The fascination with old Egypt, which came up in the western world after Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt in 1798 and reached a peak in 19th century America, was uttered in a vast amount of novels and stories concerned with Egypt and its symbols. One of the most important of these symbols, among pyramids and Pharaohs, is the mummy - the human body, which has ‘survived’ not only centuries but millenniums.
The interest of novelists with Egypt in general and the mummy in particular may have been in its zenith in 19th century, but it has never completely ceased, as the great variety of books about mummies recently published shows.
In this paper, Louisa May Alcott’s “little-known short story” (Trafton 2005:126) Lost in a Pyramid or the Mummy’s Curse, which was published in 1869, will be compared to a novel by Anne Rice: The Mummy or Ramses the Damned, having been published in 1980, but having chosen a setting at the beginning of the 20th century (1914).
This paper wants to show, that in spite of having been written with 111 years’ time distance, the two texts, use a surprisingly similar set of themes and motives to develop their story. After a short exploration of the historical background of the two texts, I will try to identify and analyze these elements. The examination of the single motives will then lead to the question of a general classification of the two texts, answering the question if, or if not, they belong to the Gothic genre.
This paper will also try to make clear, that regardless of the similarity of the set of conventions used in the texts, the means with which this set has been used differ very much.
Outline
1. Introduction
2. I. Historical Background
3. II. Themes and Motives
3.1 1. Flowers
3.2 2. Beauty, attraction and eroticism
3.3 3. The protagonists – Character and Fate
3.3.1 3.1 Character: Julie and Evelyn
3.3.2 3.2 Fate: Evelyn, Paul and Henry – Julie and Elliott
3.4 4. The Egyptologists
3.5 5. Revenge
3.6 6. Terror
3.7 7. Race
4. III. Gothic Literature
Objective & Themes
This paper examines how the figure of the mummy is utilized in Louisa May Alcott’s short story "Lost in a Pyramid or the Mummy’s Curse" (1869) and Anne Rice’s novel "The Mummy or Ramses the Damned" (1980). It investigates whether these texts share a similar set of themes and motifs despite being published over a century apart, and explores their classification within the Gothic literary genre.
- Comparative analysis of historical context and Egyptology in fiction
- Symbolism of flowers, beauty, and eroticism in relation to the mummy
- Character development and fate of protagonists influenced by the mummy's curse
- The depiction of Egyptologists and the theme of revenge
- Terror and the use of Gothic genre conventions
- The role of race and whiteness in the construction of the mummy myth
Auszug aus dem Buch
6. Terror
The revenge-motive, as it is depicted in the two texts, implies an evocation of terror, as revenge is carried out in physical harm done to at least some of the protagonists in The Mummy and to all of them in Lost in a Pyramid. The way the two authors choose to evoke terror as well as the intensity and frequency of this invocation shall be shortly examined in the following.
Anne Rice starts her text with the anticipation of something terrible, which is going to happen, with the inscription on Ramses’ tomb mentioned in chapter 5. As already mentioned, this anticipation is probably meant to arouse suspense, which is meant to follow the reader throughout the whole novel. The first actually horrific scene in the novel is Ramses’ resurrection:
“The mummy was moving. The mummy’s right arm was outstretched, the torn wrappings hanging from it, as the being stepped out of its gilded box! The scream froze in her throat. The thing was coming towards her – towards Henry, who stood with his back to it – moving with a weak, shuffling gait, that arm outstretched before it, the dust rising from the rotting linen that covered it, a great smell of dust and decay filling the room.
‘What the devil’s the matter with you!’ Henry demanded. But the thing was now directly behind him. The outstretched hand closed on Henry’s throat.
Her scream would not break loose. Petrified, she heard only a dry shriek inside her, like the impotent cries of her worst dreams.” (Rice 1989:66f.)
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the fascination with mummies in 19th-century and modern literature and introduces the two texts under comparison.
I. Historical Background: Discusses the differing knowledge of Ancient Egypt available to the authors and how this influenced their narrative credibility.
II. Themes and Motives: Analyzes shared motifs like flowers, beauty, eroticism, character fates, the role of Egyptologists, revenge, terror, and race.
III. Gothic Literature: Evaluates the connection of both texts to the Gothic genre based on literary criteria such as paranoia, the barbaric, and taboo.
Keywords
Mummy, Gothic Literature, Louisa May Alcott, Anne Rice, Ancient Egypt, Revenge, Terror, Symbolism, Eroticism, Race, Egyptology, Character Development, 19th Century, 20th Century, Lost in a Pyramid
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores and compares the figure of the mummy as a recurring literary symbol in Louisa May Alcott’s "Lost in a Pyramid or the Mummy’s Curse" and Anne Rice’s "The Mummy or Ramses the Damned," analyzing their shared motifs and differences.
What are the central thematic areas discussed?
Key themes include historical accuracy, the symbolism of flowers and beauty, the impact of the mummy on protagonists, the representation of Egyptologists, the theme of revenge, terror, and racial constructs.
What is the core research question?
The research asks how two texts separated by over a century use similar motifs to develop their stories and whether these stories can be categorized within the Gothic genre.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The study employs a comparative literary analysis, examining specific motifs (flowers, revenge, terror, etc.) and applying genre theory (Gothic literature criteria as defined by critics like David Punter) to evaluate the texts.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body systematically analyzes the historical context, thematic motifs like beauty and eroticism, protagonist characterization, the role of Egyptologists, the execution of revenge, and the use of terror to invoke a Gothic atmosphere.
Which keywords characterize this study?
The study is best characterized by terms such as mummy, Gothic literature, Alcott, Rice, symbolism, eroticism, and historical reception.
How do the authors differ in their approach to historical background?
Anne Rice utilizes more extensive contemporary archaeological knowledge to ground her narrative, whereas Alcott’s work reflects the limited and more speculative understanding of Egyptology in the mid-19th century.
Why does Alcott’s use of the "mummy’s curse" differ from Rice’s?
Alcott uses the curse as a quiet but inevitable engine of doom for all characters, while Rice presents the curse dramatically and pompously, though it often fails to result in the anticipated destruction of the protagonists.
- Quote paper
- Desirée Kuthe (Author), 2006, "You, who disturb my sleep..." - The figure of the mummy in 19th and 20th century American Literature, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/77749
