Robert Mitchell’s Suspended Animation, Slow Time, and the Poetics of Trance talks about how during the time of the Romantic era literature had a high demand for suspense from readers which they called “willing suspension of disbelief”. This concept was known as a phase of “undoubtedly the single most famous critical formulation in all of English Literature”. Authors like the poet Coleridge’s type of suspension was in the form of disbelief but he was also interested in another form called suspended animation. Suspended animation was created in the late eighteenth century. It was described to convince medical readers that individuals who have apparently drowned might still be alive also known as a condition we would call a coma like state. This term of suspended animation was quickly used by medical and literary authors. Throughout this reading Robert Mitchell talks about how this form of writing called suspended animation was also prevalent in many different pieces of literature such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Roger Dodsworth: The Reanimated Englishman. An example of how it was prevalent in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was when Creature tries to “restore animation” to a small girl who has drowned in a river.
Mary Shelley’s On Ghosts shows how she responds to the lack of mystery and suspense in stories during the period. She shows this by describing several ghost stories that happened to different people. In this story, Mary Shelley asks a question to her readers on whether people in society believe in ghost or not. She explains that it is easy not to believe in the possibility of ghosts during the day time where there is light but during the times for example midnight in a house with curtains moving and a dusky passageway while reading about the Bleeding Nun there is no denying the possibility of ghost existing in society. As the story goes on Mary Shelley describes how she personally has never seen or encountered a ghost but describes different accounts of incidents where people have believed to have encountered them. For example when Mary Shelley describes the event of when Angelo Mengaldo saw a headless ghost. He describes the ghost as one of his companions who killed themselves after falling in love with a women who did not love him back.
Usually when stories are categorized as ghost stories there is an element of suspense or of a dark somewhat eerie setting. Mary Shelley’s On Ghost is an interesting example of what a typical ghost story would be like with a little bit of a twist to it.
Robert Michelle’s Suspended animation and Mary Shelley’s On Ghost are both related very closely with each other. Robert Michelle’s Suspended animation talks about the origins of how the literary element of suspense was created and how it evolved throughout the years. Mary Shelley’s On Ghost is about the different forms of ghost stories she has heard about or have encountered.
Queastions:
- Do you think suspense is an important element in literature even to this day?
- Do you believe that the demand of suspense in literature during the time was what made Mary Shelley want to write about ghost?
- Why do you think suspended animation became so popular during this time?
12 replies on “Mary Shelley On Ghost, Robert Mitchell’s Suspended animation, Slow Time, and the Poetics of Trance.”
Part of what’s so lovely about Mary Shelley’s essay “On Ghosts” is how it takes such a human approach to the factors that go into allowing ourselves “that willing suspension of disbelief” that Coleridge describes. Rationally, we know that ghosts, and fairies, and Creatures don’t exist — but given the right mood, we want to believe that they could exist. I wonder if what she’s getting at here is how the best literature prepares us to suspend our disbelief by invoking that right mood. She claims that once in a dream she saw a ghost — and remember that she also claims that the plot of Frankenstein appeared to her in a dream. Perhaps, then, her writing style — the infusion of gothic imagery, the obscure scenery, the sublime landscapes — mimics that susceptible state of mind — a trance state, if you will — when our reasoning power is suspended and we are able to accept dream-logic. (Also worth noting: although she doesn’t say so explicitly, the “ghost” she saw in a dream was the ghost of her dead husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley — thus the anguished longing in her description.)
I believe that suspense is an important element to all types of literature, even today. Suspense is defined as a “state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.” You mentioned that readers during the romantic era held high demands for suspense, and the romantic era was a new period of writing where authors took more into consideration their thoughts on feelings, beauty and the natural world. Novels like Frankenstein written in the romantic era, held major suspense between the strange weather and Victor foreshadowing the contact with his monster. As a reader suspense is an important characteristic, one that pulls you into a book or anything you may read and I believe that without it you may not be able to grasp the meaning or even attach yourself to the author or the reading itself.
I guess that because they were just really starting to learn about the human body, some puzzling things made them curious. Muscles twitch after death and seem to work if you stimulate them and drowning victims might be brain dead, but everything else seems to be working. It was popular because it gave people hope that they could someday undo death. People still have that hope since they pay a lot of money to cryogenically freeze themselves and it’s also being studied as a potential way to keep astronauts alive for very long space exploration missions.
