All in All

I really REALLY liked this class! There was alot of reading but I enjoyed it! The blogging wasn't so bad, but I also had to do blogging for my previous English course so maybe that's why i'm not complaining. I liked the assigned readings and how we had daily quizzes so as to remind you as freshen your memory of what you had read earlier. I have known crossed over to the dark side though and still enjoy my non-fiction but I definitely have more respect and am more open to picking up a fiction book. I wouldn't change a thing in this course. What also made this course fun was the professor was always happy and always smiling which is something you don't always see. Awesome class :).

"A Rose for Emily", "A Good Man is Hard to Find", and "The Yellow Wallpaper"

After reading Charlotte's article about why she wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper", I understand now why she gave the male character in this story ignorance. In the story, John ( her husband ) is a physician and everytime she tries to tell him how she feels or that something is different about her, he rides it off by saying that she needs to strictly follow her medications, sleep more and not lift a finger, for that will make her stronger. Those were the same instrucitons given to Charlotte, but right at the brink of madness, she picked her up her pen ( which she was told not to do ), and started writing. I thought the short story was a perfect blend of patrial male-heiarchy and the wilting innocent woman plus the idea of horror because we don't really know what causes her to go mad, but we do know that she is very fascinated in this wallpaper that seems to grow more intersting each day to her.
In "Good Man", I believe the misfit is grotesque mainly because he seems to know what he is doing is wrong, yet feels no remorse for doing it. Almost like he doesn't care for anyone else but himself and will literally stop at nothing to keep his appearance a secret. In "A Rose for Emily", I believe that Emily is grotesque but i'm torn between Emily and Homer, not because they are mainly the only two characters you read about, but because it seems like they both have qualities about themselves that are different from other people. In the end, I am SURE that Emily is insane in "A Rose for Emily" because she has this dead rotting body in her bed and then the people find a silver hair, one of hers I believe, under the pillow next to the corpse. I just think that's disgusting. I do though see another revised southern belle in "Good Man", the grandmother. She has such a sweet side and sees the good side of things and never says many bad things throughout the story and even tries to talk some sense into the Misfit by telling him to pray. I know that if I had a guy with a gun who is known for murder standing right in front of me, I wouldn't do anything that might anger him! But the grandmother tries, even though she knows she keeps hearing gunshots.
I notice that time stands still in "Good Man", but in "Emily", times seems to progress rapidly and on a downward side at that. The "yankee" I believe is Homer Barron in "Emily", not jsut because it says so in the story, but because he is much different from the people in the town h's at. He's loud and disrespectful, always causing trouble. The white perceptions of Black americans in the story, I could only find in "Emily" when Homer Barron would "...cuss the riggers..".

Jean-Ah Poquelin

Consider and write about the changing South. In what ways does it change? Is there resistance? How does the subject of change influence the narrative. How is this story Southern Gothic. Do you see any of the Southern Gothic troupes. (PPT is in eCollege)

There always has to be at least one source of decay in a story, and in this story it is the plantation and pretty much everything surrounding it is decaying. Also, in this story, there is an introduction of wild animals, which is something I haven't seen or noticed in the other short stories and novels we've read. On the first page, you see that the "...shallow strips of water were hid by myriads of aquatic plants, under whose coarse and spiritless flowers, could one have seen it, was a harbour of reptiles, great and small, to make on shudder to the end of his days." The mention of animals great and small works on the readers mind because they don't tell you how big the animal is when he's "great". Also, the house of being "...the object of superstitions" is also another gothic element that is used, along with classifying the main character as being "...a symbol of witchery, devilish crime, and hideous nursery fictions..." when he didn't come back with his half-brother. There is resistance to change when the main character does NOT want a street built in front of his property. It starts on page 170 when the main character goes to the governor and says "...Strit can't pass dare" and goes on many many times to put his foot down and telling the people that he does NOT want a street built around his property and he does NOT want anymore people moving in around where he lives. This resistance is brought about because he probably does not feel comfortable with having others living around him, or that he doesn't trust anyone else, or maybe because he just wants to be alone. Throughout the story, you are used to reading about how the main character's house is falling apart and how he is lonely and only has an african mute staying with him, but the introduction of new blood in the story somewhat excites me because I thought that maybe he would come out of his shell, but then I was also worried because I wasn't too sure how the children would treat him, since they are always up to no good. There seems to be more action and more characters talking when the change happens and you get a little bit more of a sotry out of the story you are reading and it just makes it a little bit more interesting to see how other people act and react to the main character. I consider this story souther gothic because there is of course the decaying plantation, there is somewhat of a hero ( Mr. White ), there is the element of terror and mystery, and there are "ghosts" in the story. No one is ever really able to state whether or not it is a ghosts and since we never get to read the story from the main character's perspective we never know for sure if that really is his half-brother's ghost. What exactly did happen to Jacques?

