From the late 18th century to the early 19th century, known as the Romantic period, there was a shift in certain cultural and artistic elements that tended towards a Gothic revival. In addition to a Gothic revival through architectural adaptations in England, writers in particular began to enjoy incorporating elements of the Gothic aesthetic into their works, thus beginning a fusion of the two styles. The images associated with the Gothic were considered so distinct and carrying a certain essence that its use, whether politically, socially, architecturally, culturally or spiritually inspired, made for an interesting and unique collection of literary works. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayTo better understand the correlation between the Romantic and the Gothic, it is first necessary to understand the basics and intricacies of the definition of both of these terms. In its simplest terms, the Oxford Companion to English Literature defines Romanticism as “the triumph of the values ​​of spontaneity, visionary originality, wonder, and emotional self-expression over classical standards of balance, order, moderation, proportion, and objectivity. ..[it] derives from 'romanticism', the literary form in which desires and dreams prevail over everyday reality” (Oxford Companion to English Literature). Prominent authors of the Romantic period include William Wordsworth, William Blake, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. To attempt to define Gothic aesthetics, we must first define what Gothic actually is. The Oxford Companion to English Literature defines the Gothic literary tradition as “a distinct modern development in which the characteristic theme is the stranglehold of the past on the present, or the encroachment of the “dark” centuries of oppression upon the “enlightened” modern age. ... typically embodied in closed and haunted environments such as castles, crypts, convents or gloomy abodes, in images of ruin and decay and in episodes of imprisonment, cruelty and persecution” (Oxford Companion to English Literature). He defines the term Gothic itself as meaning "medieval and, by implication, barbaric" (The Oxford Companion to English Literature). Gothic Revival includes that which recalls or recalls the past, socially, culturally, architecturally, and spiritually. At the same time it allowed for a clash between the old and the new in the creation of contemporary works, combining the historical with the modern, for a new "vintage". Concepts, ideas, fears, emotions, opinions, and morals that existed in the more medieval Gothic age still existed in the Romantic period, so New Gothic writers could take these traditional topics and find a new way to tell readers about them. The ideals commonly associated with the Gothic Revival are medievalism, barbarism, and supernaturalism. Established largely through the use of the supernatural, or what seemed supernatural but would later seem natural to me, people were reminded of their superstitious and God-fearing feelings, and of the presence of the "other." As David Hume says, the Gothic novel “can be seen as a symptom of a widespread shift away from neoclassical ideals of order and reason, towards the Romantic belief in emotion and imagination” (Hume 282). Some Gothic works, which will be discussed further, include “Christabel” by Samuel Colderidge, “The Eve of St Agnes” by John Keats, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. Walpole's The Castle of Otranto is considered the first Gothic novel, paving the way for other modern additions to the romance genre. Walpole himself, a firm supporter of the Gothic revival, even had his own castle built in the stylemedieval, following the inspiration of Gothic architecture. The relationship between the Romantic period and the Gothic Revival can be discussed through the ways in which one inspired or interacted with the other. However, many difficulties arise in attempting to distinguish distinctly the connections between Gothic and Romantic influences and as Michael Gamer explains “what we have, then, are borrowings which cannot be explained solely in terms of influence, whether passive or active, individual or individual. cultural... the relationship between Gothic and Romantic ideology is itself Gothic, since the presence of the Gothic in Romantic writing is characterized by "multiple interpretations... [of] multiple modes of consumption and production, [of] consumption dangerous and excessive productivity, and [of] economies of meaning” (Gamer 28). Although it is difficult to distinguish where exactly the influence lies, it is still possible to see the connections and evaluate the relationship in this way. The presence of the Gothic, whether architectural, spiritual, cultural, social or political, is unmistakable within some Romantic works, so it is an explorable topic Romantic writers wanted to recognize growth, life and beauty, to arouse emotions in readers , create feel something new or something old. It didn't necessarily matter as long as they were stimulated to feel, react, or respond. David Hume discusses their relationship by suggesting that “Gothic and Romantic writing arise alike from the recognition of insufficiency of reason or religious faith to explain and make comprehensible the complexities of life” (Hume 290). People are always looking for reasons and explanations to life's questions and problems, and the inexplicable arouses feelings of resentment and anger. By having the Gothic influence on their romantic writing, the authors were able to provide readers with the possibility of relief from these feelings. Hume further notes that while "Romantic writing reconciles the discordant elements it faces, resolving their apparent contradictions imaginatively in the creation of a higher order... Gothic writing, the product of serious imagination, has no such answers and can only leave the opposites". 