NARATIV UKLETIH KUĆA KAO ODRAZ LJUDSKE PRIRODE U ROMANU „UKLETA KUĆA NA BRDU“ ŠIRLI DŽEKSON

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House within the haunted house narrative of Gothic literature. We will define the Gothic genre, themes, and elements, and examine their role in American literature. Todorov’s definition of the fantastic, Freud’s analysis of unconscious fears, as well as papers of the Gothic theorists such as Small, Mariconda, and Bruhm, help us to form the appropriate theoretical foundation. Оne of the key aspects of this paper’s focus is the role of this genre in the everyday life of the American community in the 1950s. It exemplifies the connection that can be seen in already established gender roles and societal expectations. To achieve that aim, we will apply the methods of literary analysis and thematic exploration of the novel. The study will focus on how the paranormal events and the characters’ association with the house depict the Gothic atmosphere. It also demonstrates the role of elements that can be described rationally, as opposed to inexplicable ones. By doing so, we will strive to identify the source of the haunting and its inseparable connection to human psychology and social anxiety. This paper highlights the enduring relevance of haunted house narratives as a medium for understanding the complexity of our society, universal fears and their triggers, as well as their social critique. This paper aims to contribute to the academic research on Gothic literature within the national academic community.