1. Who invented the G.N.? What was the title of the first G.N.? When was it first published?
Horace Walpole is the inventor of Gothic Novels, also considered as the father of the Gothic Novels. The first Gothc Novel was named The Castle of Otranto, subtitled (in its second edition) "A Gothic Story. He published this novel for the first time in 1764.
2. Which basic elements of horror do you remember from the introductory lesson? Write a minimum of ten.
We had comented some of the basic elements of the short horror videos of the pumpkin, and we had this conclusion that this are the basic elements:
- Jumpscares
- Close ups
- Screams
- Scary characters (ghosts, phenoms, skulls...)
- Points of view
- Suspence
- Spooky music
- Scary places (haunted places, atmospheras...)
- ‘Malevolent’ or ‘Wicked’ characters
- Mistery
3. Choose one of the topics on DISCOVERING LITERATURE and write a post:
Dracula: vampires, perversity and Victorian anxieties
The article was written by Greg Buzwel and talks about topics like: Anxiety and the vampire in late-Victorian Britain, Sex and the Vampire, Dracula and Modernity.
It says that there are so many ways to represent a vampire because they have always been a contradictory figure: on the one hand a repellent blood-sucking creature crawling from the grave, and, on the other, a strangely alluring representation of nocturnal glamour.
Next to this there ase some paragrafs of the argument of the grand novel, connected to descriving some of the vampirres characteristics, like Physical characteristics: Pale skin, Sensitivity to sunlight physically (i.e., sunburn easily) and/or visually, Visual sensitivity to any light source, Better night vision than day vision, Eye color changing with mood or for no apparent reason, Extreme movility...
The post talks aout the connection between vampires and sexuality: using some novels to explain it (Sheridan Le Fanu’s short story ‘Carmilla’ (1872), Vampires who can have sex eliminate the fear of impotency and reestablish order in the disruption of the normative sexual act. They can both penetrate and deliver fluid, as well as receive the fluid of the victim/lover (I liked so much this characteristic) eliminating the fear of emasculation and remasculating the vampire.
Also compares some novels that have sexuality in it (with the novel Carmilla, written by Sheridan Le Fanu’s) to see the evolution and how the vampire sexuality changed throught the years.
And last topic on the post is how the moddernity changed the traditional Vampires transformuing them, and the evolution of the vampires novels during this and pasts centuries.
I recommend the post, it is very interesant for being honest.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
Who is Edgar Allan Poe? When and where was he born?
Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, critic and editor best known for evocative short stories and poems that captured the imagination and interest of readers around the world. His imaginative storytelling and tales of mystery and horror gave birth to the modern detective story. He was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts.What was he famous for?
Edgar was a writer and critic famous for his dark, mysterious poems and stories.
Did he get married?
Yes, Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe (August 15, 1822 – January 30, 1847) was the wife of the writer Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and publicly married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27.
How did he die?
Poe died on October 7, 1849. His final days remain somewhat of a mystery. Poe left Richmond on September 27, 1849, and was supposedly on his way to Philadelphia. On October 3, he was found in Baltimore in great distress. Poe was taken to Washington College Hospital, where he died four days later. His last words were "Lord, help my poor soul."
At the time, it was said that Poe died of "congestion of the brain." But his actual cause of death has been the subject of endless speculation. Some experts believe that alcoholism led to his demise while others offer up alternative theories. Rabies, epilepsy and carbon monoxide poisoning are just some of the conditions thought to have led to the great writer's death.
Name some of his most famous works:
‘The Raven,’ ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘The Tell-Tale Heart.’
ALFRED HITCHOCK
What's his nickname?
Alfred Hitchock's nickname is“The Master of Suspense”.
What was his most famous horror film?
It was Psycho, or also called Psycosis (1960).What was his main contribution to horror?
Perhaps Hitchcock’s most important contribution to horror films was his frequent use of the subjective camera to reveal a character’s vision, as in Psycho when Norman Bates peeps through a hole at Marion, or when “Mother” slashes Marion in the shower. Like the point of view of the killer.
COMIC RELIEF
What is the comic relief and why is it used in horror films?
Comic relief is a literary device used in plays and novels to introduce light entertainment between tragic scenes.
It is often used in the shape of a humorous incident, a funny incident, a tricky remark or a laughing commentary.
We can see a copilation of comic reliefs on this video, about sleepy hollow, one horror movie we've seen on class:
