feel as if Goodman Brown's fellow traveler is represented throughout the story as as the evil side of Brown. When Brown is joined by this fellow traveler, the author describes him as looking almost similar to Brown, and that this follower looks like he could be related to him, and maybe even his father? I was noticing many similarities between this novella, and "Jekyll and Hyde". I'm not sure if I'm missing the point of the story completely here, but it seems to me that this strange character that joins Brown on his journey is somewhat mysterious and it is almost as if he is physically non-existent but exists within Brown himself?? I think that the fellow traveler could be another side to Brown, almost like Jekyll's split personality. The traveler seems to represent the evil part of Goodman Brown's personality and Goodman Brown (like his name) represents innocence and good. Also, like Jekyll, Brown chases after evil. For example, Jekyll eventually could not stop himself from becoming Hyde, and doing evil and was drawn to his sinful nature and Brown chases after the evil laughter and horrible noises he hears, he is drawn to them as well. In both stories, you could say that it ends badly for the main characters. Jekyll's evil ways and up leading to his suicide and Brown's chasing after evil leads him to witness a horrific site (whether he truly experienced it physically or emotionally/spiritually?) and he can never again feel the same about his wife and the others throughout town that he cared for and the story ends in his unhappiness.

Assignment 4: Female Gothic

I totally missed the movie today, but from what I read in "Louis the Witch" I feel as if the author makes the female characters very dependent on TRUE friendships in order to insure their success and well being as a character. Throughout the entire novella, it mentions over and over again that Louis is an orphaned child, she has no parents, no connections except for her unknown uncle, and that she has NO friends! It is constantly repeated that Louis has no friendships and feels lonely and disconnected from her distant family, the Hicksons. For a while it seems that she develops a relationship with her cousin, Faith, but in the end Faith's jealousy destroys what little of a connection she had with Louis. From the moment Louis enters her new home, she feels somewhat strange around her aunt and her harsh demeanor and it seems almost impossible for her to develop a close relationship with her after her uncle, their only connection to each other, passes away. It also mentions that Louis lost her only friend when she arrived at the new home. That friend being Captain Holdernesse, and she has also been distanced from her true love, Hugh Lucy. She avoids developing a relationship with Manasseh, her cousin and the only man left in the household, due to the fact that he feels he must marry her. In the end, Louis is accused of being a witch and dies from a hanging. Her own "family" accuses her and leaves her to die alone. I feel as if Gaskell is trying to prove that women who are not cautious with their relationships should be concerned with their well being. I feel as if the moral is like the old saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer". Louis did not have close relationships with anyone that was prominently discussed throughout the novel. This could also be looked at as a major gothic element in the story due to the loneliness Louis experiences throughout the story which begins with her sad and alone, and ends in the same manner.

Assignment 4: Northanger Abbey

I feel as if reading novels, and reading in general expands a person's mind. Books and stories open you up to new experiences, life lessons, and knowledge that you may have been unaware of before. Novels can also inspire imagination and creativity and lead to new inventions or inspire dreams, hopes, and goals for the future. Novels can show us paths that we should follow and evil that we should be aware of or mistakes that others make that we, ourselves need to steer clear from. I do believe that novels can teach us much about the society and world we live in. After reading some background information on "Uncle Tom's Cabin", by Harriet Beecher Stowe, it seems as if this book inspired profound changes in people's mindsets on the African American race and demonstrated the harmful effects of slavery. Ultimately, people were so inspired by this book, that some became abolitionists themselves! Stowe's novel, gave Americans a true reflection of themselves, and it wasn't a pretty picture. This book encouraged the abolitionist movement of the 1850's and helped begin the American Civil War, which made our country what it is today. "Uncle Tom's Cabin", began a revolution against slavery and would change life for the future generations for the better. Also as we have discussed in class, many of the books we have been reading inspired the romanticism era and gothic nature. I believe the same goes for any other novel. We can all learn something new or profound from reading, even if it doesn't inspire a revolutionary movement. I think novels can inspire people to put themselves in the character's position. Lots of times when I read, I find myself making comparisons to the main character or visualizing and attempting to understand their point of view. I feel as if books reveal aspects of ourselves that we may have not even been aware of, and can promote us to change ourselves, or remain the same. I was read to a lot as I was growing up, and I feel as if the choices that my parents made in the books I read helped shape me into the person I am today.

Assignment 3: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Throughout "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", it is evident that Stevenson uses gothic description to help the reader experience and understand the mystery of Dr. Jekyll's split personality. Gothic description especially becomes a major part of the novella when Mr. Hyde's character begins to develop and brings turmoil to the story through all of his evil antics. The Victorian background of London is used to portray and reflect human nature and the duality of man. Stevenson is contrasting through Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, his childhood and life experiences. He grew up in two different parts of Edinbergh; the old town, which was medevial and full of poverty and then later moved to the new town which the reader can easily see represent the two different characters. For example, one street in London is described as a "fire in a forest, with its freshly painted shutters, well-polished brasses, and general cleanliness and gaiety of note, which instantly caught and pleased the eye of the passenger." This describes Dr.
Jekyll's character, who maintained his friendships and was an attractive and upright man before Mr. Hyde developed. The other street nearby is then described as a break in the line and "as a sinister block of building." Stevenson further describes the building as "showing no windows, prolonged and sordid negligence and that the door was neither equipped with a bell or knocker and was blistered and distained." This gothic description of the home and door foreshadow Dr. Jekyll's destruction and Mr. Hyde's character and the future evil behavior he will commit. Through these descriptions the reader feels terror and somewhat awestruck over the suspense of what is going to happen to Dr. Jekyll and if he will be able to escape his other self, Mr. Hyde.

Assignment 2: Castle of Otronto

After reading The "Castle of Otronto", I feel as if the novel is based on tragic romance. Throughout the story, numerous characters fall in love with someone that is considered unattainable. For example, Manfred is determined to marry Isabella, who has feelings towards Theodore. The reader can sense that Manfred's marriage to Isbaella is never going to happen, due to the fact that he is already married to Hippolita, and there are too many obstacles that are preventing him from reaching this goal. Another example would be of Manfred's daughter, Matilda and of the life that she longs to share with Theodore. Manfred promises lord Fredric his daughter, and this destroys all chances that Matilda may have had for a marriage or love with Theodore. Lastly, the reader sees that Fredric is in love with Matilda, and although she is bound to marry him, her heart is somewhere else. None of these characters ever achieve the love that they truly wanted, and in the end, Theodore unwillingly decides to spend his life with Isbella, based on the sole fact that they are bonded to each other through the unfortunate death of Matilda. I feel as if the conclusion supports the reoccuring theme throughout the novel, that all romance ends tragically. The story ended with just enough information to grasp the concept that these characters are all destined to live unhappy lives with each other, but also left a sense of wonder with the reader.

Introduction

Hi, Thanks for visiting my blog! My name is Susan Schlueter and I'm a junior at TCU and an Early Childhood Education major! I transferred last semester to TCU from Texas Tech and would be a senior but due to the fact that not all of my credits transferred I am now a junior again.. :) I grew up in Midland, Tx, moved to Houston, Tx, moved back to Midland, and then as a sophomore in highschool I moved to Carlsbad, NM. For those of you who have no clue where that is, its a small town with about 25,000 residents and we are known for the Carlsbad Caverns or "The Caves". I love working with kids, and would like to teach kindergarten or first grade. I actually do like to read, but haven't had time this summer. I just finished a different literature class, Major American Writers, and had to read 6 novels for that class, all of which were pretty interesting! I'm currently trying to read the Twilight Series..and another book called Chasing Harry Winston. I think that Gothic Literature might be interesting because there seems to be quite a bit of mystery behind it. I have only been in class one day so far, but all of the information seems pretty cool to me. I have read, and understand, and agree to the terms of the syllabus!