Charles Chesnutt

In both "The Goophered Grapevine" and in "The Sheriff's children", the black character is not seen as inferior neccessarily, but more of an equal person ( well except for the lyncher's in "Sheriff's Children"), and are given respect. The black characters are also given a chance to speak their mind and tell their past lives ( which you see in both stories ) that are actually interesting and help give you information for the story to make sense. I do not know why Uncle Julius did not tell his story on what happened to the plantation but I rather rnjoyed hearing the story about the plantations past by someone who worked there, it's not so boring and despressing as hearing about how the character just looked out onto the fields and watched his servants work. There's no fun in that! You actually got to learn about the other characters in the story, the other workers, and how tey interacted with one another and how they were treated on the plantation. The racial identity of both the blacks in both of these stories is one that you didn't see in "Our Nig". I may be way off but in both of Chesnutt's stories, they were both intelligent n some way. The prisoner in "Sheriff's Children" tricked the sheriff by being stealthy and having very good dialect and the man in "Grapveine" knew of a past that the other two characters did not know about and actually asked him to explain instead of just brushing him off and saying that he don't know what he's talking about. the gothic elements come out in "Goophered Grapevine" with the works of Aunt Peggy and her being classified as a 'witch' by the narrator along with her goopher the grapevines. And then of course there's the element of horror in "Sheriff's Children" when the prisoner has the sheriff held up at gun point. I say this is horror because there is no way for the sheriff to get out therefore there is no resolution. Then, unlike other gothic novels, the heroine ( Polly ) comes to rescue the hero ( her father ) by shooting the prisoner in the arm.

I really don't think that readers cared for the "Sheriff's children" all that much because at some turn of events the black character is in control and has the white man's life in his hands. This is not usual to read and might not have gone over very well with those who believed that blacks were inferior and could never rise up or have the intelligence to retaliate. I rather enjoyed it though :). Along with "Sheriff's Children", in "Grapevine", the worker whos rubs the sap on his head to keep him from dying ( from the goopher Aunt Peggy set one the vines ) seems to take control of Henry, instead of Henry controlling it. The element of gothic in this story is the knowledge of the unknown, we know what happened to the vines, but we don't know exactly if that's the reason why Henry grows younger and older, or if the goopher really worked. there's many more ideas of mine I could talk about, but I think that's enough for now!

Our Nig

To me I see many reasons why this novel would be kept hidden for a number of years. First of all the title is somewhat offensive if you don't really take the time to read it and understand why it has the title that it does. Second of all, I think it was because the North did not want others to see how the slaves or their black servents were treated because they were seen as good and just people. I mean, even though you knew that there was beating and whipping and starvation going on, you didn't want to read about it! There are many parts in this story where things do get a little graphic and discussions tend to get unfair and prejudice which could anger any person who would have been reading it, I know it did me. I applaud Harriet Wilson though that she had the guts and courage to write about this and show people that even though you worked in the house and you were just a young girl, you still got the unruly treatment, worse than a dog. The Christians are actually given a good name in this novel ( except for the characters Mrs. Bellmont and Mary that is ) and I just think that many didn't want this book to be seen by the public eye because of her and they were pretty much ashamed of her and thought that she would give Christianity a bad name. The rest of the other characters treated her fairly, like she was a human being and no different from the rest of them. Christianity didn't want to look bad.
After Frado left the Bellmont's, she had a tough time getting by because she was black, thinking that her work or what she made wasn't good enough for anyone else to buy or respect. When her brother came up to her and wanted to marry her, she didn't hesitate because she finally had someone out there in the real world that cared about her, which almost reminds me of how her mother felt out in the public when Jim told her that he cared for her ( who was also black ). Even when she was wick, she was still having false rumors spread about her saying that she was a fraud and that she wasn't sick at all, which made her feel even worse. She bounced back and forth between different houses just trying to find someone who would take the time to care for her and hopefully accept her, but each time she got better, she had to leave. she never really had a home after the age of six and I think that Harriet was trying to show us that even though you are a free black, you still don't feel like you belong like everyone else. People still look down upon you and turn their noses up at you as if to show you are inferior to them and to their race just because of the color of your skin.

