This paper analyzes the use and development of American gothic in John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," Richard Wright's "Native Son" and the Charles Laughton directed film, "The Night of the Hunter."
Abstract The paper looks at the use of American Gothic in three works, John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," Richard Wright's "Native Son" and the Charles Laughton directed film, "The Night of the Hunter". The paper shows how gothic elements such as terror, heightened emotionalism, foreboding, dreamscapes and the supernatural are all used to broaden the reading or viewing experience of the audience. The paper also explains the underlying concept of "inescapability". The paper concludes that these works are all among the finest of the American Gothic tradition.
From the Paper "In Pilgrim's Progress, at least three elements of American Gothic - the use of foreshadowing, emotional tension, and the use of the supernatural ("Typical Elements of American Gothic Fiction," no.5 and no.8) - are immediately apparent. For one thing, the opening scene of the text depicts the narrator in a dream-like state wherein he envisions a man, clothed in rags with a "great burden" upon his shoulders, reading what is (ostensibly) the Bible and weeping with trepidation; it is shortly thereafter that we discover the man's city is about to be destroyed by heavenly fire and that he sees no escape for his family and for himself (Bunyan, "Part I," para.1-2). Not long thereafter, the spectral Evangelist appears to the distraught Pilgrim and tells him to proceed towards a spot of light (the pilgrim is standing in a great field) which will guide him to a wicket-gate at which he will find all the answers he seeks (Bunyan, "Part I," para.8). The dramatic introduction of this inscrutable figure is wholly in keeping with the supernaturalist elements of the gothic tradition ("Typical Elements of American Gothic Fiction," no.6) and it helps also to make Bunyan's protagonist likeable inasmuch as it emphasizes how the pilgrim is at the inescapable mercy of forces beyond his control."
Abstract The paper discusses the use of dream as a visual device in David Lynch's film "Eraserhead" and Nina Menkes' film "The Bloody Child". The paper analyzes Lynch's use of the dreamscape as a means to facilitate symbolic substitution and Menkes' use of the dream concept as a means of actual narrative.
From the Paper "Dream and cinema seem to go together. Film has long been considered a type of fantastic representation of what people experience, to one degree or another, when they sleep. Film seems to have the ability to bring dreams to life or to reduce life to the palatable state of a dream. In this light, dream must be understood to be an alternate form of reality; if not physical then certainly conceptual. To better grasp the psychological importance and the subjective realities that dreams, through film, can and do represent, one need look no further than the Native American religions where dreaming is seen as, "a source of personal empowerment"(Irwin, 1994, p.231). Viewed in this light, the utilization of dreams in American cinema and especially in the films of David Lynch and the lesser known Nina Menkes, must be examined from a much more rational and empirical perspective."
Abstract Examines the unique characteristics of Surrealist art, the Surrealist repudiation of conventional representation, and how its objective is to show the essence of life, including the unconscious and dreamscapes. Discusses the relationship between objects and their representation.
From the Paper "Founded in 1919 by a small group of writers such as Andre Breton, Louis Aragon and Paul Eluard, the surrealist movement sprang from its protest against the 19th century values of bourgeois society and the establishment. Although the surrealist movement ..."
Abstract The paper examines the role that archetypes play in the grief dreams of Americans with different cultural backgrounds, to determine what role, if any, culture plays in the dreamscape. The paper provides a literature review on grief dreams and studies the grief dreams of people from different cultures, including African-Americans, Vietnamese-Americans, Mexican-Americans and Indian-Americans. The paper describes the results that show that while cultural aspects may not change the basic content of grief dreams, it is clear that one's cultural orientation can certainly change how one views and interprets a grief dream and the archetypes present in such dreams.
Outline:
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Review of Literature
Chapter Three: Methods
Chapter Four: Results
Chapter Five: Discussion
Chapter Six: Summary and Conclusions
From the Paper "Every person dreams. Whether the dreamer remembers those dreams, or believes they drift into a dark see of absolute nothingness in sleep, the fact is that all people demonstrate the brain and eye activity that researchers know is associated with dreams. However, given that so many people fail to remember their dreams, it is clear that not all dreaming is memorable and productive. Even those dreamers who remember the majority of their dreams may find most of them to be insignificant and inconsequential. Likewise, even those people who find most of their dreams to be absolutely unmemorable occasionally have a dream that they believe reveals something significant. "
Abstract This paper discusses how Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" is a combination of slapstick humor and profound tragedy, expressing the muted highs and the philosophic lows of the human condition. Vladimir and Estragon, the unremarkable heroes, wait patiently for the arrival of an enigmatic authority known simply as "Godot." In particular, the paper looks at how the key to unlocking Beckett's elusive meaning lies in the relationship between Vladimir and Estragon, who together mount a small offensive against the empty, immobile repetition of their lives. The paper concludes that in the desolate dreamscape of "Waiting for Godot", few consolations are offered and that Vladimir and Estragon's uncompromising companionship is a welcome hope.
From the Paper "The play may be set astride a road, but lack of movement more accurately defines the play's trajectory. Vladimir and Estragon, our unremarkable heroes, wait patiently for the arrival of an enigmatic authority known simply as "Godot." Who this Godot is and what they expect him to say remains hidden, even to Vladimir and Estragon themselves, who merely await an answer to their "vague supplication" (14). In the meantime, the two men busy themselves with inane and often despondent conversation. The opening lines are tellingly: "Nothing to be done" (2), a phrase repeated countless times over the course of this short play. Though here Estragon is referring to a troublesome boot, one cannot escape the more universal grievance he is voicing. The resignation implicit in Estragon's complaint stems from his paralysis: he cannot live individually until the furtive Godot arrives. What exactly these two are waiting for remains a mystery; it is only known that they are immobilized in anticipation of some meaningful visit. So despite their repeated decisions to move somewhere beyond the scope of their unchanging environment, the stage directions continually assert that "they do not move" (59). The dialogue itself contains an air of stagnation or circularity, with its absurd interjections and frequent pauses. "
