The Gothic Wider Reading
Rebecca
Key Gothic ideas and concerns
- The supernatural
- The Byronic hero
- The double
- The uncanny
- The psyche
The supernatural
- In the novel, the supernatural does not manifest in a literal sense, in the same was
as Dracula or Frankenstein, but rather as a haunting and permeating presence.
Rebecca, though long dead, haunts the narrator in her new home, her presence
both in the house and through Mrs. Danvers infecting the narrator and Maxim’s
house
- Ghosts in the Gothic are a typical motif, due to their association with the dead, the
uncanny and the liminal space between life and death. In Rebecca, the ghost of
Rebecca acts as a psychological phenomenon rather than a physical manifestation.
The narrator can feel Rebecca’s presence throughout the novel, and it is this
psychological torment for the narrator and Mrs. Danvers that leads to the events of
the end of the novel
The Byronic hero
- Similar to the likes of Rochester, Maxim has a secret and haunting past which he is
tormented by, and which manifests and harms the female narrator later on. His
actions are quickly forgiven by her, and he never faces any legal repercussions for
his actions
The double
- Rebecca and the narrator operate as literary doubles, Rebecca as a manifestation
of the narrator’s fear, insecurity and self-criticism and the narrator as a
manifestation of the woman she should have been – the narrator takes her position
in the house and is the ideal of a subservient, well-mannered woman who Maxim
loves and accepts
, Wuthering Heights
Gothic concerns and ideas:
- The sublime + nature
- Death
- Love + violence
- Transgression
- The Byronic hero
The Byronic hero:
- Almost a stock character of the Gothic, the Byronic hero is the figure of the dark,
brooding, mysterious and alluring male figure, who is always haunted or overcome
by some element of his past. Associated with Lord Byron but dating back to
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Byronic hero is a figure of the Gothic as he is morally
ambiguous – self-destructive and often arrogant and isolated, he retains some
magnetism which reflects a key concern of the Gothic – the human tendency
towards the allure of moral corruption. The Gothic often reflects the conflict
between the human desire to be moral and benevolent while also retaining, almost
subconsciously, the attraction of moral deviance and the Byronic hero provides the
mechanism by which to explore this
- In Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff embodies the Byronic hero – he is presented as
wildly emotional, capable both of deep, sincere love and incredible anger and
hatred. His morally ambiguous character means that the reader is both repelled
and allured by him, a figure similar to Dracula in this respect. His love of Cathy and
his treatment of her, as well as those around her, is reflective of the Gothic’s
exploration of the relationship between love and violence. Similar to Carter – The
Bloody Chamber explores the role of violence and brutality in sexuality
- His morality is of particular interest to the Gothic, as he is presented as morally
depraved and even dangerous but is still alluring and magnetic. He takes a similar
role to the likes of Dorian Gray, who the reader knows to be morally degenerating as
the novel progresses, but who the characters are still drawn towards. Charlotte
Bronte, sister to Emily Bronte, wrote in the preface to the novel that Heathcliff
“never swerves once from his arrow-straight course to perdition”
The Sublime + nature:
- Wuthering Heights is set in the Yorkshire moors, an isolated setting which acts as a
dynamic force around the characters. When Heathcliff left, Cathy searched the
Rebecca
Key Gothic ideas and concerns
- The supernatural
- The Byronic hero
- The double
- The uncanny
- The psyche
The supernatural
- In the novel, the supernatural does not manifest in a literal sense, in the same was
as Dracula or Frankenstein, but rather as a haunting and permeating presence.
Rebecca, though long dead, haunts the narrator in her new home, her presence
both in the house and through Mrs. Danvers infecting the narrator and Maxim’s
house
- Ghosts in the Gothic are a typical motif, due to their association with the dead, the
uncanny and the liminal space between life and death. In Rebecca, the ghost of
Rebecca acts as a psychological phenomenon rather than a physical manifestation.
The narrator can feel Rebecca’s presence throughout the novel, and it is this
psychological torment for the narrator and Mrs. Danvers that leads to the events of
the end of the novel
The Byronic hero
- Similar to the likes of Rochester, Maxim has a secret and haunting past which he is
tormented by, and which manifests and harms the female narrator later on. His
actions are quickly forgiven by her, and he never faces any legal repercussions for
his actions
The double
- Rebecca and the narrator operate as literary doubles, Rebecca as a manifestation
of the narrator’s fear, insecurity and self-criticism and the narrator as a
manifestation of the woman she should have been – the narrator takes her position
in the house and is the ideal of a subservient, well-mannered woman who Maxim
loves and accepts
, Wuthering Heights
Gothic concerns and ideas:
- The sublime + nature
- Death
- Love + violence
- Transgression
- The Byronic hero
The Byronic hero:
- Almost a stock character of the Gothic, the Byronic hero is the figure of the dark,
brooding, mysterious and alluring male figure, who is always haunted or overcome
by some element of his past. Associated with Lord Byron but dating back to
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Byronic hero is a figure of the Gothic as he is morally
ambiguous – self-destructive and often arrogant and isolated, he retains some
magnetism which reflects a key concern of the Gothic – the human tendency
towards the allure of moral corruption. The Gothic often reflects the conflict
between the human desire to be moral and benevolent while also retaining, almost
subconsciously, the attraction of moral deviance and the Byronic hero provides the
mechanism by which to explore this
- In Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff embodies the Byronic hero – he is presented as
wildly emotional, capable both of deep, sincere love and incredible anger and
hatred. His morally ambiguous character means that the reader is both repelled
and allured by him, a figure similar to Dracula in this respect. His love of Cathy and
his treatment of her, as well as those around her, is reflective of the Gothic’s
exploration of the relationship between love and violence. Similar to Carter – The
Bloody Chamber explores the role of violence and brutality in sexuality
- His morality is of particular interest to the Gothic, as he is presented as morally
depraved and even dangerous but is still alluring and magnetic. He takes a similar
role to the likes of Dorian Gray, who the reader knows to be morally degenerating as
the novel progresses, but who the characters are still drawn towards. Charlotte
Bronte, sister to Emily Bronte, wrote in the preface to the novel that Heathcliff
“never swerves once from his arrow-straight course to perdition”
The Sublime + nature:
- Wuthering Heights is set in the Yorkshire moors, an isolated setting which acts as a
dynamic force around the characters. When Heathcliff left, Cathy searched the