Suspense is an important element in literature as well as television and cinema. I haven’t read a lot of literature, but even in TV and movies it’s difficult to pull off and they have the advantage of visuals and sounds. It’s poorly done in today’s entertainment because the stories are formulaic and since you know the main characters are safe, the story becomes predictable. Suspense requires danger and uncertainty.
Suspense cannot be ruled out in today’s world as it forms the basis for a very interesting story telling. The audiences will not find it worthwhile hence the means to forcefully make them follow along the story especially the ones translated to a play. The suspended animation stories support this fact as used by medical and literal authors to support their research work.Mary Shelley wrote on ghost because of her quest for the overall opinion of people’s belief as regards ghost
I do believe suspense is an important element, it’s used often in many forms of media, especially TV shows to engage the audience to want more and tune in the following week.
Suspense isn’t only seen in Mary Shelley’s On Ghosts, it’s also seen in Frankenstein to engage the reader. Knowing this, we can presume that other it was used around Shelley’s era and continues to be used today.
Suspended animation was so popular during this time for primarily religious reasons, thoughts of the afterlife and ghosts living among the living are thoughts and concepts that still pertain to today’s society.
I think that suspense is an important part of literature. In a literary sense, suspense is defined as a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety. Suspense in a novel is necessary because it entices readers and makes them want to keep reading.
Suspense is also found in Shelly’s Frankenstein. Throughout the book, Shelley makes it clear that Victor is alone and obsessed with the creating a creature. The important part is that Victor is alone – and this creates suspense because it lets the reader assume that if something goes wrong, there will be no one there to help him.
Suspense is a key component to any good literature. When an author provides aspects of suspense it causes the reader to anticipate both forthcoming happy and sad events. Readers feel and obligation to continue reading the story as sitcoms leave cliff hangers at the end of many episodes. Progressively, readers fear for the safety of the public and the chaos the Creature stirs.
I think that suspense is very important in literature, even today. It is what makes the story exciting. When a reader is itching to know what happens next in a story, I would consider the story as well written. Also, suspense in a story makes the reader become involved in the piece of literature, as they may try to guess what the future holds. I was once reading a book and couldn’t put it down until I finished the entire thing. The reason was because of the excitement and interest that I felt as I was reading. The demand for suspense in that era may have been an inspiration for Mary Shelley to write about ghosts, but regardless, it could be that even without this demand, she would have written this work anyway. She is a wonderful author and knows how to draw readers into her novels.
Do you think suspense is an important element in literature even to this day?
I think suspense is an important element in literature even today. It makes people contemplative and creative. Suspense is an important quality in order to absorb the reader into the story. Suspense is a feeling of anxiety or anticipation. In literature, authors use that anxiety to make readers more interested about characters with whom they have formed sympathetic attachments. In this way, it forces readers to continue in order to understand or see what may happen to their favorite characters.
Suspence in literature, movies or life glues one to the subject until all secreats comes to life; literatures whose ending can be determined from the beginning or midway into reading can really be a show spoiler. Alot of people find it hard to complete reading a novel without being bored, therefore suspence in literature helps to awaken their curiosity and fortifies them with the necessary endurance and commitment to read the whole piece. Funny enough , there has been various instances where I had to complete a boring novel just because of the suspense and it ends up being an interesting piece of literature.
In this century a lot of literatures and visuals contains suspense because most writers has identified its curious effects and it helps keep the readers or viewers anticiparing a sequel just to understand what transpired . suspense movies and literatures are best sellers this days ; you will be amazed by the result when you research the rate of sale of suspence literatures and movies such as game of thrones, 24 hours, harry potter, star wars etc.
I think suspense is really important in literature. All stories must create some form of suspense. From my own reading experience, I like the sense of anticipation or worry that the author makes me feel. Because suspense creates the lack of certainty, it makes readers wonder what will happen next.
The suspended animation was a common concept used in science fiction. But now, this idea seems soon will become a medical reality. This idea always exists because human is always interested in preserving our lives.
I think every story should have suspense in the story because it keeps the reader thrilled and on the edge of their seats to see what will happen next. Even though i don’t believe in ghosts but if there were thrilling stories with full of suspense back then it would make them believe in ghosts even at day time too but we all have a feeling in one part of our heart that there is not such thing as ghost. But for the thrill there should written with suspense as stated by Marry Shelley.