Gothic Element of The House of Seven Gables - 1063 Words

Among the most striking features of the Gothic genre is the style of its architectural settings. In early Gothic, these were often medievalist, involving ancient stone buildings with elaborate, â€Å"Gothic† arches, buttresses, passageways, and crypts. This was to become the mise en scene of Gothicism, replete with trappings of hidden doorways and secret chambers, incomprehensible labyrinths, speaking portraits, and trapdoors. (Allen Lloyd-Smith 7) Gothic Element of the Seven Gables The House of the Seven Gables, by Nathanial Hawthorn is filled with gothic tropes and features. Since the story takes place in the Pyncheon house or rather the Maule’s property, I will focus on the features of the house, which are gothic. That is not to say that†¦show more content†¦A few others in the Pyncheon family would find a similar death in generations to come. One of those being the Judge whose similarities to the original Pyncheon can be said to be doubling and uncanny. His desire for land and fortune is what inevitably, what led his similar death. If we move away from the land and into the house, we can find other gothic features. Within the house of the seven gables, there are several portraits. Hephzibah and Phoebe sometimes felt a presence within the Portraits. Hepzibah found herself staring at a portrait of Colonel Puritan. In one sense, this picture had almost faded into the canvas, and hidden itself behind the duskiness of age; in another, she could not but fancy that it had been growing more prominent and strikingly expressive, ever since her earliest familiarity with it as a child (63). The portraits are not actually speaking as Lloyd mentioned above, but they do not need to be in order for them to be gothic. It is that they seem to be real. For Hepzibah and Phoebe, some photos have a living quality. These inanimate objects having lifelike features are enough for them to be gothic. In the story of Alice Pyncheon, we hear her father speak with Mathew Maule negotiating for the house. This conversation seems to anger the portrait. â€Å"†¦ The ghostly portrait is averred to have lost all patience, and to have shown itself on the point ofShow MoreRelated The House of Seven Gables as a Gothic Novel Essay2774 Words   |  12 PagesThe House of Seven Gables as a Gothic Novel      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be a paradigm of a Gothic novel, The House of Seven Gables needs to include many elements, all which center on the ideas of gloom, horror, and mystery. The action of a Gothic novel takes place in a run-down, abandoned or occupied, mansion or castle, which often include secret passages, doors, and compartments (Encarta). 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