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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 6 page paper examines “Manfred” by Lord Byron and “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and argues that they are both examples of Gothic literature; that Frankenstein is self-deceiving while Manfred is overly self-aware; and that both protagonists transgress boundaries: Frankenstein cross the line between life and death, and Manfred breaks the taboo against incest. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVvictrn.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Perhaps this explains the popularity of novels in which the protagonist transgressed some sort of law, crossed a boundary, behaved badly-did something, in other words, that the reader would never
dare to undertake. This paper considers the way in which boundaries are crossed in two works: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Manfred by Lord Byron. It considers them as both
works of Gothic literature, and then explores how they might exemplify the themes of self-awareness and self-deception. Discussion Gothic literature is defined by Lilia Melani, a professor of English at
Brooklyn College, as beginning with Horace Walpoles novel The Castle of Otranto, which appeared in 1765 to great acclaim (Melani). Readers today are likely to find it boring, because "except
for the villain Manfred, the characters are insipid; the action moves at a fast clip with no emphasis or suspense, despite the supernatural manifestations and a young maidens flight through
dark vaults" (Melani). But in the novel Walpole used those traits which have come to define Gothic literature: a remote setting, medieval trappings and the supernatural (Melani). Melani lists a
number of things that cause a work to be considered Gothic; to bear that label, it must have some of the following elements: "a castle, ruined or intact, haunted or
not"; sinister ruins "which arouse a pleasing melancholy"; dungeons, catacombs, crypts and similar underground chambers-in modern houses they become "spooky basements or attics"; scary, winding staircases and dark hallways; flickering
shadows, usually illuminated only by one light that quickly fails; extreme weather that takes place in extreme landscapes like "rugged mountains, thick forests, or icy wastes"; curses and omens; magic
and/or supernatural happenings; a "passion-driven, wilful [sic] villain-hero or villain"; a curious heroine who faints a lot and has to be rescued repeatedly; a hero whose "true identity" isnt revealed
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