The Fall of the House of Usher

4)What kind of narrator is used in this piece? Is he reliable? Speculate as to why Poe would use this type of narrator for his work.

The narrator in this novella is the friend who come and visits Mr. Usher. Everything that we have read is through his eyes and also through his imagination and understanding of events. Although we do not get to fully understand what all is wrong with Roderick, we can at least get a feeling that something is not right with him when his friend states, "The now ghastly pallor of the skin...miraculous lustre of the eye...the silken hair, too, had been suffered to grow all unheeded, and as, in its wild gossamer texture, it floated rather than fell about the face, I could not, even with effort, connect its arabesque expression with any idea of simple humanity." Before this statement was made, the narrator went to explain how Usher used to look like which is why he was so astonished to find that Rocerick had some what decayed and things that used to sprakle and shine about him are now dull or even dead. For the story's sake, I believe that the narrator is reliable because it seems that Roderick is slowly but surely going mad and we wouldn't want to read the story from a madman's point of view, might not make any sense. I think Poe wanted the story to be told this way so that then we could get the full feelings from a normal sane person ( at the beginning that is ) and see what the house looked like from the outside, how grim and quiet it is on the inside, and what the characters look like compared to when he first knew him. Not much is said about Madeline, but the story seems to focus more on Roderick anyways. Now later on in the story, the narrator seems to be falling under the same dreary and decayed feeling, or feeling of madness, probably because of hos gloomy and dark and dreary thigns are around him. Might even possibly be a complete shift from what he's used to and he's still trying to make sense of it but just can't. I might even be way off right now ( thank god for class discussions!! ) but that is the way I see it.

Young Goodman Brown

I remember reading this in high shcool and actually being interested in the moral of the story. The significance in naming is one thing I noticed. The story is about the nature of sin in man and Nathaniel wrote the character's names as Young GOODMAN Brown and his wife FAITH. These two characters are unaware of the natural sin in humankind and yet are happy because they don't know how man can really be or what secrets they hide. I think the names were used to just add a little extra touch to his story. In my mind everything makes sense but when I try to type it out it just doesn't sound right so for now i'll just say that I believe Nathaniel used the names he chose because we associate the names with something good and innocent, and would never think anything beastly of them. The forest though, is where he meets the traveller who he mentions looks alot like him, but older. When Brown tries to turn around and head back, his traveller bades him to go further and further, giving in to temptation while going against what he knows is right. When his traveller lets him (Brown) sit and rest and go no further, Brown waits to see someone he knows that takes walks in the forest, but when he hears two people talking, he hides, almost like he's ashamed of where he is, guilt. The devilish communion that takes place in the forest also ( to me ) symbolizes the evil things that can happen when no one is around or when no one is there looking, pushing you even more to do things you would never do in the public eye. I may be way off track but the forest with it's tall trees and quiet atmosphere almost acts like a sescure place, letting you feel like you can do whatever it is you want to do, without being seen.

