Das Motiv "Angst" in Der Gothischen Literatur

Abstract

As it is well known, everything in nature is described with a symbol or a motif in order to better reflect the beauties of the world and Literature is one of the most effective tools to make these beauties visible in detail, and therefore motifs have an important place in literature as they can easily evaluate something and also help to reinforce a narrative. This is clearly exemplified in different genres of literature, which are described in detail with many different motifs. In addition, motifs are also used to bring social events to light or to reveal the depth of an issue. In this study, the concept of fear was discussed as a motif and used to understand and explain its changes in human history, its benefits as well as its effects on people. When we look at the history of humanity, since the day man first stepped into the world, he has perceived the feeling of fear as a great threat and has considered it as an undesirable or difficult to satisfy emotion. This view has been internalized by societies and many civilizations that began to form centuries ago, leading to the useful and functional aspects of fear being overlooked over time. However, although fear is a concept that has different cultural meanings in terms of individual and social aspects, the concept of fear has been assigned different roles in many different centuries as it is also an abstract concept and varies by the time and place in which it is used. One of these different roles is evident in the Gothic art and especially in its literature in this study In general terms, Gothic art, which is characterized by its dark and supernatural elements, can also be regarded as a melodramatic narrative technique that uses a background of exoticism, mystery, fear and horror. However, scientific research has also shown that the sense of fear that arises from the Gothic can be very important for people when applied in small doses, and that fear can also be instructive through the Gothic. Gothic artists such as Salvator Rosa, Francisco Goya and Heinrich Füssli, as well as Gothic writers such as Horace Walpole, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and E.T.A. Hoffmann, recognized the usefulness of the emotion of fear and, therefore, combined it with motifs of their own creation and used it as a means in their works to account for the problems of their time and educate people. In this study, the first part will explain that fear is more than just a negative emotion that is misunderstood because of the terror it causes, and in this context, with the help of important psychiatrists such as Sigmund Freud and Ernest Jentsch and philosophers such as Edmund Burke, Immanuel Kant and Thomas De Quincey, we will try to break down the prejudices against fear. The second part of the study will analyze gothic architecture, painting and literature, revealing the hidden meanings within the works, as well as their educational aspects. The third part of the study will analyze E.T.A. Hoffmann's „Der Sandmann“ and interpret it within the scope of gothic literature. In this study, the concept of fear is examined in detail, taking into account the theoretical implications and evaluations, and based on the motif of fear, the concept is analyzed with the aim of eliminating the usual prejudices against fear, adding new meanings and correcting misconceptions about fear through Gothic arts.