Tear Terror Horror. Flashcards
(17 cards)
Intro
Fear terror and horror are central to the gothic genre. Bram Stoker and Angela Carter combine the three to sustain the readers attention and emotional reactions throughout the stories. Fear terror and horror work in different ways but complement each other to help build the tension and unsettling atmosphere as the stories unravel.
Rear themes
Fear is explicitly shown with the Increase of Paranoia
In Dracula, The Epistolary Structure contributes to the aspect of suspense
Fear is also Often associated with settings where danger is hinted at but not immediately realized
Fear definition
Fear is the anticipation of danger, often rooted in the unknown or the subconscious. It is used to create suspense and maintain an atmosphere of dread.
Fear is explicitly shown with the Increase of Paranoia
in chapter 23 when Dracula appears in Dr sewards asylum: “Hush! There is someone in the corridor!” In this quote van Helsing gets scared by other ‘friendly characters’ displaying paranoia as he is dreading the count’s presence.
As we can see in the bloody chamber fear is present throughout the entire story and escalates as the protagonists gets to know her husband better and his fascination with violence. evidenced by his pornography collection)
In Dracula, The Epistolary Structure contributes to the aspect of suspense
as the story is fragmented and presents the events in various forms. Jonathan Harker’s diary entries in Chapters 3 “Safety and the assurance of safety are of things of the past” in comparison to minas interpretation of the events in chapter 14 “I wonder if there is any truth in it at all.” create fear through suspense as the fragmented narrative reveals Dracula’s true nature slowly, through journals and letters.
Fear is also Often associated with settings where danger is hinted at but not immediately realized.
This is present in the mysterious forests in the wolf stories and the earl king as well as the isolated remote gothic castle in the bloody chamber and jonathans description of draculas castle in the early chapters.
Terror themes
-and confirming our worst fears.
terror through suggestion rather than explicit depiction
Dracula’s attacks on Lucy and Mina evoke terror as they symbolize moral and physical corruption.
Terror / definition
Terror is the emotional response to an impending sense of danger or the unknown, it can be used to engage the reader’s imagination, making them envision the worst possible scenarios.
and confirming our worst fears.
a very clear moment of terror is when the protagonist enters the bloody chamber and discovers her husbands dark secrets. She and the reader are left imagining the worst possible scenarios that she will be the next victim, Inspiring terror within us. and confirming our worst fears.
terror through suggestion rather than explicit depiction -
lucy illness evokes terror through suggestion rather than explicit depiction, Example (Chapter 10):“ even the lips were white and the gums seem to have shrunken back from the teeth as we sometimes see in a corpse of a prolonged illness” This doesnt show a clear threat, but the uncertainty of Lucy’s condition and the creeping sense that something is terribly wrong creates this sense of dread
Dracula’s attacks on Lucy and Mina evoke terror as they symbolize moral and physical corruption.
Lucy’s transformation into a vampire in Chapters 12–16 represents a complete loss of Victorian virtue while Mina’s peril in Chapters 21–23 escalates the terror , as the characters race to save her soul.
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Horror themes
-impactful description of a shockingly repulsive scene.
graphic and physical
the sight of a traditionally good victorian woman portrayed unconventionally
Horror definition
Horror is the visceral reaction to something explicit and disturbing.
It shocks and repulses the reader through vivid descriptions of the grotesque, the uncanny, or the supernatural.
the short and impactful description of a shockingly repulsive scene.
The Snow Child’s sudden death and the Count’s disturbing and violent reaction to her body evoke visceral horror as he “ thrust his viral member into the dead girl”. Here horror is achieved through the short and impactful description of a shockingly repulsive scene. This is similar to the deadpan yet detailed description of the narrator’s murder in porphyria’s lover « the head that droops upon still; the smiling rosy little head » this evokes gothic horror through the factual and detached narrative.
graphic and physical
While terror is suggestive and psychological, horror is graphic and physical. Horror in The Werewolf comes from the physical violence of the wolf attack and the grandmother’s shift into a wolf, followed by the brutal killing described as “ Beating her old carcass as far as the edge of the forest and pelted her with stones until she fell down dead.” which is particularly disturbing
traditionally good victorian woman portrayed unconventionally
The proximity between Dracula and Mina triggers horror . ch23 “ Her face was ghastly with pallor which was accentuated by the blood which smeared her lips and cheeks and chin; from her throat trickled the thin stream of blood. Her eyes were mad with terror” Here the horror lies in the sight of a traditionally good victorian woman portrayed unconventionally under Draculas spell.
Conclusion
Stoker and carter combine fear terror and horror to explore the depths of human fear within its various forms. Each story and each chapter successfully triggers the readers emotional reaction in different ways, building suspense and intensifying the dread.
