Source of the picture above (excluding the fancy writing): http://cdn2.artofthetitle.com/assets/resized/sm/upload/jn/el/2h/3t/coraline_contact-0-1080-0-0.jpg?k=efef46145f
Elements of the grotesque |
Characters may be twisted, deformed, afflicted by some disease or deformity that makes them grotesque. |
· An example of elements of grotesque utilised in Coraline may be Coraline’s “Other Father”, who was actually another creation of the Other Mother’s in his later stages, near the ending of the story. Consequent to this creation being disposed of, Coraline finally sees this character once more, but in a rather different form that does not resemble her real father at all: “A mouth opened in the mouthless face, strands of pale stuff sticking to the lips, and a voice no longer even faintly resembled her father’s whispered, ‘Coraline…The creature’s twig-like hands moved to its face and pushed the pale clay about, making something like a nose….The thing was white and huge, and swollen….Coraline wondered how she could have ever imagined that this grub-like thing resembled her father…She patted its hairless head….Its skin was tacky, like warm bread dough…The thing twisted bonelessly” (p.75-76). The reader would seem to feel rather overwhelmed and outraged at how the other mother treats her “creatures”, and would seem to feel contempt for Other Mother, and would wish for Coraline to beat the Other Mother at the game, while simultaneously feeling pity for the creature that used to be Coraline’s Other Father.
The metonymy of gloom and horror
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Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand for something else (like sorrow). Note that the following metonymies for "doom and gloom" all suggest some element of mystery, danger, or the supernatural. |
The plot caused readers to experience the environment that Coraline was exposed to, causing them to feel the emotions that the protagonist could perceive.
The phrase “The rain stopped, and she was almost asleep when something went t-t-t-t-t-t. She sat up in bed. Something went kreeee . . . aaak.” (p.7) seemed to produce immense quantities of suspense and fear, for the unexpected tapping, and the distant bird’s/s’ “kreeee . . .aak” conveyed that something mysterious was lurking outside Coraline’s bedroom, that desired to arouse Coraline’s attention. After reading this phrase, an air of uncertainty seemed to change the atmosphere within the story into one that is quite mysterious, as well as ominous and sinister.
The phrase “The rain stopped, and she was almost asleep when something went t-t-t-t-t-t. She sat up in bed. Something went kreeee . . . aaak.” (p.7) seemed to produce immense quantities of suspense and fear, for the unexpected tapping, and the distant bird’s/s’ “kreeee . . .aak” conveyed that something mysterious was lurking outside Coraline’s bedroom, that desired to arouse Coraline’s attention. After reading this phrase, an air of uncertainty seemed to change the atmosphere within the story into one that is quite mysterious, as well as ominous and sinister.
examples of the vocabulary of the gothic |
Words that create the dark and gloomy, eerie atmosphere and a sense of terror, to do with concepts of Mystery |
Mystery
Concealed (p.55), wondered (p.55), ghosts (p.62), wolf (p.63), mist (p.59), fog (p.59), dragon (p.73), ghost-hands (p.91)
Fear, Terror, or Sorrow
Sob (p.55), shriek (p.55), sad (p.55), hushed (p.59), wispy (p.59), writhed (p.77), crude (p.77), frightened (p.87), scared (p.92)
Haste
flee (p.58), bustling (p.62), lunge (p.76), chased (p.76), momentum (p.108), snatched (p.92), momentum (p.92), puffing (p.93), wheezing (p.93)
Anger
Provoked (p.87), cold (p.71), fury (p.71), fierce (p.89), maddening (p.91), infuriating (p.91)
Largeness
Bigger (p.76), huge (p.76)
Darkness
Darkness (p.55), black, (p.25), shadows (p.87)
Surprise
Shocked (p.58),
Concealed (p.55), wondered (p.55), ghosts (p.62), wolf (p.63), mist (p.59), fog (p.59), dragon (p.73), ghost-hands (p.91)
Fear, Terror, or Sorrow
Sob (p.55), shriek (p.55), sad (p.55), hushed (p.59), wispy (p.59), writhed (p.77), crude (p.77), frightened (p.87), scared (p.92)
Haste
flee (p.58), bustling (p.62), lunge (p.76), chased (p.76), momentum (p.108), snatched (p.92), momentum (p.92), puffing (p.93), wheezing (p.93)
Anger
Provoked (p.87), cold (p.71), fury (p.71), fierce (p.89), maddening (p.91), infuriating (p.91)
Largeness
Bigger (p.76), huge (p.76)
Darkness
Darkness (p.55), black, (p.25), shadows (p.87)
Surprise
Shocked (p.58),