摘 要

《丽姬娅》是埃德加·爱伦·坡最重要的短篇小说之一。该小说讲述了丽姬娅死而复生的故事。本文从该作品的场景描写、“我”的人物刻画以及情节的设置三个角度研究其恐怖氛围的营造，从而深入解读《丽姬娅》中所蕴含的哥特式特征。

关键词：《丽姬娅》；哥特；场景；情节

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Demonstration........................................................................................................... 2

2.1 Gothic atmosphere created by the settings...............................................................2

2.1.1 The abbey..............................................................................................................2

2.1.2 The bridal chamber................................................................................................3

2.2 Gothic atmosphere reflected by the character ....................................................4

2.2.1 The first-person narration......................................................................................4

2.2.2 Sick disposition.....................................................................................................4

2.3 Gothic atmosphere represented by the plots ............................................................5

2.3.1 Rowena’s death.....................................................................................................5

2.3.2 Ligeia’s revivification.....................................................................................6

1. Conclusion.................................................................................................................8

Works Cited .................9

Bibliography ...10

An Analysis of Gothic Features in Allen Poe’s Ligeia

1. Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809—October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered an important figure in American Romantic Movement. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Poe suffered from a hard childhood. His father David Poe, who was an actor, ruined his acting career because of excessive drinking and later ran away from home. A year later, his mother Elizabeth Poe passed away under great living pressure. Afterwards, a merchant John Allen adopted Poe, and helped him receive good education. Appreciating his help, Poe used Allen as his middle name. Edgar Allen Poe died in Maryland, Baltimore “in great distress, and… in need of immediate assistance” (Quinn 18), according to Joseph W. Walker who found his body. Throughout his writing career, Poe wrote plenty of short stories, and was especially known for his tales of mystery and macabre. Some of his representative short stories are The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart and Ligeia. Poe and his works influence literature in the United States and around the world, as well as his fellow writers. Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Pierre Baudelaire, Stephane Mallarme, Jules Gabriel Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alfred Hitchcock, Tim Burton and many other people are also deeply affected by him.

Ligeia,which was published in 1838, is an excellent work in Edgar Allen Poe’s early writing period. It is said that this story is his favorite. He wrote a poem The Conqueror Worm for it in its second edition. This story is told in the first person point of view. Ligeia is the narrator’s ex-wife. After her death, the narrator moves away and marries another girl—Lady Rowena. Later, Rowena becomes ill and almost dies. The narrator wants Rowena to come back from the dead. However, actually, her soul is transferred into Ligeia. Charles of The New World commented: “The force and boldness of the conception and the high artistic skill, with which the writer’s purpose is wrought out, are equally admirable” (qtd. in Thomas and Jackson 52) and Ligeia is “the most extraordinary, of its kind, of his productions” (qtd. in Thomas and Jackson 52).