On The Gothic Elements In The Secret Garden And Their Functions

The Secret Garden is the representative work of Frances Hodgson Burnett, oneof the great American children s writers. The novel has been warmly welcomed andappreciated not only by children, but also by many adults. Due to its popularity, thenovel has been translated into many languages and made into plays and films, whichhave been very successful and impressive. Apart from the above, there have beenwide and detailed studies of it, which further demonstrate and confirm its value andsignificance.Based on the previous research on the novel, this thesis is expected to exploreinto Gothic elements and their functions in the novel, hoping to find out how Gothicelements are employed in The Secret Garden and the unique functions they perform incontributing to the success of it. Together with the above two aspects, the relationshipbetween Gothic elements and children s literature will also be mentioned. Therefore,this thesis can be divided into the following five parts:Introduction is designed to provide some basic information about the author andthe novel like the life experiences and literary achievements of the author and thecontent of the novel. This part also includes the literature review on the novel, theresearch purpose and significance of this thesis.Chapter One offers a brief introduction to Gothic novel and Gothic elements. Theemployment of Gothic elements in literary works will also be discussed.Chapter Two deals with Gothic elements in The Secret Garden, includingGothic elements in characterization, the development of the plot, the environment andsetting and the theme of the novel.Chapter Three discusses the functions of Gothic elements in the novel in thefollowing aspects: the function of Gothic elements in reinforcing the theme throughcontrast, drawing the reader s attention, providing aesthetic education in the care of“horror” and elevating the modernity and significance of the novel itself, with theintention of proving the unique functions of Gothic elements and their relation tochildren s literature.Conclusion tries to make a summary of the whole thesis and further emphasize the distinctive functions of Gothic elements to the novel itself and the creation ofchildren s literature.