Contradiction And Anxiety—A Study Of Gothic Components In Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is the debut novel of British contemporary novelist Susanna Clarkes.Although it has been globally honored and awarded,the criticism on this work remains relatively few.This thesis focuses on the Gothic components of this novel,holding that the Gothic elements in images,characters and plots of this novel reflect contradictions and anxieties respectively.There exist two distinct implications within one image and it provokes a sense of perplexity towards the true meaning of the incongruous images.Characters' personalities are all paradoxical and their relationships are full of contradictions,reflecting the helplessness of the uncontrollable subjective elements and objective reality.The borrowed traditional Gothic pattern and revised plots both display the conflicts of the characters and those prevailing in current society,igniting a series of fear.This successful work pays close attention to popular social issues by borrowing traditional Gothic components,proving the constant vitality of “Gothic” and offering some degree of referential value to congeneric works intending to acquire acceptance.