Comparing the novels 'Melmoth' and 'The Essex Serpent' by Sarah Perry in terms of gothic

Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Ataturk University, Edebiyat Fakültesi, İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı, Turkey

Thesis Supervisor: Selçuk Yazıcı

Approval Date: 2023

Thesis Language: Turkish

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to analyse and compare Sarah Perry's novels Melmoth, which has not been studied before in our country, and The Essex Serpent within the context of discussing the history of gothic literature and characteristics. This study consists of three main chapters. In the first chapters, while addressing questions such as "what is gothic" and "when it was used for the first time" will be answered with a brief reference to the Castle of Otranto, which is classified as terror gothic in addition to the concepts of "Horror Gothic" and "Terror Gothic". In the second chapter of the study, the conceptual characteristics of the gothic genre such as excess, transgression, horror and uncertainty will be explained. In the last chapters, Sarah Perry's novels Melmoth and The Essex Sepent will be analysed and compared through close readings of the selected oeuvre within gothic context. Keywords: Sarah Perry, Horror, Excess, Transgression, Gothic, uncertainty