Question

He seemed to be tormented by some strange fancy or apprehension. In spite of every effort to fix his attention on the conversation of his companions, I noticed that every now and then he would turn his head slowly round, give a glance over his shoulder, and then withdraw it with a sudden jrk, as if something painful had met his eye. How does the excerpt exemplify Gothic fiction?

Answer 1

Answer :

Gothic fiction is defined as a genre of literature that combines the elements of  death, horror and romance in one fictional work.

This extract from "Adventure of the Mysterious Stranger" by Washington Irving exemplifies gothic fiction by reminding the reader of the presence of evil . The extract speaks of the presence of a ghost that the person described in the extract was afraid of.

Answer 2

Gothic fiction is characterised by an atmosphere of suspense or mystery, shown in this case when the writer is saying that "something painful had met his eye".

Moreover, the word "tormented" when describing how the character feels and the phrase "a sudden jrk" when describing how he reacts, create the image of the character being afflicted and even frightened by something, which is also a characteristic of Gothic fiction.

The whole paragraph is conveying mystery, fright and even darkness.