Gothic
Romance in Novel
Scarlet
Letter
This
paper is for fulfill the final assignment in subject Prose II
Writer:
Rizki
Restu Permana
1211503118
/ V / D
English
Literature Department Faculty of Adab and Humanity
State
Islamic University Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung
2013
Chapter I
Introduction
1.1 Introduction
We
know that belles-lettres is not always for pleasure but also for education,
this ascertainable in one of belles-lettres like in novel that showed by any
elements which made the reader can get the lesson on belles-lettres like novel.
Many
genres in novel like romantic, realism, and many more. Scarlet Letter is one of
novel which very good to be read because many elements in this novel which make
the reader know about the elements of culture which showed by novel scarlet
letter. I want to explore about gothic
romance in novel scarlet letter because gothic romance in scarlet letter made
me interest to explore this.
1.2
Background
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote Scarlet Letter
give many elements of genre of novel. Nathaniel Hawthorne in Scarlet Letter I
think focus in romantic which in this novel many act which romantic, so I think
Scarlet Letter include to romantic novel. And romantic novel itself is one of
genre novel which focus to relationship between two people and I know that is
focus in love. Genre in romantic novel there are Supernatural, Heroic, Neoclassical, Love nature,
Art, Emotional, Nationalism, Gothic.
Romantic in Scarlet Letter is the
most important elements, because in this novel which telling a story about a
life of Hester Pryne as main character in this story who leaved by her husband.
Her Husband is a doctor and researcher who often leaved his wife until years.
Hester Pryne make a special relationship with a Dimsdale who known is the good
ministry and he famous because his goodness, but he doing big sins with Hester
Pryne which no one people known that the Pryne’s daughter is daughter of
Dimsdale.
1.3
Question
1. What
is romantic in novel Scarlet Letter?
2. What
is Gothic in Scarlet Letter?
1.4
Significant
1. For
knowing what is romantic in novel Scarlet Letter.
2. For
knowing what is Gothic in Scarlet Letter.
1.5 Frame work of thinking
Gothic
is dealt with supernatural,
mysterious or ghastly
events and the
apprehension or production
of terror, and
which were usually situated in wild, stormy landscapes,
eerie manors or castles. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack; 2006)
Gothic have emphasized the role of
the reader, questions of gender, the gothic interest in the abject body and
corporatization in general, and the inner feelings or phenomenological
perceptions of the gothic terrain on the part
of its principal protagonists. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack;
2006)
Gothic
is exploring the inner condition of the protagonist. (Wolfreys, Robbins and
Womack: 2006; 47)
Romantic
era have a particular affinity for winds, for the inspiration of the spirit of
nature.(Ferber: 2007; 136)
Romantic
view is that nature governs our most human feelings, our imaginations, and our
hearts. (Ferber: 2007; 237)
Romantic
ideas are also used to argue against the cultural materialist view of
literature as merely a form of ideology.(Bowie: 2002; 2)
Romantic
conception art can be regarded as reconciling in the realm of appearance what
is unreconciled in reality, and thus as a form of ideology. Art does so,
though, because it grants freedom to the imagination, allowing it to move
beyond the world of what there is to a world of as yet unrealized possibility.
(Bowie: 2002; 15)
Romantic
enthusiasm for art has generally and in some senses rightly been understood as
part of the attempts to fill gaps left by the process of secularization and
rationalization in Western societies. (Bowie; 2002)
The
Gothic featured accounts of terrifying experiences in ancient castles —
experiences connected with subterranean dungeons, secret passageways,
flickering lamps, screams, moans, bloody hands, ghosts, graveyards, and the
rest. (The Norton Anthology of English Literature The Romantic Age Topic 2 Overview.htm)
Chapter II
Analysis
1. Romantic
in novel Scarlet Letter
Human
has an accent there is heart for feel sad or happy. Heart usually called love,
and human life not far with love. Love made human sad and happy. Many ways to
express the love like that called romantic or like passiveness. Romantic is the
beautiful way to express love, and I think Hawthorne also thinking like that
until she write novel Scarlet Letter which has romantic side that showed.
