The painting to the left, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, by Caspar David Friedrich was painted in 1818, the same year that Frankenstein was published. Though it's classified as a Romantic painting, elements of the gothic can still be found here.
First the man stand upon a mountain, overlooking other mountains, giving the impression of danger, for one misplaced footing could lead to his demise. Second, the fog obscures most of the scenery around the man, adding a sense of mystery. Third and finally, the man has his back turned towards the viewer, making himself quite a mysterious figure. Altogether, these three elements depict a painting that while having an edge of danger to it, mainly is shrouded in mystery. Though neither danger nor mystery are explicitly mentioned by Sedgwick as Gothic tropes, mystery and danger are almost always found in a gothic novel.
If one reads this painting in comparison to Dickinson's F341, "Tis so appalling - it exhilarates" both take on an increasingly gothic tone and meaning.
F341
'Tis so appalling—it exhilarates--
So over Horror, it half captivates--
The Soul stares after it, secure--
To know the worst, leaves no dread more--
To scan a Ghost, is faint--
But grappling, conquers it--
How easy, Torment, now--
Suspense kept sawing so--
The Truth, is Bald, and Cold--
But that will hold--
If any are not sure--
We show them—prayer--
But we, who know,
Stop hoping, now--
Looking at Death, is Dying--
Just let go the Breath--
And not the pillow at your cheek
So slumbereth--
Others, can wrestle--
Yours, is done--
And so of Woe, bleak dreaded—come,
It sets the Fright at liberty--
And Terror's free--
Gay, Ghastly, Holiday!
If one again turns to Sedgwick to determine the number of gothic conventions in this poem, it appears that there are approximately two. The first is the sustained deathlike metaphor throughout the poem, which is also explicitly made clear later in the poem when death is mentioned (15). The second is the possible monasticism or church institutions included when prayer is mentioned (12), though this hardly has the monastic connotation that gothic novels like The Monk has. Altogether, there is at least one, possibly two gothic conventions. Some may consider the ghost to be another gothic convention (5), choosing to read it as evidence of the unspeakable, however I would argue the ghost is yet again another reference to death, and thus it refers to the same deathlike trope that was already mentioned.
Though not immediately clear, F341 is a poem about death. The first stanza gives very few clues that the poem is about death, perhaps the only clue being that whatever is being talked about, is something the soul longs for (3), implying that whatever it is, is something everyone secretly wants. The second stanza makes the reference to a ghost (5), which is another clue that the poem is referring to death, for to have a ghost one necessarily must have dead people. The third stanza of this poem contains the final hint, that prayer is given to people who don't know how to handle whatever this ominous it is (12), which is best understood here to imply prayer is a means to cope with death for those who fear it. The turn in this poem come in the fourth stanza, where Dickinson makes it explicitly clear that this poem is about death, for both death and dying appear in the first line of this stanza (15). Altogether, the poem is darker than some of Dickinson's other poems, for the main point the speaker is trying to make here is that death is liberation, and that one should just "let go" (16).
The dashes throughout the poem further the idea that one should just let go, for the poem is broken up by dashes. The first line of the poem could have easily read, "Tis so appalling, it exhilarates, So over Horror, it half captivates", however Dickinson choose to divide the two clauses that naturally flow together in a sort of enjambment, as she does for most of the poem (1-2). Each line of the poem could seemingly be joined with the line preceding it and the line following to make a more united (or at least united appearing) thought. Dickinson instead splits up the poem, forcing the reader to constantly look forward to see what is going on, in much the same she argues that people should look forward to death, and not run away from it. She further makes light of death by ending the poem not only with an exclamation mark (24), as if death is something to shout about, but also with the slant rhyme of holiday and liberty (22 & 24). The child-like rhyme for such a serious topic of death is unexpected, for most would expect a serious tone. Thus Dickinson uses this expectation to undermine our belief in how one ought to talk about death.
Now, in returning to the Wanderer. The Wanderer has climbed to a precarious position, and is looking out over the sea of fog, seeing a land of possibility and mystery. If one reads this painting through the same lens as the poem, i.e. that he is staring out into a land that is a metaphor for death, the picture takes on an even darker connotation. The land no longer represents possibility, but instead represents death, with the fog being the mystery of death. The gaze of the man is thus the human preoccupation with death that Dickinson makes fun of, by discussing how those who cannot handle death are given prayer to help them (12). The Wanderer however does not seem to have such a lighthearted tone with regards to death. His very act of climbing a mountain in order to look death in the face, reveals that he has an understanding of how dangerous an undertaking he took on. He seems to understand this danger, but faces it anyway, in order to see death, or perhaps merely just to take on the challenge. The motives are not entirely clear. Dickinson differs entirely, primarily because of the lighthearted tone that she creates in dealing with death. Death to her, something that starts in stanza one as ominous and unknown, by the end is being rhymed about and looked forward to. This is where Sedgwick's commentary on the possibility of the gothic truly begins to make sense, for in two gothic (or gothic-esque) poems, the meanings and tones are quite different. The Wanderer, if interpreted as being about death is serious, while F341 is not.
