Star of the Sea: A Postcolonial/Postmodern Voyage into the Irish FamineMain MenuAbout This ProjectStar of the Sea OverviewJoseph O'ConnorIn this section, you will learn more about Joseph O'Connor and the other works he producedPostcolonial TheoryPostmodernismThe Gothic in Star of the SeaHistorical FiguresLanguage and Music in Irish CultureBiology of the FamineLandlords, Tenants, and EvictionsIn the following pages, you'll learn about landlords, tenants, and evictions during the Irish Potato FamineGovernment Policies and EmigrationMediaMemorialsContributorsBrief biographies of the people who made this book.
12016-02-15T13:40:08-08:00Gothic Elements45plain2016-03-04T13:31:24-08:00Setting: In the Gothic genre, the setting can have a powerful effect on the story and can be a character in itself. Oftentimes, the setting is gloomy any decaying, adding to the dark, mysterious, and fearful atmosphere.
Labyrinthine structures, Castles, Abbeys, Large Estates
The Supernatural: Supernatural beings, monsters, or occurrences can often be found in Gothic literature. Allowing for the abandonment of reason, the supernatural brings in the element of the unknown and intensifies all fear and mystery.
Isolation: Through characters physically and psychologically, sociocultural circumstances, and the setting, isolation can be portrayed in multiple ways in Gothic literature.
Intense Emotion: The Gothic utilizes intense and unrelenting emotions, such as the experience of the sublime, terror, and sentimental narration.
Character Types:
Fallen hero or marginalized figure
Woman as a victim; a woman in distress who is often threatened by a powerful, Tyrannical male
Virginal maiden
Tyrant/Villain
Motifs such as repression, light and dark, Faustian desire for knowledge, and a narrative spiral
“Spooky setting (mansions, abbeys, castles); nightmare visions of the home; secret passages; locked rooms; a feeling of mystery and suspense; an emphasis on madness and disordered state of mind; omens, portents, visions, and the supernatural; and tortured family relationships often involving persecution of the female--all of which work to threaten the reader’s sense of what is ‘normal’ "
-Kandola
Post-Victorian gothic setting info
Works Cited Kandola, Sondeep. "Gothic." In Maunder, Andrew, ed. Encyclopedia of Literary Romanticism. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Gothic Convention." Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Supernatural Themes in Gothic Literature." Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. Stevens, David. The Gothic Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000. Print.