Gothic Techniques used in Tim Winton's "In the Winter Dark" - 1st Chapter

Identify and explain the effectiveness of gothic elements used in the extract of Winton’s “In The Winter Dark” 1st ChapterThe extract from “In The Winter Dark” by Tim Winton clearly contains many typical gothic techniques and stylings. The constant referral to darkness, suspense and the reflective and melancholic tone of the speaker is conveyed through many of these techniques. Such include the metonymy of gloom and horror, heightened emotions, the distraught female, dreams and omens, isolation and solitude, and the use of binary oppositions, reinforce the text’s tone and create the mood and tension required for a typical gothic horror novel. The binary opposition that is commonly found in many gothic novels is also displayed here; light and dark, madness and sanity, and waking and sleeping. This contrast of dualities, often found in gothic texts, contrasts two opposing ideas to give the reader a sense of the text’s main themes.

English: Managing emotions - Identifying feelings

Figure 15 from Charles Darwin's The Expression of ...

English: Suspense

It is clear from the commencement of the passage that the author is trying to create a dark and gloomy atmosphere. This is evident in the first line where he begins with “It’s dark already and I’m out here again, telling the story to the quiet night”. This creates the imagery of an ominous setting in the minds of the readers and creates the atmosphere required to unravel the plot. The descriptions he uses reflect the metonymy of gloom and horror that he is trying to project onto the reader which add to the suspense created by the persona. The speaker conveys this suspense through the constant use of and referral to an event that he refers only to as ‘it’ which leaves the reader to guess what ‘it’ is, arousing curiosity in the reader. “It happened to Ida too” is one of many examples where...