Though this is just one reading of this painting and this poem, plenty of other readings are out there. For instance there is the alternative reading that the Wanderer is looking out over life and his future, which would indeed be the very opposite of death.
First the man stand upon a mountain, overlooking other mountains, giving the impression of danger, for one misplaced footing could lead to his demise. Second, the fog obscures most of the scenery around the man, adding a sense of mystery. Third and finally, the man has his back turned towards the viewer, making himself quite a mysterious figure. Altogether, these three elements depict a painting that while having an edge of danger to it, mainly is shrouded in mystery. Though neither danger nor mystery are explicitly mentioned by Sedgwick as Gothic tropes, mystery and danger are almost always found in a gothic novel.
If one reads this painting in comparison to Dickinson's F341, "Tis so appalling - it exhilarates" both take on an increasingly gothic tone and meaning.
F341
'Tis so appalling—it exhilarates--
So over Horror, it half captivates--
The Soul stares after it, secure--
To know the worst, leaves no dread more--
To scan a Ghost, is faint--
But grappling, conquers it--
How easy, Torment, now--
Suspense kept sawing so--
The Truth, is Bald, and Cold--
But that will hold--
If any are not sure--
We show them—prayer--
But we, who know,
Stop hoping, now--
Looking at Death, is Dying--
Just let go the Breath--
And not the pillow at your cheek
So slumbereth--
Others, can wrestle--
Yours, is done--
And so of Woe, bleak dreaded—come,
It sets the Fright at liberty--
And Terror's free--
Gay, Ghastly, Holiday!
If one again turns to Sedgwick to determine the number of gothic conventions in this poem, it appears that there are approximately two. The first is the sustained deathlike metaphor throughout the poem, which is also explicitly made clear later in the poem when death is mentioned (15). The second is the possible monasticism or church institutions included when prayer is mentioned (12), though this hardly has the monastic connotation that gothic novels like The Monk has. Altogether, there is at least one, possibly two gothic conventions. Some may consider the ghost to be another gothic convention (5), choosing to read it as evidence of the unspeakable, however I would argue the ghost is yet again another reference to death, and thus it refers to the same deathlike trope that was already mentioned.
Though not immediately clear, F341 is a poem about death. The first stanza gives very few clues that the poem is about death, perhaps the only clue being that whatever is being talked about, is something the soul longs for (3), implying that whatever it is, is something everyone secretly wants. The second stanza makes the reference to a ghost (5), which is another clue that the poem is referring to death, for to have a ghost one necessarily must have dead people. The third stanza of this poem contains the final hint, that prayer is given to people who don't know how to handle whatever this ominous it is (12), which is best understood here to imply prayer is a means to cope with death for those who fear it. The turn in this poem come in the fourth stanza, where Dickinson makes it explicitly clear that this poem is about death, for both death and dying appear in the first line of this stanza (15). Altogether, the poem is darker than some of Dickinson's other poems, for the main point the speaker is trying to make here is that death is liberation, and that one should just "let go" (16).
The dashes throughout the poem further the idea that one should just let go, for the poem is broken up by dashes. The first line of the poem could have easily read, "Tis so appalling, it exhilarates, So over Horror, it half captivates", however Dickinson choose to divide the two clauses that naturally flow together in a sort of enjambment, as she does for most of the poem (1-2). Each line of the poem could seemingly be joined with the line preceding it and the line following to make a more united (or at least united appearing) thought. Dickinson instead splits up the poem, forcing the reader to constantly look forward to see what is going on, in much the same she argues that people should look forward to death, and not run away from it. She further makes light of death by ending the poem not only with an exclamation mark (24), as if death is something to shout about, but also with the slant rhyme of holiday and liberty (22 & 24). The child-like rhyme for such a serious topic of death is unexpected, for most would expect a serious tone. Thus Dickinson uses this expectation to undermine our belief in how one ought to talk about death.
Now, in returning to the Wanderer. The Wanderer has climbed to a precarious position, and is looking out over the sea of fog, seeing a land of possibility and mystery. If one reads this painting through the same lens as the poem, i.e. that he is staring out into a land that is a metaphor for death, the picture takes on an even darker connotation. The land no longer represents possibility, but instead represents death, with the fog being the mystery of death. The gaze of the man is thus the human preoccupation with death that Dickinson makes fun of, by discussing how those who cannot handle death are given prayer to help them (12). The Wanderer however does not seem to have such a lighthearted tone with regards to death. His very act of climbing a mountain in order to look death in the face, reveals that he has an understanding of how dangerous an undertaking he took on. He seems to understand this danger, but faces it anyway, in order to see death, or perhaps merely just to take on the challenge. The motives are not entirely clear. Dickinson differs entirely, primarily because of the lighthearted tone that she creates in dealing with death. Death to her, something that starts in stanza one as ominous and unknown, by the end is being rhymed about and looked forward to. This is where Sedgwick's commentary on the possibility of the gothic truly begins to make sense, for in two gothic (or gothic-esque) poems, the meanings and tones are quite different. The Wanderer, if interpreted as being about death is serious, while F341 is not.
Though this is just one reading of this painting and this poem, plenty of other readings are out there. For instance there is the alternative reading that the Wanderer is looking out over life and his future, which would indeed be the very opposite of death.