The Function of Space: From the Castle to the Sentient Home
Author
Nielsen, Line Lærke
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-31
Pages
77
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan rum fungerer i gotisk litteratur, via analyser af Ann Radcliffes The Mysteries of Udolpho, Shirley Jacksons The Haunting of Hill House og Mark Z. Danielewskis House of Leaves. Med udgangspunkt i Yi-Fu Tuans begreber om sted og rum, Roger Kennedys idé om det psykiske hjem, Fred Bottings forståelse af det gotiske og Freuds begreb om det uhyggelige, belyser afhandlingen, hvordan slotte, huse og natur former karakterers perception og mentale tilstande. Studiet kombinerer et historisk overblik over gotiske konventioner med nærlæsninger af de tre romaner for at spore et skifte fra det 18. århundredes slot til det moderne, sansende hus. Analysen viser, at det gotiske rum fungerer som en forstyrrende kraft, der undergraver hjemmets tryghed og tilhørsforhold og forvandler hjemmet fra et sted for sikkerhed til en kilde til usikkerhed. På tværs af teksterne fremstår rum som centralt for mening, idet det både afspejler behovet for fysisk ly og stedets psykologiske påvirkning. Afhandlingen overvejer også konsekvenserne af manglende stabilt hjem og tilhør, herunder en udhuling af formål, når hjemmet ikke kan opretholdes.
This thesis explores how space functions in Gothic fiction by analyzing Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves. Guided by Yi-Fu Tuan’s concepts of place and space, Roger Kennedy’s idea of the psychic home, Fred Botting’s account of the Gothic, and Freud’s notion of the uncanny, it examines how castles, houses, and natural settings shape characters’ perceptions and mental states. The study combines a historical overview of Gothic conventions with close readings of the three novels to trace a shift from the eighteenth-century castle to the modern, sentient house. The analysis finds that Gothic space acts as a disruptive force that unsettles domestic comfort and belonging, turning the home from a site of security into a source of uncertainty. Across the texts, space emerges as central to meaning, reflecting both the human need for physical shelter and the psychological impact of place. The thesis also considers the consequences of lacking a stable home and belonging, including an erosion of purpose when home cannot be sustained.
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