Romantic
in novel Scarlet Letter is the most important elements, because in this novel
which telling a story about a life of Hester Pryne as main character in this
story who leaved by her husband. Her Husband is a doctor and researcher who
often leaved his wife until years. Hester Pryne make a special relationship
with a Dimsdale who known is the good ministry and he famous because his
goodness, but he doing big sins with Hester Pryne which no one people known
that the Pryne’s daughter is daughter of Dimsdale.
“Such
was the sympathy of Nature—that wild, heathen Nature of the forest, never
subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth—with the bliss of these
two spirits! Love, whether newly-born, or aroused from a death-like slumber,
must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance that it
overflows upon the outward world. Had the forest still kept its gloom, it would
have been bright in Hester’s eyes, and bright in Arthur Dimmesdale’s!”(Scarlet
Letter: 305)
The
citation showing that Scarlet Letter is romantic novel, because like Feber said
that romantic view is that nature governs our most human feelings, our
imaginations, and our hearts and that citation I think that is showing that
Scarlet Letter is including to romantic novel because the sentence “that wild, heathen Nature of the forest,
never subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth—with the bliss of
these two spirits! Love, whether newly-born, or aroused from a death-like
slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance
that it overflows upon the outward world.” Is showed that all badness,
difficulty, hatred, and grudge can loosed by feeling of love. Than in the
sentence “Had the forest still kept its
gloom, it would have been bright in Hester’s eyes, and bright in Arthur
Dimmesdale’s!” is continue with a sentence which showing two hearts which
feeling of love that looked by the light which glowing between this two people
who falling in love. Like Ferber (2007; 136) said that romantic view is that
nature governs our most human feelings, our imaginations, and our hearts.
In
Scarlet Letter novel, Hawthorne using romantic element, because in eighteen
century is in romantic era and this Scarlet Letter whom write by Hawthrone is
using romantic element because this novel wrote at eighteen century. In romantic era, nature is center of
belles-lettres because romantic itself is representing of nature.
He
was now known to be a man of skill; it was observed that he gathered herbs and
the blossoms of wild-flowers, and dug up roots and plucked off twigs from the
forest-trees like one acquainted with hidden virtues in what was valueless to
common eyes.(Scarlet Letter:180)
That
citation can show that romantic is representing love with nature. In phrase “the forest-trees like one acquainted with
hidden virtues in what was valueless to common eyes” its mean that forest
as draw of nature is can showing goodness that was hide from what all knowing.
This citation is clearly showed that Hawthrone is romatic poet which showed by
his words which much using nature as rightness of life.
For
the sake of the minister’s health, and to enable the leech to gather plants
with healing balm in them, they took long walks on the sea-shore, or in the
forest; mingling various walks with the splash and murmur of the waves, and the
solemn wind-anthem among the tree-tops.(Scarlet Letter:183)
That
citation also representing that nature is source of the medication. Nature is
not only medication for inside of human like for make human feel a peace but
also medication for physic like in that citation was showing that in the forest can take a medication for physic
with plants and medication for feeling like he splash and murmur of the waves,
and the solemn wind-anthem among the tree-tops. This citation is clearly showed
that Hawthrone is romantic poet which showed by his words which much using
nature as rightness of life. Ferber (2007; 237) clearly argued that romantic
era have a particular affinity for winds, for the inspiration of the spirit of
nature. This same like Hawthrone do that he inspirited by the nature.
Hawthrone
is the poet who clearly applied the romantic theory in the Scarlet Letter.
Romantic also drew by against the materialist with nature, like Bowie (2002; 2)
Romantic ideas are also used to argue against the cultural materialist view of
literature as merely a form of ideology.
The directness of this
appeal drew the eyes of the whole crowd upon the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale young
clergyman, who had come from one of the great English universities, bringing
all the learning of the age into our wild forest land.(Scarlet
Letter:100)
That
citation is showing that romantic is against materialist view with that
citation those showings that from materialist like the city, Dimmesdale who
come from great English Universities which at the city have to come to the
forest land. It clearly showed that Scarlet Letter is romantic novel.
2. Gothic
in Scarlet Letter
Romantic
novel has many elements like Supernatural,
Heroic, Neoclassical, Love nature, Art, Emotional, Nationalism, and Gothic.
From those elements of romantic, I want to explore gothic side in Scarlet Novel
by Nathaniel Hawthrone because gothic is dealt with supernatural, mysterious or
ghastly events and the apprehension or production of terror, and which were usually
situated in wild, stormy landscapes, eerie manors or castles. (Wolfreys, Robbins
and Womack; 2006). Like Wolfrey and friend (2006) said before that gothic is
deal with all of something like unreason things.