Female Gothic

It seemed like in Northanger Abbey, Lois the Witch and in Jane Eyre there always had to be some relationship with a female. Jane was friends ( for a short time ) with Helen, Lois was friends ( for a short while ) with Faith and Catherine is friends with Isabella ( along with Mr. Tilney's older sister). Since each protagonist has a female friend, obviously female relationships are very important in any story because not only does it symbolize that they are friendly, but they are also lonely and wish to have someone to relate with. That type of innocence and need for social interaction with other females makes me have a softer heart toward the female characters in these stories ( except for Grace Hickson ). With a female friend by their side, I believe the character doesn't feel so lost and is comforted with the others being near them.
In danger, the female protagonist will then lean on their female friend to give them support and comfort them and letting them know that everything will be alright. In "Lois the Witch", Lois turns to her Aunt to protest against the people were proclaiming that Lois was a witch. Than Faith steps in and agrees with the other people that she is a witch, depressing Lois. When Jane's friend Helen dies, Jane cries because she had lost the one person who was kind to her after her "family" left her.
In all three novels mentioned, it is implied that it is important to have strong friendships with other women not because it gives them comfort, but because it wasn't that proper back then to talk open-mindedly to a male. Female's needed to have a friend to run around the town with and gossip with, but also needed a true friend there for them as well. Women do need to support each other because sometimes you need someone there to stick up for you.
In the end of "Lois the Witch", after being betrayed by Faith, Lois finds comfort in telling Nattee stories of the Holy One as they sat in their hole dreading the morning. Lois felt stronger as she helped calm down and soothe Nattee with her stories, and with that confidence, she did not so much dread the hanging, until they took away Nattee first.
In "Lois the Witch", there is a cinderella formula, but the hero comes too late and does not save the heroine. The formula is the same as any other Cinderella story for the hero is always in love with Lois and promises one day to find her and marry her, but it is different in "Lois the Witch", because the hero comes too late. Weakness can be good and then on the other hand, can be bad. If the female characters speak up and speak their mind, they are seen as witches or as uncontrollable, but yet when they don't speak up for themselves others start making their own judgements about them and start getting ideas of their own in their minds without knowing the true story.This also comes into play with the term prejudice, people making their own judgements because the protagonist will not speak up and tell the truth, or the truth is not believed. There is no redemption in "Lois the Witch" until years later when the Hickson family writes up an apology for juding Lois so harshly, and Prudence delivering a speech explaining that what she did was wrong and shouldn't have happened.
When women become outspoken and decline the hand of marriage, they are seen as devilish and uncontrollable. When that happens, the father feels ashamed and send their daughters to take the veil. But that was in the older stories, in the mroe recent stories, the daughters were to feel ashamed of themselves and also to get an ear full from their father and mother on how her actions were not proper. Lois I guess you could could be seen as sexual because here she is declining her hand in marriage because her lust and love are to be with only one other man, whereas you should be grateful and take whosever hand you should have received.
I perosnally read "patriarchal" rule as "parental" rule and as an authority that opresses others. I do that not just because of my morals, but because usually in these stories the children must obey their parents and can do nothing to get their way or to get the parents to see things their way. The parents are so set in their own beliefs and udnerstandings that no child will steer their thoughts. Unfortunately, I do see the novel "Lois the Witch" as allegorical. I say the word unfortunately because Lois's aunt does not treat her very well along with not supporting her. Poor Lois is left to fend for herself in the end, knowing that what she says is right but can do nothing to save herself without bringing shame upon her name.

Value of Novel Reading

Reading novels is a great way to get a kid's imagination started and can actually help them become more creative ( and also help their grammar along the way ). I've always been fond of reading novels, more so non-fiction than fiction, but it always helps calm me down and gets me own imagination going ( which is good because i'm not that creative ). Nancy Drew was my favorite series of non-fiction books to read because the main character was this beautiful strawberry-blonde haired girl who was skinny and smart. She loved mysteries and always played the detective in her stories when something begins to puzzle her. All in all, I think reading novels is a great way to unwind and relax and just forget about the real world for just a little bit.
Older novels that explain in great detail the ways of living and how no woman would have never "done this" or how a man would always act "this way" around a lady. Just like the book the "Scarlett Letter". The story was mainly of a woman who commited adultery without being married, and had a child. Back then, people were scared of doing such a thing as to avoid personal embarassment. Now in these days, nobody really cares except for if you are able to take care of the baby. But those days are over, there's no proper way of living anymore in these years. It's just about covering up your body with clothes and going to work. No need to think about how you're walking or how you should hold your umbrella anymore. Today, television news takes over for what our society focuses most of their attention on. I mean of course there are books out there that will teach us how to properly speak, properly write, or how to eat at a fancy dining restaurant, but then there's also google that can help us with that.
I think alot of historical novels help us see ourselves in a way that we didn't want to percieve ourselves. We don't want to think about how we are just savage beasts who want their way and will kill in order to get to our goal. Some novels do do that and I love those because it then opens our eyes to our behavior and how we are not as perfect as we think.
Literature, in these days, I don't think can move a society to change, unless it was a book written by someone of higher power and status than us. Unfortuantely at the moment, I can not think of any novels that may have changed my life or the way I view society. I can only think of the stories that I have read which have helped me change the way I act. "The Tortosie and the Hare" being one of them. I was always a girl who wanted things done as fast as possible, but when I slowed down and payed extra attention to the small details, I realized that being fast doesn't always mean it's better. I know I will think of more examples later, but for now, that is all I have to say :).

