Features of Gothic Literature in Shirley Jackson's 'The Haunting of Essay

Features of Gothic Literature in Shirley capital of Mississippis The Haunting of hillock House - Essay ExampleShirley Jacksons book The Haunting of Hill House is easily characterized as a Gothic smart based on the presence of many of these characteristics inside its pages. The story is basically that of a young woman who goes insane as a result of supernatural influences when she is invited to stay for a summer at a castle-like home located far from the next nearest seat of civilization in a dark and gloomy portion of the country. To explore how The Haunting of Hill House can be considered a Gothic novel, and thus begin to understand the concepts of Gothic literature itself, three elements of Gothic literature will be examined as they apply to the novel. The discovery of how the novel uses the concepts of the imposing, the castle and the Gothic psychomachy will reveal much about the common elements of Gothic literature.The idea of the sublime is not unique to Gothic literature, bu t the way in which it is applied frequently can be. The sublime refers to the presence of something that isnt there, something intangible that is nevertheless felt. While often used in other texts to refer to something that is beneficial and Godlike, this concept also lends itself strongly to the Gothic novel. This is because the idea of the sublime can be supernal as easily as it can be founded on the concepts of hell. With the Gothic novels concentration on the supernatural and the idea of ghosts, the sublime translates into the novel as the sense of an otherworldly presence that might or might not be discernable to the characters. Within Jacksons novel, the idea of the sublime is pushed to its ultimate level without losing its meaning. This is particularly evident in the many instances that Jackson allows something to happen that remains forever unknown to the reader and to many of the other characters as well.During their stay at Hill House, all four of the primary characters b egin to