The Charm of Horror Reflected in The Black Cat and The Minister’s Black Veil.docVIP

The Charm of Horror Reflected in The Black Cat and The Minister’s Black Veil 　　【Abstract】With bleed-curdling scenes and horrible feelings， gothic novel is just called “a novel of terror”. This article aims at analyzing the charm of the most important element of gothic novel―horror， from the two short gothic stories The Black Cat and The Minister’s Black Veil separately written by Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorn. By comparing the two stories from the perspective of horrible scene， image and character， the charm of the significant and ingredient element in the gothic novel―horror will be discussed. 【Key words】Gothic， Edgar Allen Poe， Nathaniel Hawthorn， horror I. The Horrible Scenes The term “Gothic” has also been extended to a type of fiction with lacking the exotic setting of earlier romances， but develops a brooding atmosphere of gloom and terror， represents events that are uncanny or macabre or melodramatically violent， and often deals with aberrant psychological states （Baldick，203）. In The Black Cat， the horrible scenes are always filled with violence and blood. The first scene is that the image of a gigantic cat was left on the wall when his house was on fire. The second scene happens in the cellar. Traditionally， Gothicism feature accounts of terrifying experiences in ancient castles--experiences connected with subterranean dungeons， secret passageways， flickering lamps， screams， moans， bloody hand， ghosts， graveyard， and the rest （Punter， 56）. It is in the dark cellar that the narrator kills his wife mistakenly and violently. Yet the death of his wife doesnt give him a lesson that he has became a totally evil person without love and mercy. Therefore， the third scene comes into being. The way that the narrator disposes his dead wife is quite abnormal. Compared with The Black Cat， the horrible scenes in The Minister’s Black Veil is not so bloody and violent， but have the same effect. The first appearance of the minister in the church brings