Abstract 

Nowadays in the West, with the acknowledgment and deeper understanding, an increasing number of scholars are trying to study gothic fiction with various principles and this trend is developing prosperously, although gothic fictions have undergone scornful remarks and furious attacks at the beginning of its generation. Thanks to the movies involving gothic elements, at home, people begin to know “Goth”. But the fact is that the study on the gothic fiction in the field of literature is not that much and there even are some misconceptions about it. However, the situation is not so depressing because the study is progressing. Hence, we can find the unique glamour of gothic fictions which is always attracting people.

The thesis mainly focuses on the grotesque, one of the two great features of the gothic novels, todo a study of its application on the plots of gothic stories. It first gives a brief introduction of gothic novels which contains the development of the meaning of the term “goth”, the generating background and basic traits of gothic fictions. After that, it presents the interpretation of the notion of “grotesque”. In this part, it will begin to talk about the constituent elements and the three forms of expression of grotesque in gothic fictions. At last, it will explore the effects brought by the grotesque plots from the aspect of grotesque's values. What's more, it will provide the analysis combining with the social settings of that time.

The result of this thesis will provide the readers a clear and systematic grasp of the fundamental conception of gothic novel and grotesque. Moreover, it will tell you the cause of hedonia while you are enjoying the gothic novels. We can make the conclusion that the charm still exists and never diminishes not only for the people during the period of Industrial Revolution in England but for those of today.

Key words: gothic fictions, grotesque, background, features, values, effects


摘        要

哥特小说，虽然在产生之初遭到各界人士的不屑和抨击，但是在西方随着人们对哥特小说的认可和深入认识，现如今越来越多的学者尝试运用各种理论来研究它，而这种潮流还在继续的发展。在国内虽然借由富含哥特因素的电影，人们开始对哥特有一些了解，但是在文学领域的学者对哥特小说这种文学的研究并不多，许多还对哥特小说存在着误解。虽然如此，国内的研究始终是在发展着。可见哥特小说确实有它独特的魅力会引起人们关注。
本文从英国哥特小说两大特点之一的怪诞入手，研究它在哥特小说故事情节中的运用。首先对哥特小说进行简单的介绍，内容包括“哥特”这一词含义的发展演变，哥特小说产生的时代背景，哥特小说的基本特点。其次，是对怪诞这一概念的阐述。在这部分进入正题讨论构成怪诞的基本因素，以及在哥特小说故事情节里的三大表现形式。最后，将从怪诞的价值角度深入探讨怪诞情节的运用所产生的效应和影响。
本文不仅可以让读者对哥特小说及怪诞的基本概念有一个清晰系统的了解，而且探讨了在欣赏哥特小说作品时所产生的快感的由来，这种快感不仅对处于工业革命这一特殊时期的英国人有着吸引力，对于现在的我们仍然是魅力不减。


关键词：哥特小说，怪诞，背景，特点，价值，效果