Matilda or Rosario, whatever you choose to call this thing of the Underworld. What is it? A human, or a demon?
It's difficult to say what exactly is Rosario and Matilda are, whether male or female or a human or a demon. Though this Demon (as I will call Matilda/Rosario from now on) takes the guise of a male only to reveal itself as a female, the genders are simply names. They don't truly express any form of gender as many perceive it today, for example, a male is usually regarded as masculine, aggressive, powerful, while females are passive, weak, and innocent. With the Demon, this is reversed, as it says in the essay on page 193 "...even to become androgynous, especially in her disguise as a young male novice of Ambrosio's monastery." This gender confusion is a valuable aspect of the Gothic novel.
If this wasn't enough confusion for the reader, the Demon is a supposed minion of Satan himself, sent to interfere with the monk's life and cause his fall, as said in the passage from pg. 375 "It was I who threw Matilda in your way; it was I who gave you entrance to Antonia's chamber; it was I who caused the dagger to be given you which pierced your sister's bosom..." Perhaps I missed it, but the Demon's past was never fully explained, and only appeared when the time was right, when Ambrosio was beginning to grow in power and knowledge.
Although, it could also be seen that Satan was simply acting through "the Demon" because she was so dedicated to Ambrosio, and so in love, that she desired nothing more than to get closer to him. To me, however, she was working as the Demon all along, preying upon Ambrosio's weakness to seduction (as he was secluded from the world), to infiltrate his defenses, and use him to destroy himself.
The very thought of a Demon, usually thought of as a male (with the exception of succubi), taking on the disguise of a young boy, and acting so quiet and passive, and flourishing into an aggressive woman, destroys the idea of gender roles, which further ties it into the Gothic genre.
Another thing that I found interesting about the Demon, is that it was quite knowledgeable, having been raised within the monastery, as noted by Brewer on page 194 "Thus the narrator of The Monk undermines as well as affirms sexual stereotypes, suggesting that, at least for some women, noncomformist and even trasgressive behavior is not inconsistent with virtue. In contrast, the passivity and innocence of Antonia, whose education is designed to make her a proper, if ignorant, lady, leads her to trust and even encourage the lustful Ambrosio, who ends up raping and murdering her." It sounds as if education breeds evil within women, while innocence ends with their ultimate demise. So what should women do? Learn enough to live their lives under the shadow of man?
Not that man isn't weak to temptation, but only at the hand of women. Perhaps one could assume that Lewis is making a statement against women, in that he finds them evil in all forms, whether they are legitimately innocent, or evil to their core. So maybe, just maybe, Matilda the Demon isn't a demon after all, but simply a woman, the destroyer of man.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Volume 1 - A Taste of Gothic
Perhaps it is to early to draw elements from this novel and do any form of analysis upon it, but even as I enter the first few pages, I find a few elements already that I recognize from my readings.
The most evident is the use of Segnor, the combination of Italian and Spanish words (signor and seňor). I may be over analyzing, but it seems to me this is already a confusion of the languages, creating a slight confusion. Just a small dose for the reader to ponder over as they continue to read on.
Another point I noticed was from the passage on page 11, "But very few were influenced by those reasons; and in a city where superstition reigns with such despotic sway as in Madrid, to seek for true devotion would be a fruitless attempt." An element of Gothic novels is the incorporation of superstitions such as ghosts and vampires, so it seems a good way to begin a Gothic novel's setting is to say right off the bat that the area is full of superstition.
As you read further, you are introduced to the first sets of characters, Antonia and her aunt, who meet Lorenzo and Don Christoval. During the meeting on page 19 the aunt, Leorella says, "... You should not seem to remember that there is such a thing as a man in the world, and you ought to imagine every body to be of the same sex with yourself. I should like to see you give people to understand, that you know that a man has no breasts, and no hips, and no . . ." It is ironic that she says this, because as you go deeper into the story, you find that a boy is found to be a girl, and it seems like this statement is a prelude to that, although the two plots are split as of now.
The elements of Gothic, as I understand them, are in large part about confusion. Confusion of identity and sex, confusion about emotions and feelings. The aunt confuses Don Christoval's gallantry for love, the monk confuses the girl for a boy, and I have a feeling more are to come as I read further. At times, I myself become confused, but keep reading, in a vain effort to find some form of answer, although I may never find it.
The most evident is the use of Segnor, the combination of Italian and Spanish words (signor and seňor). I may be over analyzing, but it seems to me this is already a confusion of the languages, creating a slight confusion. Just a small dose for the reader to ponder over as they continue to read on.
Another point I noticed was from the passage on page 11, "But very few were influenced by those reasons; and in a city where superstition reigns with such despotic sway as in Madrid, to seek for true devotion would be a fruitless attempt." An element of Gothic novels is the incorporation of superstitions such as ghosts and vampires, so it seems a good way to begin a Gothic novel's setting is to say right off the bat that the area is full of superstition.
As you read further, you are introduced to the first sets of characters, Antonia and her aunt, who meet Lorenzo and Don Christoval. During the meeting on page 19 the aunt, Leorella says, "... You should not seem to remember that there is such a thing as a man in the world, and you ought to imagine every body to be of the same sex with yourself. I should like to see you give people to understand, that you know that a man has no breasts, and no hips, and no . . ." It is ironic that she says this, because as you go deeper into the story, you find that a boy is found to be a girl, and it seems like this statement is a prelude to that, although the two plots are split as of now.
The elements of Gothic, as I understand them, are in large part about confusion. Confusion of identity and sex, confusion about emotions and feelings. The aunt confuses Don Christoval's gallantry for love, the monk confuses the girl for a boy, and I have a feeling more are to come as I read further. At times, I myself become confused, but keep reading, in a vain effort to find some form of answer, although I may never find it.
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