Skills Covered
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Key Terms: What Are Tropes?
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Tropes Are Tools
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The basic definition of a trope is a commonplace or recognizable element of a plot, a theme, a character, or a setting. It's a common convention, one we recognize because it's frequently used. What makes tropes so useful to understand symbolism, for one, is that we recognize that they are fundamentally tools of the trade--and as all tools do, they function to create a larger whole.
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Overview
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The haunted house is one of the most iconic tropes of the Gothic and horror genre. A place abandoned, cobwebbed, dusty, filled with madwomen in the attic and Lovecraftian rats in the walls, the haunted house is that classic setting in which horror takes place.
The question we have to ask is "why"? Like everything else, the trope of the haunted house is a tool, and in Gothic and horror, it's a powerful tool that goes beyond physical setting into the realm of the symbolic. |
Questions
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Questions About Setting and Symbolism
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