Anglais: Mythe et héros

Notion: Myths and heroes

Creepy fiction

We studied during the year the notion "myths and heroes" in the notion we studied "creepy fiction". The question connected with the topic we studied is : " How have romantic ideas and scientifics experiments given birth to gothic literature and movies?" I'm going to give a definition of "romanticism" : it is charaterized by an emphasize on feeling, on a close connection with nature, on the supernatural, the exotic and the free expressions of the passions and individuality. And I'm going a definition of "gothic fiction" the gothic fiction is sometimes reffered to as gothic horror, it's a genre or mode of literature that combines fiction, horror and romanticism. Making its debut in the late of 18th century, gothic fiction stimulates strong emotion in the reader: fear and, apprehension and suspense. Gothic fiction takes its name from medieval architecture.

I will go over the documents studied in class to deal with my notion. First, Dracula was created in 1897 by Bram Stocker. His sources of inspiration were: the Irish tales of his childhood, a book about a cruel count Dracula, european folklore and one night he had a nightmare about a man who ate human, being. Mary Shelley created Frankenstein in 1818. The evening she spent with her husband, reading ghost stories(her husband was a famous romantic poet, Percy Shelley) She was interesting in scientific experiments, like creating a creature from body part, or animating a frog with electricity. They were friends with Lord Byron a romantic poet. One day he suggested writing a ghost story: That's how Frankenstein was born. These were her sources of inspiration.

To make a gothic story, gothic literature combines horror and romance. There is always a helpless victim and she is faced with a cruel torturer. The story takes place in a castle ruined or intact, haunted or not, with underground passages, crypts and catacombs. There is a victimizer who is associated with evil and whose powers are immense or supernatural. The atmosphere is oppressive, created by shadows, the moonlight in the dark or flickering candles. Horrifying or terrifying events happen or are feared. Magic or supernatural manifestations occur. There are labyrinths, dark corridors and winding stairs. Suspense is created by a sense of mystery, darkness, fear and doom. The victim is entranced or fascinated by the power of his /her victimizer. The scene takes place in extreme landscapes like high mountains, thick forests or icy wastelands.

Secondly, I'm going to give a definition of "a myth": a myth is a traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural being, ancestors or heroes that serves as a fundamental type. Dracula was created by Bram Stocker in 1897. There are 2 characters who are Jonathan Harker and count Dracula. It's an extract

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