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Gothic devices inDracula,The Turn of The Screw,AndDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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Among all the literary genres, the Gothic emerged as a new device, a new starting point to explore different ideas that did not fit properly in the already well known fields of Art. In 1764, Horace Walpole opened a new path with his Castle of Otranto, which is considered to be the first pure Gothic Novel. This novel contains the most typical Gothic elements that many authors and artists have been interested in and have applied to their own works. One hundred years later, the Gothic suffered several transformations and we can consider many works of literature that hold some innovations in the field. This essay focuses its study on three great works of fiction in the fin de siècle period: Dracula, The turn of the Screw and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We will analyse the resemblances and new features, concerning the Gothic tradition firstly stated by Walpole, that these works show and the elements within them that inflate the narrative technique with that atmosphere of fear and mystery so common in Gothic works. Needless to say, not only did the Castle of Otranto influence the Novel but also other fields of literature such as Drama and Poetry. Moreover, the Gothic devices mixed together with the already existing ones, rising in some cases the feelings of the reader or the audience. Many authors have argued that the main purpose of the Gothic fiction is to arouse new reactions in the people and provoke fear and terror. In this way we can see the Gothic as a means of evasion from the common feelings and sensations, experimenting a new conciousness of the mind: It was a new literary form in the late nineteenth century. At that time, the purpose of Gothic fiction, like that of the Sentimental novel, to which it was closely allied, was to educate the reader’s feelings through his identification with the feelings of the characters; to arouse his “sympathy”, as the aesthetics of sensibility demanded, by evoking pity and fear; and to explore the mind of man and the causes of evil in it, so that evil might be avoided and the virtue fostered (…). Gothic fiction has been called escape literature, intended to inspire terror for terror’s sake . What Elizabeth MacAndrew points out in this extract of the preface of her work The Gothic Tradition in Fiction is that we can establish connentions between the reader and the characters in the Gothic novel. When the reader identifies himself in the work of fiction, he feels what the fictional character feels and has the same emotions. Thus, the Gothic uses this phenomenon to transmit fear and horror. The use of realistic elements in Dracula, The Turn of the Screw and Dr. Kekyll and Mr. Hyde makes this fear grow because the readers keep in mind the possibility that this events described could happen, that they could come to their own reality, and create disorder and chaos in the modern world. Just because Gothic has always been seen as the bearer of uncontrollable evil forces, and when they are introduced in civilized areas, they break up the calmness. Before this, the Gothic remained in rural or wild and exotic settings such as castles and forests, places that were far from the reader, and although he could have fear of it, he felt secure in his comfortable home in front of his chimney. Another important device in the Gothic tradition is symbolism. Many of the most common elements that create the story can make the reader associate them with his own present experiences. Moreover, these tales can awaken bad or unpleasant memories hidden in the mind. Elizabeth MacAndrew states the point that this symbolism can function as a way of shaping the characteristic forms of the Gothic tale. Thus, natural forces can symbolize the state of mind of a particular character of the story: The common purpose,which ties these works together, emerges from the peculiar form of symbolism found in Gothic tales. In this literature, the entire tale is symbolic. In analysing it, one has to speak of storms that “stand for” the villain’s anger or heroines that more closely represent a concept of virtue than flesh-and-blood women . This symbolism, with its multiple connotations and interpretations, creates a sense of mystery in the Gothic literature, and confuses the mind of the reader. This can be considered as another example of the effects of the Gothic. Bram Stoker’s Dracula shares many features with the typical elements of the Gothic tale but it also introduces new changes, changes that surprised the reader and in no case diminished the original purpose of the Gothic. Dracula has two main settings: the castle of the Count in Transilvania, and England. The first of these settings is seen as one of the pure Gothic devices as it appears in Tha Castle of Otranto. Johnathan Harker arrives at a dark and old castle with medieval architecture, surrounded by precipices and neverending forests; everything seems to be immersed in an eternal night. Some parts of the castle are in ruins, and this unknown atmosphere causes claustrophobia to the man who comes from the modern world. Johnathan describes in a surpised tone what he contemplates in his way to the Count’s dwelling: We kept on ascending, with occasional periods of quick descent, but in the main always ascending. Suddenly I became conscious of the fact that the driver was in the act of pulling up the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light, and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the moonlight sky . Through the words of Harker, the reader is introduced in a new world that is unknown for him and discovers that his nightmares can come true. The fear of Harker is the fear of the reader. That atmosphere of mystery and suspense is present in many parts of the story and one of them is carried out in the first chapters of Dracula, specifically when Stoker describes the arrival and captivity of Harker by the Count. The silence of the passengers in the carriage and the incredulity of Johnathan before this behaviour can have different interpretations. An english man arrives at a strange country with customs full of superstitions and mysteries.
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