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Narrative Strategies Summaries/Reflective Journals:

Narrative Strategies Reflective Journal: 3/12/17:

This week we have begun our narrative strategies project. Our project involves a study of the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886), from which we will create a 500-word short story based around characters and themes from the novella.

This week, we have been introduced to one of the central characters, Mr. Utterson. From Stevenson’s description of him, I feel that Mr. Utterson is a very reserved person, who would prefer to be involved in other people’s lives than have people involved in his private life. From this, it suggests that Mr. Utterson is hiding something, though from the first few pages, we are unaware of what. It is also suggested that Mr. Utterson has a social relationship with many of the characters in the novella, however this will likely be explained throughout the story. This makes me consider if something happened for the characters to be so distant from each other.

This week I will read the first chapter of the novella, and will consider how the characters and themes are presented to the audience. This will help me to understand how I can create a narrative for my 500-word story.

Narrative Strategies Reflective Journal: 10/12/17:

This week we discussed the first chapter of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886). We looked at the character Mr. Utterson, as well as his distant cousin, Mr. Enfield. We do not learn much about either characters, however we are told about a third character, Mr. Hyde. In this chapter, Enfield recalls Hyde trampling a little girl, to which Enfield and other witnesses shame him and force him to pay a fine to the girl’s family. We can see here that Hyde is a remorseless character, who is disliked by everyone who meets him. The interesting dynamic of this is that people cannot explain their dislike towards him, which makes the audience question why.

Story of the Door (chapter 1) uses the setting of a door to create a physical and narrative barrier between the characters and the plot. The story is drawn out by the longing to know what is occurring behind the door (from Utterson’s point of view) and the reason why Hyde has a connection to Dr. Jekyll. I feel that this makes Utterson the protagonist, as we are currently following his point of view through the narrative. This also allows the narrative to build up suspense, as we know very little about the scenario (as does Utterson), so this helps the audience to empathise with Utterson’s achievements and failures to gain information.

We also looked at the theme of shame. This theme is very prominent throughout the first chapter, and we can see that people are quick to follow another’s judgement in this story. The idea of group pressure seems to be another common factor in the Victorian Era, and it seems that this may be a recurring theme throughout the book. From this, we can see that Hyde is clearly disliked by everyone, however group pressure may affect the way some characters react or think towards him and his deeds.

Narrative Strategies Reflective Journal: 17/12/17:

This week I read chapter 2 of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886). In this chapter (Search for Mr Hyde), Mr. Utterson begins to become obsessed with Hyde. After hearing of the incident in chapter 1, Utterson begins to worry about Jekyll’s will. He has a strange dream about Hyde, and decides to visit his friend Dr. Lanyon to see if he can tell him more information about Hyde. To his dismay, Lanyon does not give him any more information on Hyde. Despite this, we see Utterson converse with another character, who allows us to see that there is tension between both himself and Lanyon. This tension is over science, and Utterson is relieved to find this to be the cause of their tension.

I find the character Dr. Lanyon interesting, as his character suggests that he holds secrets, which I feel would be interesting to write about. Using one of the themes from the book, I could create my short story and essay around this character, as I feel that he could be interesting to write about.

In this chapter we see Jekyll’s door, opened by Jekyll’s servant, Poole. Jekyll’s door is well-managed, showing a contrast to Hyde’s door. Utterson asks Poole if Jekyll is home, to which he replies that he is not, but Hyde is home. Utterson questions if Hyde is home often without Jekyll, to which Poole answers yes. He does not know of Jekyll’s secret. Utterson waits for Hyde to return home, and has a brief conversation with him, but does not learn anything about his relationship with Jekyll. He does manage to see Hyde’s face and, like everyone who sees him, has an instant disliking for him.

For my short story and essay, I am considering writing about Dr. