Consider the view that literature within the Gothic genre is always shocking.

Gothic literature has always been characterised as having the effect of being shocking to its readers. It is a useful tool to have the effect of making the readers think on the deeper message, usually a hidden and symbolic message, about societies treatment of class, gender and ideologies. If the Gothic wasn't shocking, the message may not be as powerful or even noticed. For example, the Marquis' 'bloody chamber' filled with his dead wives which are ornamented around the room, has connotations of the implications of patriarchy and its effect of how women were/are treated. This can also be seen as an extreme and melodramatic way to represent gender inequality, thus pointing out one of the main problems of the Gothic. If it tries to be too shocking or scary, it can fall into the genre of melodramatic. However, for Gothic plays such as 'Dr Faustus', it is the melodramatic of the supernatural which is used to help create a message of humour against Catholicism, for example the fooling of the Pope. It may have been staged with actors dressed in white sheets-clearly portraying ghosts- haunting the Pope in an over-exaggerated fashion, to which he gives a melodramatic reaction believing it is those he conned out of indulgences who have returned from purgatory to reek revenge. However, in Emily Bronte's novel 'Wuthering Heights' the shocking permeates the plot, mainly through the actions of Cathy 1 and Heathcliff due to their obsessive and destructive love, a common stricking event of the novel is the necrophillia of Cathy 1 by Heathcliff who has Sexton dig up her grave. He tells Nelly, who thus in turn tells Lockwood who tells the reader, 'I'll have her in my arms again'. This is a transgression of the moral boundaries and not only shocked the original readership but still shocks modern day readers, showing that the Gothic still has a powerful and shocking effect that is timeless.

The relationship between Cathy 1 and Heathcliff can almost be viewed as overbearing for the reader. Their love is so extreme that it defies the hegemonic ideologies of 19th Century society and 21st Century society. Their relationship is corruptive as they often transgress moral boundaries for one another that they can be described as mentally diseased characters. An example of this is when Heathcliff told Sexton to remove the earth from Cathy 1's grave so he could look upon her in again, regardess of her dead state. Before he told Nelly on how he planned to hold her again, he said his instructions in which he parted to Sexton, that when he dies he must be placed inbetween Cathy 1 and Edgar, so when all their bodies 'melt'  Edgar will never know 'which is which', creating gruesome and Gothic imagery for the reader that is represented of the 'fallen world' that the moors represents (Ann B Tracy). This is a significant moment, which is just one of the many moments when Heathcliff defies the hegemonic ideologies of society. By placing himself between Edgar and Cathy 1, he is disrupting the bond of marriage, the cornerstone of Victorian society, thus shocking the original readership. Furthermore, Heathcliff's placement inbetween Cathy 1 and Edgar is a tool used to show the conflict between men over Cathy 1. Cathy 1 has divided feelings for both men, her love is contrasting and reflecting on the personality of both men, for Edgar is like the 'foliage', she understands that her love for Edgar will change 'with the seasons' yet it shows it is natural and promotes human flourishing. Whilst Heathcliff is like the 'rock' her love for him is 'eternal' yet it is not pretty like the foliage, showing her love for Heathcliff is hard and will always withstand any conflicts or barriers placed inbetween them (such as social class or death). Critics have picked up on moments such as Cathy 1 using nature to explain her feelings, as the use of romantic language with the nature of the Yorkshire moors shows biographical influences, just as the Heathcliff's digging up of Cathy 1's body is reflective of the grave yard in front of the Parsonage, it was often (due to diseases such as consumption which raged havoc in 19th Century Britain) that bodies were re-dug up due to the extreme amount of deaths in the village, thus the smell of rotting corpses surrounded the Bronte house. This may be a reason for why Heathcliff talks of his immoral deeds in such a casual tone, as it was a normality for Bronte. Or because he is the dark 'villain'- a Gothic byronic hero.

Shocking elements in the play 'Dr Faustus' evolve around the conflicting ideas of Catholicism and Protestanism. Christopher Marlowe uses this conflict to present these issues to the audience, for example predestination. Whilst Catholicism believed that only certain people could recieve God's grace and go to Heaven whilst the rest were damned, verses the Protestant view that anyone and everyone who has lead a moral life can go to heaven- which created mass confusion as people didn't know which concept they should follow. Marlowe plays on this, which can be seen through Faustus who manipulates these ideas in order to sin and have the power of 'necromancy'. He does by selling his 'soul' to the devil- a shocking and blasphemous concept- and will not repent for his sin, this is due to his belief that 'the reward of sin is death', thus convincing himself that he is already damned to an eternity of torture hence he tries to have fun with his new 'power' within the 24 years he has left to live. However critics have focused on Marlowe's structure which form 4 parts: doubt, persuation, resolve and gain. For example his doubt when he asks himself what the devil would want with his soul yet the enticing gain of 'riches' beyond his imagination. However although Faustus aspires for this accomplishment and the power of necromancy too, he never actually achieves it. It is only Mephastophilies who has the power to bring back 'spirits' however these are not the actual spirits, they are sucubine, for example Helen of Troy, who's 'lips sucks forth [Faustus'] soul'. The fact that Mephastophilies can summon spirits from the dead is another shocking aspect to the play, as it goes against (both) religious beliefs that someone else has the power to bring back what God had sent away, as he is an all-powerful being. This could be interpreted as Marlowe macking a mockery on all of religion, a view some critics of the play believe is likely, however it is also believed that Marlowe was paid by the state to write a play against Catholicism. However Marlowe can be seen as a reckless man, due to his bar fights which later resulted in his death, thus he may have placed atheist ideas in the play to rebel against the state itself.

Angela Carter's collection of tales has used issues such as gender stereotype and gender inquality which have been reinforced, inverted and transformed in an attempt to 'decolonise our habits of thought'. Critics have been excitied as well as shocked by the post-modern Gothic Feminist book- as she takes them out of their 'set shapes' out of 'children's stories and folk art' and 'into the world of change'. Her first tale, is the Bloody Chamber, a re-shaped story of the tale Bluebeard by Charles Perrault. The title 'The Bloody Chamber' is viewed as representative of a torture chamber or a womans vagina, the fact that two completely different concepts come from the same title gives a symbolic meaning, as Carter shows they are both one in the same. Carter highlights that a torture chamber is linked to a womans vagina through the chamber where the Marquis' wives are 'strung up', 'denuded of flesh' and 'enbalmed' on a bed of 'silk', which is gruesome and shocking imagery for the reader. It has been interpreted that the torture chamber is Carter's main feminist message, as it is due to patriarchy that women have allowed themselves to be submissive to male autonomy, thus showing societies strucutre in the past has had negative consequences.Yet Carter's tales when viewed as one whole tale highlights the feminist journey women have had to take to gain their own power through sexual liberation-as is displayed by the end tale when the girl liberates herself from societial influence. The most shocking aspect of the tale can be seen when it is the mother who rescues the female protagonist, stereotypically in fairy tales, the man save the damself in distress. Charles Perrault used the traditional form of the fairy tale plot where a man helped the woman 'forget her time with Bluebeard'. Yet, as the critic Makinen said, Carter ironically uses Perraults patriarchal tales against him. By the mother, who in Gothic literature is either absent or dead, actively rescue the damsel in distress, Carter is changing the hegemonic ideologies and thus showing the start point of women taking power into their own hands. However it is important to note, the mother could only save the daughter with the use of her husbands 'service revolver', which means at this point in the story a woman has to still rely on male autonomy, but this is changed by the time of the story of The Erl King, when the female protagonist strangles the Erl King with his own hair, making a mans possession his iwn weakness. Carter highlights the importance of gender equality in the most shocking and daring way, and it is only possible to see ths message if the reader is willing to 'place themselves out of a phallocentric culture'.

In conclusion, the Gothic genre is shocking as it's its purpose to be. Through the use of the readers shock, it draws them in, making them interested in the plot. And by doing this, it enables the writer to suggest new ideals which rebel against societies ideals. Thus the Gothic marginalises the readers norms and brings central the ideas such as necrophillia and gender equality which society tries to marginalise. Thus the effect of the shocking in the Gothic is one of the most important elements of the genre itself.

How far do you agree with the view that, in 'Wuthering Heights', Emily Bronte shows that more suffering is caused by a diseased mind than by a diseased body?

Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights presents the reader with the key Gothic element of suffering which is caused by either the mind or body. Psychological pain is caused to characters such as Cathy 1 and Heathcliff, who represent the divided self due to their obsessive nature over the other, causing suffering and unhappiness the characters such as Edgar and Isabella, who are used as mere pawns used to help Cathy 1 and Heathcliff have a better quality of life. Whilst the diseased body can be highlighted in characters such as Linton and Frances (who eventually die of their illness), they do not have such an impact as characters like Cathy 1 and Heathcliff, stressing a diseased mind produces more chaos and torment. Although, the character Hindley's alcoholic abuse significantly rises to extremes after his wife Frances death, although this signifies that diseased bodies do cause suffering, it is Hindley's depressed and tormented state which causes the pain for the other characters not Frances herself- Bronte's Hindley would have most likely been influence by her brother Bramwell too had a problem with alcohol which later consequented his death, it is this and the romantic language used to talk of the moors which shows her own biographical influences. Bronte also would have had the influencing factor at living at a time of critical diseases such as consumption, thus death in the novel is presented as a normality. Hence why Emily stresses a higher importance of a healthy mind than body.

A diseased mind is highlighted through characters such as Cathy 1 and Heathcliff through their obsessive and controlling nature which thus causes suffering for other characters, (such as Edgar and Isabella). Their corruptive relationship can be viewed in many different ways, an example of this can be seen when Cathy 1 discusses her 'engagement' to Edgar and her love for Heathcliff to Nelly. Her love for both men causes the divided self for Cathy 1, as with Edgar Cathy flourishes as the 'greatest woman in the neighbourhood' thus becoming a woman of high social status. Her transformation from a 'little savage' into a 'lady' happens after she has spent 'five weeks' at the Linton's house (Thrushcross Grange). The reason for her change may be due to the symbolic meaning of the houses thus a significant influence over their inhabitants, as the Grange is a 'splendid place' with 'crimson carpets', 'gold' bordered ceilings with have a 'shower of glass droplets' hanging from the centre on 'silver chains' highlighting the extent of the Lintons wealth and social status. It is for this reason Cathy 1 choose to marry Linton as not only would she would be 'proud' to call him a husband, but this would 'aid' her the help Heathcliff 'rise' out of Hindley's 'power'. Cathy 1's materialistic desire to marry Edgar would have been comphrensible to the contemporary audience of the time as marriage to an upper class gentleman was the aim of all the 19th Century women, this was due to the patriarchal structure of society which ensured women had a lack of legal rights, thus marriage was their only financial security. However her idea of using the marriage to help Heathcliff have a higher quality of life would have also been viewed as a corruptive use of marriage-the cornerstone of Victorian society-showing how manipulative and selfish Cathy 1 is when she is around Heathcliff.

On the contrasting side, Cathy 1's relationship with Heathcliff can be seen as restricting and obsessive, regressing from the stable mental influence from Edgar. This is presented when Cathy 1 returns from the Grange, and is formally presented to the residents of the Heights, it is then that the reader sees the first strain on Cathy 1 and Heathcliff's relationship, as when Heathcliff is permitted (by Hindley) to welcome Cathy 1 back, the contrast between their appearance is starkly highligted. For Cathy 1 is clean and presentable with ringleted curls, a 'silk frock', where as Heathcliff is 'dirty' and grimy with 3 months worth of 'mire and dust' coating him, showing a distance created between them through the reality of their class difference, hence why she tells Nelly it would 'degrade' her to marry Heathcliff. The social class difference having a negative impact on their relationship is further highlighted when Cathy 1 laughs at Heathcliff's bewilderment of her radical change from  the 'rough headed counter-part of himself', making the excuse that she was surprised at his dirty state as she was surrounded by clean people at the Grange, thus Heathcliff was upset with Cathy 1 maturing into a lady. Although the social void between the two lengthens as Cathy 1's time with the Linton's increases, her bond with Heathcliff is stronger. This is exampled when Heathcliff makes the special effort to look presentable in front of the Lintons- 'Nelly make me decent, I'm going to be good'- because once again the idea of the Gothic divided-self reappears as Cathy 1's two worlds merge.  This is clearly highlighted when Nelly tells Lockwood, 'the notion of envying Catherine was incomprehensible to him, but the notion of grieving her he understood clearly enough', as because he loves her he wants her to have everything she wants, however he fears that by the gaining of her desires he will lose her, thus his attempt to change his appearance- so he can be apart of her life whilst she also changes.This however backfires when Edgar insults Heathcliff's effort to change along with Cathy, evoking Heathcliff's rage and causing him to hurt Edgar in return. This escalates to Edgar and Isabella crying which causes Cathy 1 to snap at them both to be quiet to lessen the rage Heathcliff will receive from Hindley, signifying Cathy 1 will always side with Heathcliff.

It is Cathy 1's divided feelings on the two men that stimulates her corrupted notion that she can have them both, however when she later realises that this will not happen she creates suffering through self harm of starvation to make her lovers become 'friends', thus showing the idea that a diseased mentality causes more suffering.  Her self harm to keep both men can be viewed as transgressive of moral boundaries, this is not only due to the violation of the sanctity of marriage, the cornerstone of Victorian society, but also a corrupted use of her own body. In the contemporary time of the novel, society was relatively religious, although new radical ideas- such as Darwinism- cropped up, Victorians still idolised the moral perspective, which not only promoted a patriarchal structure, but also created the idea of the upper class being respectable. Thus Cathy 1's inverted use of her body (which belongs to God) is transgressive of religious boundaries, and would have shocked the reader. However, Bronte's Gothic approach of inverting traditional values to create a new radical approach to a new way of life is a common use of the Gothic, as it's shocking elements (such as Cathy 1's self harm) would have shocked the readers and therefore making them confront issues they may have marginalised, such as the only weapon women have in a phallocentric culture is their own health.

However the effect of death (caused by a diseased/neglected body) also causes suffering. This is exampled when Heathcliff asks Sexton to dig up Cathy 1's grave, signifying the consequences of Cathy 1's neglected body which has catalysied Heathcliff's diseased mind. Heathcliff blurrs the moral boundaries, as when Heathcliff tells Nelly what he will say when he holds her dead body in his arms-if she is still I will tell myself she is sleeping, if she is cold I will tell myself it is the north wind- it evokes pathos for Heathcliff from the reader (and quite possibly Nelly) as although it is transgressive on the level of necrophillia (highlighting he is the dark byronic hero), it is his obsessive love for Cathy 1 which is his redeeming feature for all of the immoral actions he commits. It is also quite tragic as it highlights the fact that in the plot of the novel there has always been something (Hindley's abuse and degredation of Heathcliff; Edgar's marriage to Cathy 1 due to social status; death) that has seperated the two lovers, and Heathcliff is left behind to mourn her loss alone. However, this would not have been unusal for Emily Bronte as her house (the Parsonage) looked out over on the grave yard, and due to extreme death rates from diseases such as consumption in the 19th Century, it would have been a normality to see the dead being buried- or because there was an overwhelming amount of dead bodies, some graves would have been dug up and the body removed (even when it is decomposing) to make room for the other dead in the Village of Haworth.

To conclude, more suffering in the novel is caused by a diseased mind than a diseased body which is mainly highlighted through the main characters Cathy 1 and Heathcliff, whose destructive love causes pain and misery to all whilst also transgressing timeless moral boundaries, shocking audiences of different era's signifying the profound effect a diseased mind can have. It is the actions of those are mentally ill that produce the most shocking yet memorable events in the plot, whereas characters such as Linton and Frances are not paid much attention to. This could be because they are not apart of the key structual doubling that is within the novel and thus may not be seen to play a key role in the story- thus a diseased mind, being more focused on shows more suffering.

The Gothic elements of Wuthering Heights are made credible by the novel's setting and 'narrators'. How far would you agree with this view?

Credibility within a Gothic novel is important as it is a effective tool used to draw the reader in whilst creating a believable story in a 'fallen world' (Ann B Tracy) which is far removed from the norms of civilised society. The novel of Wuthering Heights is made credible through its use of settings based in the bleak 'solitary' Yorkshire moors. The landscape on the moorside is difficult to negotiate due to the harsh 'stormy weather' that the inhabbitants are 'exposed' too, which can furthermore be seen to act as a metaphor for moral uncertainity. In addition, the story is further made credible through the use of narration which is doubled between two characters- Nelly Dean and Lockwood. Whilst Lockwood anchors the tale in the present time of '1801', Nelly Dean uses the structural device of analepsis in a bildungsroman form, to tell Lockwood the tragic history of his neighbours at the Heights- as he is new to the moors and therefore an outsider. The critic Q. D Leavis believed that Emily Bronte purposefully set the novel in the 18th Century instead of her contemporary 19th Century time as she believed it would be easier for the readers of a rigid structured society obsessed with class and male autonomy to see a different way of life. With the traditional values of farming lifestyle challenged by ideas about progress, culture and civilisation. Alternatively, due to the novels Gothic form, the plot and events can be seen as melodramatic and unrealistic due to its use of extremes and doubling, for example the landscape is too violent and wild and has an incredible influence over the story. The melodramatic and use of extremes has been a main criticism of the Gothic ever since the first Gothic novel 'The Castle of Ortanto'- were a giant iron fist falls from the sky- hence implying the Gothic itself is an incredible genre as it can not truly apply to readers in society.

Lockwood is the first narrator the reader encounters, and is new to the moors- as he 'removed' himself from the 'stir of society'- therefore making him an outsider. This has the effect of making him a narrator the reader can easily identify with- as the reader too is an outsider as our beliefs and ideas of what is moral and what is not originate from a structured and rule based society (thus rational and civilised) whereas the Moors seems to have a lack of rules and morals where extremes of behaviour- such as violence- are seen as a normality. This has the effect of shocking the reader as what is marginalised by our society is inverted by Bronte who transforms the issues into something natural. Lockwood's purpose is to filter the information he learns from Nelly to the reader whilst seperating them from the action due the repetitive reminders that the story is a flashback told from the present (for example, when Heathcliff visits the Grange to see Lockwood whilst he is ill with a 'fever'). Lockwood is the new 'tennant' occupying the house of Thrushcross Grange. It is believed that Emily Bronte gained inspiration for the Grange from Shibden Hall, a place near to the Parsonage where the Bronte family grew up, this may be seen to help add realism to the novel as it is based on a real place- which helps add credible detail (such as the 'broken hedge' or the 'flower pot' that Heathcliff and Cathy 1 go through to peek into the windows of the Grange) which helps create a more potent image in the readers mind, helping them to feel as though they are there on the journey narrated by Nelly, thus breaking down the 4th wall.

Thrushcross Grange is a Gothic doubling of Wuthering Heights, and acts as its juxtaposition- whilst one house is located on the hillside, making it 'exposed' to the volitile moors (the Heights) the other is found in the valley's being sheltered and cultivated (the Grange). The fact that both houses are complete contrast of one another can also been seen to be unrealistic, however Bronte may not be trying to create a realistic world but a dark Gothic one that shocks the reader through confronting issues that Nelly Dean and Lockwood judge, such as the violence and passion of the other characters, thus making the readers see an alternative side of humanity that the original readership would have most likely not want to face. An interpretation of the houses is that they are eponymous to the residents, as the Grange symbolises civilisation- thus Lockwood is the tennant that occupies it in the present and the Linton's (a past upper class family) lived there in the past. The original Victorian readership (OVR) would have identified the Grange as a dwelling for civility and morality- as it is described as a 'splendid place' which exposes the wealth of the Linton's due to the furnished 'crimson carpets' and the 'shower of glass droplets' which hang from the 'gold' bordered ceiling- highlighting it is occupied by rich upper class members of society, who were stereotyped as the class people people of lower social ranking would look up too and aim to be. This was the ultimate aim for Victorians which is why Cathy 1 told Nelly that she only wanted to marry Edgar Linton so she could be the 'greatest lady of the neighbourhood' than be 'degraded' by marriage to Heathcliff. Alternatively, some readers may not view the Grange as being wholy civilised, this may be due to events such as the Linton siblings (Edgar and Isabella) fighting over who should hold the 'warm heap of hair' (a puppy). This may be interpreted as an act which is primal, which was originally only assiociated with the Heights. Ths may have been Bronte higlighting that the upper class are not so different from any other class and therefore the treatment of lower classes (espicially in 17th Century Britain) is wrong and unjustified. However the children are found 'screaming' and 'weeping' at opposite ends of the room- after the puppy has been injured- showing they feel remorse, this would help to further commmunicate the theme of learning and education which is a powerful and key message in the novel, more ovbiously conveyed by Hareton and Cathy 2, who have a relationship of education and support. This adds credibility to the novel as it shows growth and the education through consequences (the overal plot) thus making the characters more believable.