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2. In this Gothic fiction, it seems that Mr. Utterson serves as a detective-type figure. Do you see any evidence that J & H is a precursor to the “detective novel” genre? (Technically, the genre began with the Sherlock Holmes novel in 1887.) Be sure to pull examples from the text to support your answer.

- There are incidences where Mr. Utterson plays the part of a detective. On page 71, for example, states ...the lawyer was to be found on his chosen post." Again on page 71, it states "If he br Mr. Hyde" he had thought,"I shall be Mr. Seek." Later on in the text, Mr. Utterson sent out to find Mr. Hyde at his Soho place to see if they could find any evidence that he had for sure murdered Sir Danvers Carew. This is found on pages 90-91. Along with that, it seems that this book was written through Mr. Utterson's point of view so most of it to me seems like a wait-and-watch story.

4. One aspect of Gothic fiction is the Gothic castle setting. Stevenson doesn’t use a castle, but he uses other settings about London to create the same terror inspiring feeling (Look at the Literature of Terror vs. Horror below). Look over the narrative and, using examples from the text, explain how Stevenson built another aspect upon the Gothic setting: think of the city of London, think of the House, the door, the courtyard, think of the laboratory. Blog your thoughts with examples from text

- The first time the reader learns about "the door" is on page 63 being described as "...blistered and distained." There was never much explanation of the house Dr. Jekyll lived, but the other houses surrdounding Dr. Jekyll's was described as "...ancient handsome houses, now for the most part decayed from their high estate and let in flats and chambers to all sorts and conditions." This iamgery pretty much sets up this vision of a street with old houses that dingy and slowly falling apart, page 74. Not a bright or colorful street, nor does it bear any signs positive life. The description of Soho on page 80 gives the reader a feeling of being uncomfortable or a little depressed for this city is not happy nor is it clean. "The dismal quarter of Soho seen under these changing glimpses, with it's muddy ways, and slatternly passengers, and it's lamps, which had never been extinguished or had been kindled afresh to combat this mournful reinvasion of darkness,...like a district of some city in a nightmare." The text also mentions fog about three times on page 80 as well too which you don't read about in the other city where Mr. Utterson lives. On page 97, Dr. Jekyll's dissecting room's door is broken down for Poole and Mr. Utterson want to see what exactly is going on in there and if Dr. Jekyll's body is hiden somewhere in there. What they find inside though is a neat and somewhat orderly place with the fire that is going and the papers that are spread out on each table, but the mention of the chemicals in the cabinet somewhat raises the reader's awareness. What are all these chemicals? What are they for? A question, that is never really answered.

Castle of Otranto

1. Take a feminist point of view and blog your ideas about the role of women in the text's setting. What options do women have? Are these options reasonable considering the time period? What concerns do characters have for women's feelings? Speculate as to Walpole's views about women.

-Women either have the choice of pleasing their husband and do whatever it is to make them happy or respect their wishes and get a divorce. I believe these options that are present in the Castle of Otranto is reasonable for the time period. Look at Romeo and Juliet. Both of the wives did nothing but stay out of the husband's ways ( at times) and always stuck by them no matter what they did. I think that the readers feel for the women characters in this book like they would a child who could not stand up for themselves. I felt very sorry for the women in the book because they were just seen as objects of love and fancy, or as objects that needed to be gone. Walpole, in my opinion, wanted to give women the dainty and saintly characterism so as to pull the readers more towards the good people who tend to treat them as an equal person. -

2. How does the text promote chivalry and romance? By romance, I don't mean just love between two people, but heightened sensitivity to feelings and emotions.