Gothic
is made the story more interesting, because can make imagination of the reader
is running wild and make heart racing for the reader. In Scarlet Letter,
Hawthrone give gothic elements because in romantic novel, gothic element is for
make the story more colorful because I think that in the scarlet letter gothic
element is didn’t showed by ghost or something like something scare that can
look or can feel with everybody, but Hawthrone use Pearl as Pryne’s daughter
that send a message that in this novel any gothic element.
In
Scarlet Letter, Pearl is character that called devil’s daughter because her attitude
is very different with other children. She very naughty, she never obeys
another asks except her mother. Pearl is the most beautiful thing for Pryne.
Pearl is the only one that Pryne have in the world although he know that she
still having Dimsdale as Pearl’s father, but Pryne never recognize Dimsdale as
a friend in this world because she know what is consequences if she tell that
Dimsdale is Pearl’s father.
“If the children gathered about
her, as they sometimes did, Pearl would
grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at
them, with shrill, incoherent exclamations, that made her mother tremble,
because they had so much the sound of a witch’s anathemas in some unknown tongue.”(Scarlet
Letter:140)
That
citation is showing that in the Scarlet Novel any gothic element that showed by
Pearl. From she grow up she has freak habitual, she didn’t like gathered with
other children, but she has her world for herself. She prefers abstract ding
and she has her friend in her imagination but likes real friend. She often
speaking without real friend and she enjoy with her imagination friend.
Gothic in Scarlet Letter also drew
by Pryne. It because her mind is very confused and she often abstract ding like
Pearl, like he feel about her destiny, and also he has a big secret that have
to protect with big energy, because her mind is too weak for protect that
secret but she still protecting that secret until she likes crazy woman. This
also called gothic because she has imagination like real in her life.
“ It was whispered by those who
peered after her that the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark
passage-way of the interior.”(Scarlet Letter:105)
That
citation can showing that in Scarlet Letter it has gothic element, that is when
scarlet letter which on Pryne’s cloth or precise on the left of the cloth that
Pryne used start make effect to Pryne like annoyances to Pryne precise in her
mind or her heart like anyone who whispered when that scarlet letter like
glowing in the dark place. This gothic is from inner feelings or
phenomenological because gothic have emphasized the role of the reader,
questions of gender, the gothic interest in the abject body and corporatization
in general, and the inner feelings or phenomenological perceptions of the
gothic terrain on the part of its principal protagonists. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack;
2006). Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack adding their statement that gothic is
exploring the inner condition of the protagonist. (2006; 47) and this same like
in the Scarlet Letter’s novel that Pryne as protagonist always feel something
from inner condition that become a gothic event.
Chapter
III
Conclusion
Gothic
and romantic is two elements in literary that cannot be separated, because in
romantic any gothic element which the element for complete romantic genre.
Romantic which grow at eighteen century and gothic element any at nineteenth
century and Scarlet Letter was wrote at the end of eighteen century and at
began of nineteenth century.
Nathaniel
Hawthrone write Scarlet Letter with genre romantic because in this era the
poets is affected by romantic theme. Bowie (2002;15) clearly argued that romantic
conception art can be regarded as reconciling in the realm of appearance what
is unreconciled in reality, and thus as a form of ideology. Art does so,
though, because it grants freedom to the imagination, allowing it to move
beyond the world of what there is to a world of as yet unrealized possibility. It’s
mean that romantic can give a freedom to the imagination and the important
thing is romantic genre is can against the materialist that was made life
boring.
References:
Bowie, Andrew. 1997. From Romanticism to
Critical Theory; The philosophy of
German literary theory.
Routledge: London
Ferber, Michael. 2007. A Dictionary of Literary
Symbol; Second Edition.
Cambridge University
Press: Ney York
Hawthorne,
Nathaniel. 1842. The Scarlet Letter. Planet Pdf
Wolfreys, Julian. Robbins, Ruth and
Kenneth Womack.2006. Key Concept in
Literary Theory; Second
Edition. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburg
TheNortonAnthologyofEnglishLiteratureTheRomanticAgeTopic2
Overview.htm
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