'contradictory and paradoxical. In its highest forms Romantic writing claims the existence of higher answers where the Gothic can only find unresolvable moral and emotional ambiguities” (Hume 290). What better way to evoke religious presence in a reader than with a supernatural entity, disturbingly invisible yet so terrifyingly real. Just as with religion, it cannot be visibly seen, but its presence is felt indefinitely. Regarding the reception of Gothic aesthetics in the Romantic period, attitudes towards the style varied. Some thought it was too much of the past, reminiscent of the barbaric and dark times of history. It represented decay and destruction, ignorance, cruelty and persecution. Some believed that looking backwards did not allow forward movement. For others, Gothic was “a vehicle for the transmission of a forward-thinking mentality through the unenlightened Middle Ages” (Dugget 59). Some accepted these images of decay and destruction and used them to see a new and brighter future; it was the map of how far society had come. Moving forward, one must remember where they came from to know how far they have come. In each case it was a memory of the Middle Ages and the more archaic periods of English history, but whether that memory provided a positive vision for the future or deeply negative memories of the past was up to the individual. Michael Gamer acknowledges that “it isIt was Gothic's ease of dispersion and its ability not to remain within the confines of prose romance - its habit of collapsing disciplinary and social categories, however gendered or polarized - that constituted one of the main threats for reviewers who have sentenced." "(Player 4). Regarding Walpole's reception in particular, E. J. Clery notes that Walpole's “contemporaries [regarded] the Gothic Age [as] a long period of barbarism, superstition, and anarchy [that] extended loosely from the fifth century AD... to the Renaissance and the revival of classical learning… [and that] 'Gothic' also meant something obsolete, old-fashioned, or extravagant” (Clery 21). People wanted to read new material and the idea that Walpole had written a Gothic story raised the question of its modernity. People have always had an obsession with "novelty" and originality, and the assumptions and associations that accompanied the term "gothic", especially when used in the title The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story, generated a feeling of aversion towards the idea of ​​Gothic literature. If it can be assumed that “only if a fiction is true to life can it become a vehicle for useful instruction or moral improvement,” then some have wondered what the benefit would be in reading a story in which morality is learned with the use of supernatural. interference from some unknown entity (Clery 22). Since medieval Gothic is associated with a period of anarchy, its revival aroused political concern and disapproval due to the fear of some form of political dissent. Along with the then current political issues in England, “Gothic fiction and drama were perceived as threats to the political and social order” (Gamer 31). However, although this discouraged some from accepting it, its cultural, architectural and spiritual influences were easier to receive. “Christabel” by Samuel T. Coleridge was written in two parts, written in 1797 and 1800 respectively. The poem is an example of the influence of the Gothic on the Romantic. In the poem, Christabel is a young girl wandering the woods in the dead of night when she comes across Geraldine lying tied on the ground, claiming to have been the victim of a kidnapping. Christabel takes Geraldine to her father, Sir Leoline's, castle to give her refuge, whereupon they discover that Geraldine is the daughter of Leoline's old enemy, Roland. When Christabel begins to suspect Geraldine of deceit and deceit, before she can alert her father, she finds herself under a spell from Geraldine that will not allow her to inform her father. Christabel eventually frees herself from the spell, but after informing her father, she finds that he refuses to believe her, accepting Geraldine and excluding Christabel. The poem uses traditional Gothic elements, from setting to psychology. The speaker notes that “It is late night by the castle clock” and that “The night is cold, but not dark/ The thin gray cloud is spread overhead,/ covers but does not hide the sky./ The moon is behind , and in abundance" (Colerdige 1,14-18). The very beginning of the poem takes place in the dark woods, creating a strangely eerie environment in which the reader can predict some impending event. It creates an atmosphere of apprehension as Christabel is depicted wandering through misty mists and dark moonlight. Tension builds as the reader waits in anticipation, expecting something as the narrator asks “Is the wind moaning darkly?