Gothic genre – generic quotations Frankenstein Dracula The Bloody Chamber
Louise Othello Knudsen: ‘by minimizing ‘He blurred the line between man and Dunkin ‘Carter could never imagine
David Punter: ‘The central mood of the the female characters in Frankenstein, beast’ - David Punter Cinderella in bed with the fairy
Gothic is fear’ Mary Shelley made a silent protest godmother’
against this stereotyped language about
women in literature.’
Josh Trayneelis: ‘it seems like Shelley is Buzzwell: ‘Stoker uses the figure of the Her (Carter’s) boldness can be unsettling
Angela carter: ‘the singular moral not ignoring religion and leaving it out, vampire as shorthand for many of the for contemporary readers; one critic has
function of the Gothic’ is to’ provoke but arguing against it’ fears that haunted the Victorian fin de described how she ‘resolutely refused
unease’ siècle.’ to conform to any kind of what we
would now term “political correctness”’.
This has led to accusations from some
readers that in the process of depicting
problematic behaviours and attitudes
towards women — particularly rape and
predatory male sexuality — Carter has
‘fallen into the trap of perpetuating
them’ (Gamble 2001).
Anne K. Mellor: ‘Frankenstein has ‘The novels appeal derives from its Dr Nanda: ‘they are women who begin
John Bowen: “Gothic intends to shock eliminated the necessity to have hostility towards female sexuality’ - as objects of desire, but strive to find
the reader out of the limits of their females at all. One of the deepest Phylis A. Roth their own voice and... transform their
everyday lives”. horrors of this novel is Frankenstein’s social ambitions.’
implicit goal of creating a society for
men only’
‘Frankenstein's main sin is not his act of Amanda M Padonsky: ‘One “evil” exuberance sells better than discomfort
‘Dread is an alien power which lays hold creation, but his failure to take thrown into a “pure” society can cause a – Merja Makinen (in relation to Carter’s
of an individual, and yet one cannot tear responsibility for what he produces’ – large-scale onslaught of chaos and style)
oneself away, nor has the will to do so; Punter. corruption.’
for one fears; but what one fears one
desires’ – Kierkegaard.
Levine: ‘the Creature has become a Buzzwell- “(the new woman) threatens At the extreme, it can become fixated
‘Gothic was chaotic...ornate and metaphor for our own cultural crisis’ conventional ideals about the ideal into a perversion, producing obsessive
convoluted... excess and exaggeration, Victorian womanhood” voyeurs and Peeping Toms, whose only
the product of the wild and uncivilised’ - sexual satisfaction can come from
Punter. watching, in an active controlling sense,
, an objectified other... the woman as
icon, displayed for the gaze and
enjoyment of men, the active
controllers of the look, always threatens
to evoke anxiety – Laura Mulvey (on the
male gaze)
Wood: ‘gothic monsters are distorted David Punter: ‘Frankenstein is searching If motherly devotion is a major aspect of Angela Carter: “I am all for putting new
tendencies repressed across a culture’ after forbidden knowledge, one of those 'good' Victorian womanhood, this is wine in old bottles, especially if the
over reachers who refuse to accept surely an inversion – Stephanie pressure of the new wine makes the old
limitations and are subsequently Demetrakopolous (On Lucy throwing bottles explode”.
punished’. childto the ground)
The boundaries between the human James Khare: The New Woman has a ‘The imminence of death pervades her
Bowen- “its plots are often driven by the and monster in Frankenstein remain “perverse sexuality”. work’ Hill
exploration of questions of sexual problematically blurred – Williams.
desire, pleasure, power and and pain”
David Punter: ‘the creature’s desire for ‘Stoker's vampires are associated with Helen Simpson: ‘the heroines of these
Bowen- “gothic can come close to companionship is one of his most sexuality and the liberation of stories are struggling out of the
pornography” human qualities’ unconscious desires’ Gates straitjacket of history and ideology and
biological essentialism’
Susan Lanser: The Creature is an Anita Levy: ‘The Gothic monster thus Of the Snow Child, Ray Cluley says ‘Note
Diana Hoeveler: female Gothic is ‘victim ‘incarnation of Frankenstein’s own becomes the figurative embodiment of that the more aggressively active
feminism.’ grotesque soul.’ a profound racial or ethnic otherness, a woman, the Countess, doesn’t suffer.’
symptom of national degeneracy’-
reverse colonialism
Brittany Wright: Frankenstein is a Samantha Ghai: “The New Woman ‘They are not fearful of sex, just their
Gothic was what was going on ‘beneath ‘egotistic narrator’ threatened the social structures of the sexual partners designs on them’ -
the world... we’d rather ignore’ - Alan Victorian family and the masculinity of Makinen. About Carter’s female
Bisset. British men”. characters.
Peter Brooks: ‘as a verbal creation, he Dracula uses the feminine to displace Page: ‘Male predation such as that in
Botting: ‘Horror was a response to the [the Creature] is the very opposite of and mediate the anxiety-causing 'The Company of Wolves' is met with its
sexual figures that threatened society’ the monstrous’ elements of masculine character – female counterpart in 'The Lady of the
Marjorie Howes House of Love’
‘Literary Gothicism uniquely resists Wendy Lesser: Elizabeth’s deaths at the Nina Auerbach: ‘The New Woman was a Smith: ‘nature in 'The Erl-King' is a
clear-cut historical and literary hands of the Creature is a ‘parody of mutation of the woman that patriarchal source of confinement and death’
classification’ – Sue Chaplin wedding-night sexual ecstasy’ society wanted her to be’
Gothic is full of ‘The horrors that lurk in Kestner: ‘Perhaps Frankenstein is not Starrs: ‘Quincey Morris assumes the role How that social fiction of my 'femininity'
Louise Othello Knudsen: ‘by minimizing ‘He blurred the line between man and Dunkin ‘Carter could never imagine
David Punter: ‘The central mood of the the female characters in Frankenstein, beast’ - David Punter Cinderella in bed with the fairy
Gothic is fear’ Mary Shelley made a silent protest godmother’
against this stereotyped language about
women in literature.’