The other house is Wuthering Heights, an isolated place which stands rigidly upon the hillside and is built for practicality (e.g the 'small' inset windows  to stop heat from escaping the house). The weather surrounding the Heights is also repetitively hostile- for example the storm that keeps Lockwood trapped at the Heights overnight- and is used as a literary device (pathetic fallacy) to reflect the surly natures of the characters or to foreshadow an upcoming event. Thus the storm sets the tense and violent atmosphere for the haunting of Cathy 1's ghost child, in which Lockwood inflicts pain upon by savagely 'rubbing' her wrist on the broken glass from the window pane causing 'blood' to soak the 'bedclothes'. The haunting of Cathy 1's ghost may be viewed as melodramatic by modern day readers than intense and scary, this is due to the exagerrtion of ghosts and other supernatural events over a long period of time, making the novel less realistic. However for the OVR the Gothic was an exciting taboo so this may have not affected the credibilty of the novel, instead focusing on the collapse of moral boundaries through the use of the Gothic supernatural- an effective Gothic element- as it unsettles the reader by transporting them into a extreme world, where traditional rules do not operate. Thus the setting for Heaven which Cathy 1 envisioned is a rejection of traditional religious hegemonic beliefs, another Gothic feature- the religious debate, as it is a blurring between the natural and supernatural world. This is highlighted by Cathy 1 when she tells Nelly she had a nightmare that she went to Heaven, but she couldn't stop crying so the angels threw her out and she ended up on top of Wuthering Heights where she wept with 'joy', and then her ghost continued to wonder the moors- foreshadowing the ending of the novel where Cathy 1 and Heathcliff haunt the moors together in death. This would have been shocking for the OVR, as religious beliefs were the cornerstone of society. Cathy 1's idea of the afterlife is a complete contrast to the aims of a typical individuals resting place (Heaven), Nelly herself is shocked and presents the reader with the appropriate reaction towards (what would have been seen) as a blasphemous idea.

Nelly Dean is the second narrator the reader encounters. Some readers, for example feminist or Marxist critiques, may have had an issue with Nelly being heard through the narration of an upper class gent. However Emily Bronte may have chose Nelly to speak through Lockwood as she knew it may have added credibility for her OVR as she may have known the story may have sounded more believable from an educated man than a woman, maybe for the same reason she first published her novel in a man's name, due to patriarchy and the stereotype attached- women are feeble and dim. Furthermore Nelly can be viewed as an unbiased narrator as she has lived in both houses and been confidant to the main characters, such as Heathcliff, whilst also acting as their moral compass. An example of this can be seen when Heathcliff tells Nelly that he ordered Sexton to dig up Cathy 1's grave so he could hold her again, and if she does not stir she is asleep and if she is cold it is the wind, essentially transpiring on the level of necrophilia- thus she asked him 'have you no shame?'. In addition, he also told her how he ordered Sexton to make a space between Cathy 1's coffin and Edgar's, so when he is placed there he can rot and morph with Cathy 1 into one being so that when Edgar's body tries to rot with Cathy 1 he will not know where she starts and Heathcliff ends. This can be interpreted in different ways: one being, Emily Bronte making a mockery of Victorian social structures- by using Heathcliff to come between the bond of man and wife (the cornerstone of civilised society). The second representing the Gothic element of the divided self- a significant theme in the book, as it represents Cathy 1 and Heathcliff symbolically sharing the same soul- thus their separation pains one another, for example when Heathcliff tells Cathy on her death bed 'in breaking your heart you have also broke mine'. On the other hand, the OVR may have had issues with the credibility of the novel being narrated by Nelly. This is due to her interraction with other characters as she has moments where she withholds information- for example when Cathy 1 is ill and Nelly withholds the severity of her illness from Edgar. The OVR may have found this outrageous, as lower orders were never allowed to interfere with the lives of the upper class, this may have effected the way the readers viewed the story as they may have found Nelly unreliable from that moment forth.

In conclusion the setting of the novel of Wuthering Heights is made more credible as it creates an intense atmosphere for the reader whilst also reflecting the volatile nature of the characters, in addition the credibilty to the novel is furthered by the use of the doubling of narrators who bridge the past and the present whilst seperating the reader from the action.