The document discusses key elements of Gothic horror found in Frankenstein including melodrama, rejection of social norms, and creating a dark, threatening atmosphere. It explores Gothic horror's combination of horror and romance, as well as its focus on the unknown and forbidden. The intended effects of horror are to induce fear in readers by portraying monsters as threatening, impure, and incomplete beings that could potentially harm humans. Metonymy, where something represents something else, is a literary device often used to foreshadow disasters and create a sense of dread.

1. Notes on Elements of Horror

2. Gothic Horror:- Combines horror and romance – (female writes and readers could have influenced this addition of romance) Relationship between Elizabeth and Victor- Features melodrama (dramatic work which exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions) Victor chasing a monster across the world travelling into mountains, caves and other wild settings- Shows rejection towards the norm of society (this period collided with the ‘enlightenment’ era where people started to critically question traditional institutions, customs, and morals, and a strong belief in rationality and science) Victor’s obsession with the creation of life which was against religion which believed life was blessed by God- Portray a dark, threatening atmosphere in considerable detail to create chilling mood. The setting in some cases is more important than the character Extreme weather, distant locations- Describe journey of discovery where the unknown or the forbidden is manifested and explored creating danger. Appears to be your worst nightmare in words. At times lives are dependent on the success of the protagonist. Frankenstein is also known as ‘the Modern Prometheus’. Prometheus was the titan who stole fire from the heavens to give to humans. This resulted in him being punished by being chained to a rock with an eagle pecking at his liver, which regenerated and was pecked at again, each day.

3. Includes the:- The Unknown, this is when anything could happen, this occasionally will lead us imaging, resulting an endless power to hold readers attention- The Unexpected, things that happen without expectations, this makes reader look for solutions from the novel.- The Unbelievable, a mixture of things that are not possible and things that are outside everyday reality.- Helplessness of the characters against evil Victor’s family member being assassinated

4. Intended Effects of Horror:- Seeks to induce fear in the readerThe Monster in a horror plot makes the reader repulse against them by being:Threatening physically, psychologically and even morallyImpure - categorically ambiguous (unlike human, physically different and filthy)Incomplete representatives of their class (rotting, not fully formed)

5. We then feel fear as we feel that we arethreatened - with the thought that the monster could be a possible being. Horror fiction is based on our own unknown and anxieties. The more realistic the novel is to us, and the better we relate to it, the deeper our fear. - by the idea that the monster also has the property of being able to harm us in the ways depicted in the text(the monster is powerful and is able to single handily kill humans as seen in the part where the monster kills Elizabeth, Victor’s brother etc.) - as human characters refuse to come in contact with them, we feel a sense of impurity and reject the creature as well (Frankenstein refuses the creature)

6. Metonymy (a subtype of a metaphor which is used in horror fiction) –where something is used to represent something else. For example, heavy rain can be used to represent sorrow. It can be also used to foreshadow upcoming disasters. Some metonymies include:Howling wind, excessive rain, moans and howling, distant, eerie sounds, footsteps approaching, flickering lights in abandoned rooms, slamming shut of doors, ruins of buildings, crazed laughter, thunder and lightningVictor's horrifying dream foreshadows Elizabeth's death to come. He dreams that he ‘saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking.” But as “I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they begin livid with the hue of death”“November, a bleak and gloomy month, marks the beginning of wintry weather, a time of isolation and cold”. This weather foreshadows the misery to be come with the birth of the monster that November.Metonymy