How Does the Excerpt Exemplify Gothic Fiction?

The excerpt from "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a classic example of gothic fiction. The story is about a woman who is suffering from mental illness and is confined to a small room in an effort to recover. The excerpt highlights the woman's descent into madness, as she becomes increasingly obsessed with the pattern on the wallpaper. The wallpaper becomes a symbol of her imprisonment and her mental state. The gothic elements in the story include the isolated setting, the paranoia and fear, and the mental decline of the protagonist.

In gothic fiction, the key features are fear, horror, and suspense. Gothic fiction is sometimes used to describe a novel or story that has a dark or mysterious atmosphere. This atmosphere is often created by using supernatural elements, such as ghosts, vampires, or witches. Gothic fiction can also be used to describe a work that has a gloomy, dark, or suspenseful plot.

The excerpt uses suspense and fear to create a gothic atmosphere by hinting at dark and foreboding events to come. It employs language that is both suggestive and evocative, hinting at an ominous feeling without explicitly stating what is causing it. This allows the reader to fill in the blanks with their own imagination, making the experience all the more chilling. The result is a sense of unease and foreboding that is quintessential to the gothic genre.

The excerpt uses setting to create a sense of dread and foreboding by making the reader feel as if they are in the dark and secluded place with the character. The short, quick sentences also create a sense of unease and foreboding as they create a fast-paced atmosphere. The lack of light and the sound of the character's footsteps also add to the feeling of dread.

The following passage is from page 13 of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House:

The front hall was dank and dark, tapping with the drip of unseen water. It smelled earthy, as if the house had been closed up for a long time. The musty odor was thick in the air.

The house was silent. There were no sounds of footsteps, no voices, no humming of machinery. It was as if the house were holding its breath, waiting.

The drip of water was the only sound, a faint, persistent plinking.

The front door was shut and there was no key in the lock.

The excerpt uses symbolism to create a sense of the uncanny by using the contrast between light and dark to represent the contrast between the rational and the irrational. The dark front hall symbolizes the irrational fear that the protagonist feels. The musty odor represents the fear of the unknown. The contrast between the silence of the house and the drip of water represents the contrast between the normal and the abnormal. The sound of the drip is unsettling because it is out of place in the otherwise silent house.