The Artistic Embodyment of the Christian Idea of Forgiveness in the Gothic Novel Poor Claire by E. Gaskell

Abstract

The article examines the novel Poor Claire (1856) by E. Gaskell, which marks the writer's transition from social issues to an in-depth study of the contradictions of the characters' inner lives within the framework of Gothic poetics. The article explores the inclusion of elements of the poetics of realistic historical narrative and critical realism in Gothic narrative. Also, the paper identifies the key themes of the literary work: motherhood, the insecure position of women in society and religious conflicts. The idea of parents' moral responsibility for the fate of their children is outlined. The pathos of the work is determined by the Christian moral postulate from the New Testament about the moral duty of humans to forgive enemies.