Why Is Frankenstein Considered a Gothic Novel and Great Expectations Considered Realist? Essay Example
Why is Frankenstein considered a Gothic novel and Great Expectations considered realist?
The Gothic sub-genre takes its name from the medieval or Gothic architecture of the oppressive castles favoured by novelists such as Horace Walpole (Walder, The Realist Novel, p.28). Walpole’s Castle of Otranto (1764) is usually considered the first Gothic novel, introducing familiar elements such as the isolated, atmospheric setting for sinister, supernatural occurrences, the obsessive, solitary hero tortured by a guilty secret, and the pure, innocent heroine. The presence of these elements in Frankenstein (1818), combined with Mary Shelley’s use of other Gothic traditions – like the embedded narrative, with the creature’s tale nesting within Frankenstein’s story, which in turn occurs within the letters from Walton to his sister – may explain why Frankenstein is considered a Gothic novel.
The nineteenth century realist novel, in contrast, seeks to convey the illusion of reality and represent contemporary life and attitudes in a way immediately accessible to the reader. This is usually achieved by demonstrating the moral development of a credible character or set of characters, and often by linking this development to major events and interactions within society. Typical realist conventions include recognisable settings located within a specific time and place, a clearly delineated social and economical world with consequent restrictions, and detailed descriptions in simple, largely referential language (Watt, The Realist Novel, p.222). Charles Dickens’ use of these and other typically realist techniques – such as Pip’s candid, convincing first person narrative – could explain why Great Expectations (1861) is considered realist.
However, it would be reductive to assume either of these novels can be categorised so simplistically. In Frankenstein, Shelley uses typical Gothic language when Frankenstein ominously describes mountain summits as ‘faces of… mighty
The Gothic sub-genre takes its name from the medieval or Gothic architecture of the oppressive castles favoured by novelists such as Horace Walpole (Walder, The Realist Novel, p.28). Walpole’s Castle of Otranto (1764) is usually considered the first Gothic novel, introducing familiar elements such as the isolated, atmospheric setting for sinister, supernatural occurrences, the obsessive, solitary hero tortured by a guilty secret, and the pure, innocent heroine. The presence of these elements in Frankenstein (1818), combined with Mary Shelley’s use of other Gothic traditions – like the embedded narrative, with the creature’s tale nesting within Frankenstein’s story, which in turn occurs within the letters from Walton to his sister – may explain why Frankenstein is considered a Gothic novel.
The nineteenth century realist novel, in contrast, seeks to convey the illusion of reality and represent contemporary life and attitudes in a way immediately accessible to the reader. This is usually achieved by demonstrating the moral development of a credible character or set of characters, and often by linking this development to major events and interactions within society. Typical realist conventions include recognisable settings located within a specific time and place, a clearly delineated social and economical world with consequent restrictions, and detailed descriptions in simple, largely referential language (Watt, The Realist Novel, p.222). Charles Dickens’ use of these and other typically realist techniques – such as Pip’s candid, convincing first person narrative – could explain why Great Expectations (1861) is considered realist.
However, it would be reductive to assume either of these novels can be categorised so simplistically. In Frankenstein, Shelley uses typical Gothic language when Frankenstein ominously describes mountain summits as ‘faces of… mighty