/There is not enough wind in the air…Hush beating heart of Christabel!/Jesus, Mary, protect her” GOOD!" (Coleridge 45-57). This seemingly otherworldly presence evokes fear of the supernatural, wondering what kind of existence is at hand. Upon Geraldine's initial discovery near the tree, it appears that the source was a victim maiden, but manas the poem progresses, Geraldine's corporeal reality is called into question and she becomes the source of seemingly supernatural activity. The reader becomes further suspicious of Geraldine as she implores Christabel to “Have pity on my grave distress / I can scarcely speak for weariness: / Stretch out thy hand, and be not afraid!” (Coleridge 73-76). As Geraldine tells Christabel the strange details of her kidnapping, something goes wrong, though it's hard to say what exactly it is. Geraldine seems suspicious and contradictory in her stories, and although it seems like it may be the result of her distress, it instills a feeling of distrust in the reader. Something is wrong with the woman and her story. The supernatural is again suggested when the two women go to sleep together and Geraldine almost gives the impression of being some kind of seductress as she lies next to Christabel and tells her "In the touch of this breast a spell works, / Which is the lord of their words, Christabel!/ You know it tonight, and you will know it tomorrow,/ This mark of my shame, this seal of my sorrow” (Coleridge 257-260) It already seemed that some sort of witchcraft surrounded Geraldine, then to hear her mentioned to Christabel arouses more fear in his intentions with the innocent maiden. The supernatural element is constantly mentioned or suggested, but never revealed outright. When Christabel wakes up and "recovers from the trance", and later becomes aware of the serpentine features of Geraldine as "The little eye of a serpent blinks dullly and shyly / And the woman's eyes have shrunk in her head / Each has shrunk to a serpent's eye / And with a little malice, and more of terror/Christabel looked askance! (Coleridge 573-577). Even the way Leoline seems so easily entranced by Geraldine suggests that she belongs to the supernatural, a kind of mermaid. The idea that it could be supernatural, but the fact that it is never stated in the poem is even scarier. It would be less scary to know for sure whether it is an evil otherworldly entity, or simply appears as such. Such a haunted setting, the supernatural Geraldine with her deception, the imprisonment of Christabel under the spell and the castle are all typical features of the Gothic aesthetic. Using similar characteristics of Gothic aesthetics as “Christabel,” “The Eve of St” by John Keats Agnes” is the love story of two young lovers. The poem uses strong gothic imagery to create an atmosphere for the poem. Madeline is a young girl in love with Porfiro, son of her family's enemy. One night, before going to bed, Madeline decides to try a ritual on the eve of St. Agnes whereby a young virgin's lover will come to her while she sleeps. That same night, Porphyro, with Angela's reluctant help (at his own risky cost), sneaks into Madeline's room to observe her beauty as she sleeps. When Porphyro wakes Madeline from her dream, she is confused by the sudden change in Porphyro between Madeline's dream version of him and him in reality. He then convinces her to run away with him, and they will never see her family again. Also in this case there is the presence of superstition and the appearance of the supernatural with the tradition of the eve of Saint Agnes and the knights visiting in dreams. With high hopes of receiving a visit from her lover, a virgin will go to bed without supper, be naked and lie face up towards the sky. Madeline, as well as the other girls, readily follow this superstition since they are so eager and desperate to interact with their lovers. The mood is also set for Gothic aesthetics as the narrator describes “The dead sculptors, come onevery side, they seem to freeze, / Imprisoned in black, purgatorial bars: /... To think how they might suffer in frozen hoods and mails” (Keats 14-18). Darkness, ruin and decay are represented by the worn statues, frozen in time and space, blackened and cursed. This draws on Gothic as a medieval image. As before, the presence of the supernatural is questionable, not absolute but sufficient to reflect on its existence. Madeline ends up dreaming about Porphyro, so is it really superstition or was there really some intervention on the part of Saint Agnes? It is also questionable with Angela, who reluctantly allows Porphyro into Madeline's chambers, against her better judgment and wishes. He regrets letting him in and at the end of the poem he dies. Is