-Chivalry and Romance is not very apparent to me in the novel until Theodore comes to rescue Isabella, and later on after that. At that moment, it seems like the whole book had a more positive feel to it, even though there were more incidents of fighting. I noticed that romance played a role in this book when the author went to great lengths to let the readers know how Isabella felt about Conrad. Then the passionate scene between Matilda and Theodore grabbed my attention because it again reminded me of romeo and Juliet. Here's the boy that the family does not like but the daughter cheerishes. The author also puts emotion into when two characters are talking, and into the thoughts of the characters.

3. Speculate as to what Walpole may be saying about patriarchy and monarchy. Do you think he supported unquestioned allegiance to King and country--unquestioned submission to authority (King or parent)? Do you think his personal views about his father played into the text? Do you think it is reasonable to see the text allegorical--that Walpole was actually making commentary about 18th century England?

-I don't think Walpole supported alliance unless the Prince and Marquis each got what they wanted. Manfred did not go out of the way to give someone else what they wanted, but only himself. Manfred did know when not to battle with the other, expecially when he knew the other was of higher status than him. Manfred was not a very good listener, always quick to interrupt, and wanted things done his way. I don't remember much of what Dr. Davis said about Walpole's father but if Walpole has the dominant male character as an angry and harsh prince, than who's to say that the male figure in his life was not good to him? I do believe that Walpole was making commentary about 18th century England because the way the characters were played out in the book did resemble how some people would act. Men were very dramatic, whether it was with anger or passion, while the women played the role of being the good and wholesome wife who would never do a thing to hurt the one she loved.

4. Do you see a moral theme in the tale?

- I am still struggling with that question but I do know that I will find out later on today. The only moral tale that I could think of after reading the book was that You should never indulge yourself in your fantasies for they will drive you to do things you will soon regret.

5. What do you make of the conclusion? What does the conclusion say about marriage and romantic relationships.

- Since none of the marriages played out in the book and Matilda was not to see Theodore ever again, I have no doubt in saying that the author does not believe in happily ever after. The only marriage in the book ended up in agreed divorce which makes me wonder if the author saw that marriages fail or that there is always something better out there that the male wants.

6. Do you see evidence of Shakespearean influence in the story? How so?

- I do I do I do. Not only through the text but through the story! Yes the characters roles have been switched up a bit but this story reminds me exactly of Romeo and Juliet. With the Friar who wants nothing but to bring peace, Theodore ( Romeo ) who has fallen madly in love with the daughter ( Juliet ) of the angry Prince ( Juliet's Father ). I know that might seem a little farfetched but that is just what comes to my mind when I read the story. Of course, at the end Matilda ( Juliet ) is killed due to the anger driven by her father to rid himself of Hippolithia ( sp? ). Juliet "kills" herself earlier on in the story but in the end, she ends up dead just because the father will not want anything mroe than to pass on the family name, but not with a rival.

Gothic Fiction 10103: First Entry

Hello! I am from a little town called Benbrook, here in Texas. Haven't lived anywhere else!! I am a Junior at TCU and getting a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. I have never really cared for Fiction just because I am a person that enjoy's reading what is real, but I really need to broaden my horizons and become more creative instead of just sticking to the facts.

I have never really focused any of my readings on Gothic Literature but I do love movies such as Sleepy Hollow, which I consider to have a Gothic theme to it as the characters are dressed in suits and tight ballroom dresses. I in all honesty will say that I do not have a concrete idea of what Gothic Literature is or what it's supposed to look like in a reading. I struggle to be creative so at times I may not give the most elaborate and descriptive answer to a question, but I do answer with honesty. I can, at times, be a little blunt so if I offend anyone with my posts or remarks, please don't get mad. I just tend to stick to my point of view.

I am not very talkative and can be very shy. This could become a problem for the class discussions but i'll do my best. I guess i'm always just scared of someone laughing at me and thinking that reply to a statement is not up to others standards.

I have read and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.

Can't wait for the class to start!!