When comparing European Gothic Literature to Japanese there
are similarities and differences. One of the first tropes we studied, forbidden love, is common in both cultures. It is one of
the main tropes in “The Castle of Otranto” and the main trope of “The Surgery
Room”. Also, hidden identities are the same throughout the gothic, regardless
of culture. Identities are hidden in many of the gothic stories we have read
thus far including our original story, “The Castle of Otranto”. Hidden Identity
was one the tropes in “The Tattooer” as well.
The
Japanese Gothic approaches gothic from a different aspect. They do not fear death
like the European culture. They approach life like they are already dead, so they
really have nothing to lose. In the stories we read prior to Japanese Gothic,
the deaths of the characters were always one of, if not the most, gothic and
climatic part. Matilda’s death in “The Castle of Otranto”, or Beatrice’s
suicide in “Rappaccini’s Daughter” is an example of this. In the Japanese
gothic however, the deaths were not the part that was focused on the most. In
The Surgery Room the most gothic part was the fact she was willing to go
through the surgery without anesthetic to protect her secret. In the
Chrysanthemum Vow, his suicide alone was not the most gothic part, but that he
ended his own life to keep his honor. The Japanese beliefs really shine through
when reading gothic stories from their culture.
1 comment:
Andrea-
I really like your sentences about hidden identities and forbidden love. Those are some great gothic tropes that are seen in both European and Japanese gothic literature. I like in your sentence about forbidden love, "“The Castle of Otranto” and the main trope of “The Surgery Room”." That really makes a good connection to the trope. I think you could have maybe given the examples of forbidden love because if someone hasn't read one or both of those stories, they wouldn't get to draw that conclusion like you did.
I am kind of at odds with the sentence, “They approach life like they are already dead, so they really have nothing to lose.” I think that they more so use the things they go through as tasks to prove themselves and their honor/nobility. They do look at life as the suffering part, not death. I do agree with the previous sentence that they do not fear death. The challenge is more living than it is dying. Overall, really great post, but I would try to expand on the Japanese a little more.
-Abbie Burton
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