As we learned not to long ago, Gothic Romance and Verisimilitude are opposite sides of the spectrum. One, being dark and unrealistic, gothic romance falls under the movies such as the saw series, while the other, being bored-to-death realistic, is the exact other. One comparison is two video games (video games in AP lit? No way!). Dante’s Inferno and Heavy Rain are perfect examples of Gothic Romance and Verisimilitude.
Dante’s Inferno is a prime example of Gothic Romance, whether going by the book or the video game. In the video game, the player controls Dante through the 9 rings of Hell, using a big freaking scythe of awesome, and battling millions upon millions of damned souls to rescue Beatrice from hell and keep the Devil from escaping his prison… (Trailer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuKIWhx9RhM
Sounds gothic to me...
But that is not the only reason why it is a prime example. In class we talked about how much time may pass in each. Gothic Romance tends to skip the smaller details of what the knight ate the morning of the battle and jumps right to the epic battle between him and the dragon. The same sort of feeling is in the game too. Besides the fact that it’s not exactly normal to visit hell once in a while, but there is something a bit off if you can fight through Hell and out the other side in a couple hours. Each level, you slash and crash your way to the boss fight, then you get to the next one with no real detail in-between.
However…
Heavy Rain is the perfect example for Verisimilitude. Heavy Rain is a game where you walk and talk your way into finding out the answers to the disappearance of a young boy, who is most likely in the hands of a killer. In class we talked about how it wasn’t so much realism as it was whether it stunned or disturbed you that made it Gothic Romance or not, but when comparing the missing boy to millions of souls damned for all time in endless torment, Heavy Rain doesn’t look all that Gothic. But the reason I chose Heavy Rain over almost any other game wasn’t because it was happy-go-lucky and fun, but the ever so crafted detail. When you walk through the game, you don’t merely walk from point A to a clue and to the exit, point B. You take your time. You could go turn on a radio, or pet a bird, or even walk outside and lean against a railing for an amazing view. It even has you draw step-by-step. (clip scene of drawing) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1dEXV0kIwo. It can take you an hour in 1 room, adding all the little details that could have easily been left out without notice.
In conclusion, Dante’s Inferno and Heavy Rain are great examples of Gothic Romance and Verisimilitude because Dante’s Inferno shows the peak of dark and disturbing ideas, while Heavy Rain’s detail and realistic setting give it something more relatable.
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Another important aspect of Gothic Romance vs. Verisimilitude is the ending of the story. Using Wikipedia(yes, all you reliable source maniacs, WIKIPEDIA!!!) I found that Dante's Inferno's game ending is a classic, stereotypical damsel-rescued-going-to-paradise ending. However, Wikipedia informs us that Heavy Rain has a very different ending; in fact, there are various alternate endings that can take place, giving that "real" aspect. This is true in The Turn of the Screw, too. Instead of a happily ever after ending, we got a shock. Miles died, leaving behind a question: did he die from being dispossessed, or because the governess strangled him by hugging him so hard. This definitely reinforces the ultimate verisimilitude of The Turn of the Screw.
Wow, Sam. You didn't even put up a spoiler alert? For shame. haha. But Tony, this comes as a complete surprise that video games can be related to AP literature. I have never played either Dante's Inferno or Heavy Rain, but the contrast between the two is the perfect example of Gothic Romance versus Verisimilitude. I wouldn't want to play Heavy Rain given the details in your blog, however, seeing as I could have a detailed, very realistic life- without ever playing a video game... I wonder how effective the two games' storytelling methods would be if elements from either method (Gothic Romance/Verisimilitude) were combined. For example, let's pretend the game was changed that Dante was, while still in hell, he, for example, carried not a scythe, but a mildly sized... butter knife. This would not be as exciting for the audience that the game was targeted toward, and would therefore not be as effective. Take, on the otehr hand, the game, Heavy Rain: the reason Gothic Romances are fun is because the audiences usually only gets to see the exciting aspects of the world crafted by the author. If the focus was placed on the game so that, for a classic example, the character was brushing their teeth (in detail), it would automatically lose some of its credibility as a gothic romance, period, and would therefore not work as well. It seems that some aspects of either technique work well with some stories, and others will work solely with either Verisimilitude or Gothic Romance.
Brian Reuland
I think that Tony makes some very good points here, and though I've personally never played either game, I think that based on your description they are good examples of romance and verisimilitude. I'd like to add a couple of examples from something I'm a little more familiar with, the good ol' television. A perfect example of verisimilitude is Seinfeld, the self-proclaimed "show about nothing". Nothing meaning everyday life of normal people living in New York City. They use the lives of these people to make people laugh. An example of romance would be Harry Potter. The ending is perfect, and the setting is nothing short of gothic and fantastic. Not to mention the characters are all very archetypal. Just another couple of examples to consider.
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yep, sounds gothic to me, too, Tony!
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