Josh Trayneelis: ‘it seems like Shelley is Buzzwell: ‘Stoker uses the figure of the Her (Carter’s) boldness can be unsettling
Angela carter: ‘the singular moral not ignoring religion and leaving it out, vampire as shorthand for many of the for contemporary readers; one critic has
function of the Gothic’ is to’ provoke but arguing against it’ fears that haunted the Victorian fin de described how she ‘resolutely refused
unease’ siècle.’ to conform to any kind of what we
would now term “political correctness”’.
This has led to accusations from some
readers that in the process of depicting
problematic behaviours and attitudes
towards women — particularly rape and
predatory male sexuality — Carter has
‘fallen into the trap of perpetuating
them’ (Gamble 2001).
Anne K. Mellor: ‘Frankenstein has ‘The novels appeal derives from its Dr Nanda: ‘they are women who begin
John Bowen: “Gothic intends to shock eliminated the necessity to have hostility towards female sexuality’ - as objects of desire, but strive to find
the reader out of the limits of their females at all. One of the deepest Phylis A. Roth their own voice and... transform their
everyday lives”. horrors of this novel is Frankenstein’s social ambitions.’
implicit goal of creating a society for
men only’
‘Frankenstein's main sin is not his act of Amanda M Padonsky: ‘One “evil” exuberance sells better than discomfort
‘Dread is an alien power which lays hold creation, but his failure to take thrown into a “pure” society can cause a – Merja Makinen (in relation to Carter’s
of an individual, and yet one cannot tear responsibility for what he produces’ – large-scale onslaught of chaos and style)
oneself away, nor has the will to do so; Punter. corruption.’
for one fears; but what one fears one
desires’ – Kierkegaard.
Levine: ‘the Creature has become a Buzzwell- “(the new woman) threatens At the extreme, it can become fixated
‘Gothic was chaotic...ornate and metaphor for our own cultural crisis’ conventional ideals about the ideal into a perversion, producing obsessive
convoluted... excess and exaggeration, Victorian womanhood” voyeurs and Peeping Toms, whose only
the product of the wild and uncivilised’ - sexual satisfaction can come from
Punter. watching, in an active controlling sense,
, an objectified other... the woman as
icon, displayed for the gaze and
enjoyment of men, the active
controllers of the look, always threatens
to evoke anxiety – Laura Mulvey (on the
male gaze)
Wood: ‘gothic monsters are distorted David Punter: ‘Frankenstein is searching If motherly devotion is a major aspect of Angela Carter: “I am all for putting new
tendencies repressed across a culture’ after forbidden knowledge, one of those 'good' Victorian womanhood, this is wine in old bottles, especially if the
over reachers who refuse to accept surely an inversion – Stephanie pressure of the new wine makes the old
limitations and are subsequently Demetrakopolous (On Lucy throwing bottles explode”.
punished’. childto the ground)
The boundaries between the human James Khare: The New Woman has a ‘The imminence of death pervades her
Bowen- “its plots are often driven by the and monster in Frankenstein remain “perverse sexuality”. work’ Hill
exploration of questions of sexual problematically blurred – Williams.
desire, pleasure, power and and pain”
David Punter: ‘the creature’s desire for ‘Stoker's vampires are associated with Helen Simpson: ‘the heroines of these
Bowen- “gothic can come close to companionship is one of his most sexuality and the liberation of stories are struggling out of the
pornography” human qualities’ unconscious desires’ Gates straitjacket of history and ideology and
biological essentialism’
Susan Lanser: The Creature is an Anita Levy: ‘The Gothic monster thus Of the Snow Child, Ray Cluley says ‘Note
Diana Hoeveler: female Gothic is ‘victim ‘incarnation of Frankenstein’s own becomes the figurative embodiment of that the more aggressively active
feminism.’ grotesque soul.’ a profound racial or ethnic otherness, a woman, the Countess, doesn’t suffer.’
symptom of national degeneracy’-
reverse colonialism
Brittany Wright: Frankenstein is a Samantha Ghai: “The New Woman ‘They are not fearful of sex, just their
Gothic was what was going on ‘beneath ‘egotistic narrator’ threatened the social structures of the sexual partners designs on them’ -
the world... we’d rather ignore’ - Alan Victorian family and the masculinity of Makinen. About Carter’s female
Bisset. British men”. characters.
Peter Brooks: ‘as a verbal creation, he Dracula uses the feminine to displace Page: ‘Male predation such as that in
Botting: ‘Horror was a response to the [the Creature] is the very opposite of and mediate the anxiety-causing 'The Company of Wolves' is met with its
sexual figures that threatened society’ the monstrous’ elements of masculine character – female counterpart in 'The Lady of the
Marjorie Howes House of Love’
‘Literary Gothicism uniquely resists Wendy Lesser: Elizabeth’s deaths at the Nina Auerbach: ‘The New Woman was a Smith: ‘nature in 'The Erl-King' is a
clear-cut historical and literary hands of the Creature is a ‘parody of mutation of the woman that patriarchal source of confinement and death’
classification’ – Sue Chaplin wedding-night sexual ecstasy’ society wanted her to be’
Gothic is full of ‘The horrors that lurk in Kestner: ‘Perhaps Frankenstein is not Starrs: ‘Quincey Morris assumes the role How that social fiction of my 'femininity'
