Kizumonogatari By Nisio Isin As An Example Of Gothic Literature
The gothic literature style is one in which emphasizes the grotesque, mysterious and desolate. This genre had much success after the American Revolution and into the 19th century, following the use by authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving. Who have created such works to bring out the evil and devious side of the human mind to illustrate their stories. There are countless gothic authors but those who stand out are Poe and Irving because they have such a great talent to expose the madness and evil in people through the use of figurative language. Such as Imagery, diction and setting to make uncomfortable mood in the reader. Poe and Irving are famous for using imagery to create an eerie and haunting mood in their stories. From the “Black Cat”, the narrator tells the audience “Grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket”(Poe, 2).
The details of the cat being mutilated by the narrator can convey a very gruesome and almost nauseous feeling. This can explain to the reader how the breakdown of the narrators conscience is affecting the world around him. In addition to the short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, further adds to the mood of eeriness when the narrator explains to us that “My heart grew sick, it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so” (Poe 4). The image of the catacombs and the gut feeling from the narrator as he kills a man by leaving trapped down under gives the underlying feeling of a distressed man who has a very insidious mind. In “The Devil and Tom Walker”, the narrator describes Tom’s horse “A miserable horse, whose ribs were as articulate as the bars of a gridiron”(Irving 314). Which puts into the head of the reader the type of horrible man Tom is. Therefore, Poe and Irving have a wonderful use of imagery to build the mood with death and dreary feelings. Gothic authors are the masters of using diction to have total effect on the reader.
The style of using diction is a staple in gothic authors fiction to draw to point out the madness and horrific examples that come to the reader when interpreting their stories. This can be read in the “Cask of Amontillado” when the narrator says “A draft of the medoc will defend us from the damps”(Poe 4). This opportunity for Montresor to enjoy a fulfilling moment of irony. As he makes a toast to Fortunato's long and prosperous life, knowing well that he has only a short time to live. Another example would be from Poe's “Cask of Amontillado” when “He turned toward me and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication”(4). In Poe’s diction, he suggests that Fortunato's eyes are somehow making him both drunker and at the same time more ill. Because Montresor believes that Fortunato’s illness and being intoxicated are connected, leaving the reader confused and scared in the same moment.
As mentioned, the diction these authors use is crucial in making the mood in the stories. In either case though, these stories can inspire terror or horror through figurative language either it be imagery or diction or tone. The literature style is in very much the same idea as a killer, very brutal, horrific and gory. These fictional aspirations can evoke human admiration in the horrors of deteriorating minds and horrifying scenes. The mood creates an emotional reaction in the audience and allows the readers a great understanding of what the author is trying to say in these short stories. That being said, Poe and Irving are masters at producing a particular mood.
