What does it mean for literature to be grotesque?
What does it mean for literature to be grotesque?
The Grotesque – Nowadays, when people talk about “the grotesque,” their meaning is closer to its adjectival form: “very strange or ugly in a way that is not normal or natural.” The grotesque in literature focuses on the human body, and all the ways that it can be distorted or exaggerated: its aim is to simultaneously …
Who coined the term grotesque?
William Thorowgood
The origin of this association can be traced back to English typefounder William Thorowgood, who introduced the term “grotesque” and in 1835 produced 7-line pica grotesque—the first sans-serif typeface containing actual lowercase letters.
Where did grotesque originate?
The word is derived from the Italian grotteschi, referring to the grottoes in which these decorations were found c. 1500 during the excavation of Roman houses such as the Golden House of Nero. Grotesque decoration was common on 17th-century English and American case furniture.
What’s the difference between Gothic and grotesque?
As adjectives the difference between grotesque and gothic is that grotesque is distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous while gothic is (gothic).
Why is it challenging to identify the grotesque in literature?
The Grotesque is both an artistic and literary term, and is a bit difficult to describe, as it is less of a solid definition, and more of a range between a number of different qualities. The Grotesque fits in between the real and the fantastic (non-real).
What’s the difference between gargoyles and grotesques?
Basically, grotesques are decorative stone carvings on old buildings, usually the heads of strange and ugly creatures, whereas gargoyles are spouts in the form of grotesque human or animal figures projecting from a roof gutter to throw rainwater clear of a building.
What is the role of the grotesque in Gothic and Southern Gothic?
While deformed characters may be one of the most evident markers of Southern Gothic,22 the grotesque has been credited with invoking everything from “horror and the uncanny” to “sadness, compassion or humour.”23 The apparent breadth of grotesque traits threatens to empty the term of any useful meaning.
What is the meaning of Grotesque in literature?
In performance, and literature, grotesque also refers to things that simultaneously invoke in an audience a feeling of uncomfortable bizarreness as well as empathic pity. In the words of Philip Thomson in The Grotesque (1972, p. 27), a basic definition of the grotesque (in narratology) is “the unresolved clash of incompatibles in work and response.
What is the grotesque According to Philip Thomson?
In the words of Philip Thomson in The Grotesque (1972, p. 27), a basic definition of the grotesque (in narratology) is “the unresolved clash of incompatibles in work and response. It is significant this clash is paralleled by the ambivalent nature of the abnormal as present in the grotesque.”
When does an act or subject become grotesque?
We can therefore conclude that the more violent, crass, and excessive the breach of the normal is considered to be, the more likely it is that we would deem a given act or subject grotesque. Even so, judgments as to the precise point at which the boundary into the grotesque has been crossed are always highly subjective.