this perhaps a supernatural intervention punishing her for allowing a male to enter a naked virgin's room while she dreams? It is enough to raise the question of the possibility of the supernatural. THE narrator even suggests a supernatural element to Madeline and Porphyro themselves as "They slip, like ghosts, into the wide hall;/ Like ghosts, they slip to the iron porch" where the repeated use of 'ghosts' suggests that they have actually passed into the the supernatural, leaving the natural world entirely (Keats 361-362). It could even be argued that they actually became ghosts, otherworldly creatures, suggesting some psychological repercussions of their premarital encounter. Perhaps Madeline ran away in her mind with the dream version of Porphyro, or perhaps she and Porphyro have crossed over into an otherworldly existence. Such psychological characteristics, which question sanity, are also part of the aesthetics of Gothic. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, most commonly associated with being a feminist text due to its timing and influence in that area, has a plot that revolves around the possibility of the existence of the supernatural. When Jane Eyre is hired as the new governess in Edward Rochester's ward, she begins to fall in love with him and strange events occur in the house. Because the story is told from Jane's point of view, the reader is only aware of what she knows. A few times during the night Jane wakes up feeling like someone is in her room watching her; at one point she even manages to glimpse him, but she's not sure who or what she saw. In some parts of the castle, Jane hears “the last sound I expected to hear in so silent a region, laughter, struck my ear. It was a curious laugh; distinguished, formal, without joy. I stopped: the sound stopped, just for an instant; it began again, louder: at first, although distinct, it was very low. It went out with a resounding peal that seemed to awaken an echo in every solitary room” (Bronte 158). The creepy laughter follows Jane throughout the house, appearing occasionally at times when it seems wrong and suspicious. The reader becomes aware of an unsettling sensation associated with his presence. Jane ultimately believes this to be the laughter of Grace Poole, a woman she believes is "possessed by a devil" (Bronte 221). As soon as Jane thinks about it, the reader is also surprised. Is she possessed by some otherworldly monster? The story continues with feelings of apprehension and fear every time Jane enters certain rooms of the house. Things get even scarier when Rochester's room is set on fire and Jane believes it is Grace's doing. The "demon" has now been shown to be some sort of evil, and the rest of the novel leaves the reader in fear as to what the next demonic crime will be. The reader shares Jane's fear and apprehension, not knowing for sure who or what is causing the violence. Even more so if you consider thepossibility that a worse attack will occur in the near future. Later in the novel, a visitor is attacked at night, stabbed and near death. Jane obediently helps as Rochester requests, and it becomes apparent that Rochester does not find such violent events suspicious, suggesting that he has something to hide. Suspicions about him grow until it is discovered that the culprit is not Grace Poole, but Rochester's demented wife, a secret hidden from the world. Having gone mad years earlier, Rochester chose to hide her from the world and hired Grace Poole to care for her within the castle. The illusion of a supernatural element is shattered, but the fear remains with this dangerous and violent individual. Therefore, this is one of the moments when the seemingly supernatural turns out to be natural. Having been the first true Gothic novel, Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto encompasses much of what is considered the aesthetics of the Gothic, from images, to architecture, to the psychological, to the supernatural, to terror. As a Gothic novel “it is part of the new 'trial literature' which reflects the mind of its creator” and “attempts to awaken the imaginative sympathies of the reader” (Hume 282). Manfred is the owner of the castle and master of the land and his son is killed on his wedding day when a gigantic helmet falls on him from the sky. In an effort to maintain control over his land, Manfred seeks to divorce his faithful wife Hippolita for his late son's fiancée Isabella. Isabella flees to a church to be safe from the abominable idea of ​​marrying her dead fiancé's married father and receives the help of a prisoner named Theodore. The Castle of Otranto begins with the ominous prophecy “That the castle and lordship of Otranto would pass from the present family, whenever the true owner had grown too great to inhabit it” (Walpole 17). From the beginning the novel seems predisposed to proceed according to a predetermined, although still unknown, state of events. The direction the novel will take is suggested to the reader. The curiosity surrounding the bizarre prophecy adds an element of mystery to the novel. What does the prophecy mean? Where does it come from? Will it come true? Does