FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN MANIFESTATION OF HOPE IN GOTHIC LITERATURE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59266/houjs.2026.1144Từ khóa:
figurative language, Gothic literature, hope, manifestation, fictionsTóm tắt
Gothic literature is recognized by elements of the macabre, the supernatural, and the psychological depths of human experiences. While these dark settings and psychological distress are frequently seen in these fictions, there is still hope lying beneath the centre of the whole picture, fragile and flickering yet existing. This article explores how Gothic authors use figurative language in the form of metaphor, symbolism, personification, irony, and allegory to express hope lying under horror or despair. By employing the qualitative approach with a descriptive methodology grounded in conceptual metaphor theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), psychoanalytic Gothic theory (Freud; Kristeva), this paper examines a variety of recognized Gothic texts from both the 18th and 19th centuries and their modern counterparts. Maintaining that thread of hope through figurative language, Gothic writers can strongly express the complexity of human resilience, the longing for transcendence, and redemptive possibilities implied in suffering. Furthermore, this article discusses how figurative language accomplishes two apparently opposing tasks: to unsettle and elevate at the same time, and to show the grotesque while visualizing the sublime. Therefore, this paper works best for readers and scholars, or individuals who seek to find out the interactions of form and meaning that can serve as tools for the depiction of hope and create a layered emotional effect.
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