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Features of the gothic novel and Southern Ontario gothic in the works of Robertson Davies
Kyselová, Mariana ; Nováková, Soňa (advisor) ; Kolinská, Klára (referee)
The gothic novel, albeit not considered high literature, counts among the most distinctive literary genres. The literary form was at its prime in late 18th century, although its days of glory have past elements of the Gothic can be found even in contemporary literature. Over the centuries, several sub-genres of the gothic novel have developed, including Southern Ontario Gothic. This branch of the Gothic is characterized by criticism of social attitudes towards race, politics, gender and religion specific for that region, in combination with elements of the supernatural, magic realism and satire. Robertson Davies, whose novels belong to the most significant works of Southern Ontario Gothic, is considered to be a Canadian literature classic. The aim of this paper is to compare the elements of a classical gothic novel with the elements of Southern Ontario Gothic in Robertson Davies' TheDeptford Trilogy. The initial chapter covers the theoretical background to the problematic of the Gothic and defines the commonly used terminology. The term "gothic" is used in many contexts and fields, and therefore can carry various meanings. The chapter also introduces Southern Ontario Gothic as an acknowledged sub-genre. In the second chapter, some common themes that occur in Canadian culture are introduced....
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Female Gothic in Sarah Waters' Fingersmith and The Little Stranger
Gajdošíková, Veronika ; Topolovská, Tereza (advisor) ; Higgins, Bernadette (referee)
This bachelor's thesis analyses two novels by Sarah Waters, Fingersmith (2002) and The Little Stranger (2009), and analyses them through two different theories of Female Gothic, which is a subgenre of Gothic literature. Both books are replete with female characters experiencing feelings of confinement in the house they live in as well as darkness, and the supernatural. All of these features are crucial when defining the Female Gothic. One by one, the two theories will be applied to the novels. The author of the first is Anne Williams, who contrasts Female Gothic mode with Male Gothic mode. She distinguishes between these modes using the narrator, the approach to the supernatural, and the conclusion of the plot. The second concept is by Ellen Moers. She establishes that all Gothic books written by women are Female Gothics, however, she also highlights the setting of the story and the feelings it evokes in female characters. The subject of interpretation will be the narrator, the supernatural elements and the conclusion of the novels. Attention will also be paid to houses and madhouses that appear in Fingersmith and The Little Stranger, and the feelings of confinement, gloominess, and hopelessness they induce in the female characters. The aim of this thesis is to discover if, according to Williams,...
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Lemony Snicket´s Series of Unfortunate Events and Joan Rowling´s Harry Potter as Examples of Contemporary Anglo-American Moral Fantasy
FRANKOVÁ, Nikola
The thesis deals with the interpretation of Series of Unfortunate Events written by an American author Lemony Snicket and Joanne K. Rowling´s story about Harry Potter. The analysis is focused on the moral and ethical aspects of individual motifs and symbols, as well as on the importance of human values in the behaviour of main characters. Some of the main protagonist were analysed according to their ability to spread good or evil, and therefore their influence on the young reader. The most important aspect was the good will of characters according to the principles of Lévinas' ethics while the self-sacrifice of the heroes is considered the highest moral value.
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Podivný pán z Providence aneb Literární horor v pojetí Howarda Phillipse Lovecrafta a jeho odkaz v pop-kulturním prostoru
PODLAHA, Roman
The Bachelor thesis is mainly focused on horror literature written by American renowned author Howard Phillips Lovecraft. In the first part, the genre of horror as such and its history from the early beginnings is described. Thanks to this introduction, the reader can easily put Lovecraft's work into a broad context of the pop-culture field. The next part of the work is primarily concerned with basic themes and motives which efficiently define the form of Lovecraft's horror stories. To conclude with, the thesis presents several examples of author's reflection in the contemporary works of art.
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Gothic Elements in the Novels of the Bronte Sisters
Mikulová, Martina ; Nováková, Soňa (advisor) ; Beran, Zdeněk (referee)
Gothic Elements in the Novels of the Brontë Sisters Thesis abstract Gothic fiction, with its eerie atmosphere and mysterious characters, had a great influence on many later authors. That was without a doubt also the case of the Brontë sisters. Emily's Wuthering Heights, with Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Villette, all contain profound elements of the Gothic. One of the most interesting aspects and perhaps the leading element here is the variety of Gothic character types, which can be found in these novels. By their actions, motivations, and even physical appearance, these characters very much contribute to the creation of a Gothic atmosphere in the novels. The Gothic novel genre has been described as relying on stock character types, some of which indeed entered later fiction, and here were variously transformed. The thesis will therefore identify such characters, trace their Gothic history, and consequently focus on analysing their relation with other important stock Gothic attributes - the environment (such as buildings or landscapes) and the elements of the supernatural - and their role in the overall atmosphere of the novels. Martina Mikulová
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Features of the gothic novel and Southern Ontario gothic in the works of Robertson Davies
Kyselová, Mariana ; Nováková, Soňa (advisor) ; Kolinská, Klára (referee)
The gothic novel, albeit not considered high literature, counts among the most distinctive literary genres. The literary form was at its prime in late 18th century, although its days of glory have past elements of the Gothic can be found even in contemporary literature. Over the centuries, several sub-genres of the gothic novel have developed, including Southern Ontario Gothic. This branch of the Gothic is characterized by criticism of social attitudes towards race, politics, gender and religion specific for that region, in combination with elements of the supernatural, magic realism and satire. Robertson Davies, whose novels belong to the most significant works of Southern Ontario Gothic, is considered to be a Canadian literature classic. The aim of this paper is to compare the elements of a classical gothic novel with the elements of Southern Ontario Gothic in Robertson Davies' TheDeptford Trilogy. The initial chapter covers the theoretical background to the problematic of the Gothic and defines the commonly used terminology. The term "gothic" is used in many contexts and fields, and therefore can carry various meanings. The chapter also introduces Southern Ontario Gothic as an acknowledged sub-genre. In the second chapter, some common themes that occur in Canadian culture are introduced....
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Elizabeth Gaskell´s Gothic Tales
LIŠKOVÁ, Kristýna
This diploma thesis deals with the analysis of nine gothic tales by an English writer of the nineteenth century Elizabeth Gaskell. These gothic tales are compared with the first gothic novels and gothic literature in general. Their analysis is carried out on the basis of spaces, heroes and themes which appear in E. Gaskell´s gothic tales. The diploma thesis reveals in which aspects Gaskell´s tales are different from the first gothic novels and which new themes, heroes and spaces were introduced by E. Gaskell. An important part of the diploma thesis consists of a brief biography of Elizabeth Gaskell. The events which influenced Gaskell´s work are especially emphasized. The diploma thesis also mentions several other authors whose works inspired E. Gaskell in writing her gothic tales.
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