it come from divine or supernatural intervention? Mystery and uncertainty produce feelings of apprehension and fear, which contribute to the construction of the Gothic aesthetic. What is unknown arouses wonder and demands answers. These questions make the reader think throughout the novel. The atmosphere and setting of the novel also includes elements that form a Gothic aesthetic. Gothic is “typically embodied in enclosed, haunted environments such as castles, crypts, [and] convents” (Oxford Companion to English Literature). Named after the location, Otranto Castle is the most obvious use of Gothic due to the presence of the castle. When the citizens try to understand what happened to Manfred's son, they establish that Theodore "stole the helmet from the tomb of good Alfonso, and with it shattered the brain of our young prince" thus taking him to the crypt. The place of refuge for the fleeing characters naturally becomes the church; Both Isabella and Theodore use it to escape Manfred's wrath. All three structural elements representing the Gothic aesthetic are used by Walpole in Otranto. Since his was a pioneering work for the genre, it is evident that his examples of these three are what subsequent writers drew inspiration from. Manfred himself encompasses the archaic notions of the Gothic as he ruled the country with the hand of tyranny, controlling everything, maintaining power for himself and his legacy. Alfred Longuiel's definition applies perfectly to Manfred as "the adjective 'gothic' is employed as a definite synonym andrecognized as barbarian. Very often this usage is in connection with ignorance, cruelty, or ferocity, qualities associated with the inherited Renaissance vision of the Middle Ages” (455). Manfred is a cruel and selfish ruler, concerned only with preserving his family's name on the throne. He doesn't care what the cost of power is or the consequences of his actions for others. He is the embodiment of barbarian rule. It is because of his tyrannical ways that the story unfolds the way it does, as the consequences of all his actions finally catch up. Manfred had even imprinted terror into Isabella's "mind, from her causeless severity to such lovely princesses as Hippolyta and Matilda" (Walpole 19). Terror is a common element of Gothic aesthetics, used as an attempt to invoke morality. Manfred wrongfully imprisons Theodore and sentences him to death, blaming him for his son's crushing death. Such captivity is another common element of Gothic. Such “terror dependent on suspense or terror is the modus operandi of Walpole's novels…[it] holds the reader's attention through the fear of a series of terrible possibilities” (Hume 285). Gothic images of ruin and decay are portrayed through the collapse of Manfredi's power. His years of greed and tyrannical rule have returned for justice. However, the image of decadence would not be complete if only Manfred himself was suffering. After the loss of his only male heir, Manfred accidentally kills his daughter, mistaking her for Isabella and stabbing her in a fit of jealous rage. This is the last piece of the collapse and after Manfred loses everything, power is returned to the rightful person, Theodore. The prophecy stated that when “the true owner outgrew” the lordship, the new ruler would take possession. The irony is that it is when Manfred has nothing left and loses his children that he has become “too big” (Walpole 17). Walpole's Otranto “aimed for a medieval atmosphere by means of a medieval backdrop, lonely castles, haunted towers, underground passages, knights in armour, magic. But to the reading public the most important feature of these stories seems to have been not their Gothic setting, but their supernatural episode” (Longeil 458). Walpole's use of the supernatural is primarily in the form of large armor pieces that reappear frequently. His son is crushed by a giant helmet. One of the servants claims to have seen a giant foot in the gallery chamber, while another, Bianca, sees a giant hand appear in another part of the castle. These gigantic pieces of body and armor have caused fear and unrest among the castle family. Several occupants saw him, but no one could identify him. His mystery remains one of the main mysteries of the novel. Other moments also suggest the supernatural; previously Bianca claims to hear voices in the corridors and determines that the castle is haunted. At one point “the plumes of the enchanted helmet, which still remained at the other end of the court, were tempestuously waved and nodded three times, as if bowing before its invisible wearer” (Walpole 53). Manfred's fear of Theodore arises from his uncanny resemblances to the portrait of Alfonso hanging in the gallery, and Manfred himself initially took Theodore for a ghost. Even though it is later revealed that he is actually a descendant of Alfonso, there is still a supernatural element carried within Theodore throughout the entire novel. One has to wonder how it could happen that, even though he had no idea who his relatives were, by some twist of fate he manages to make his way to his rightful throne. The supernatural collaborates with destiny in.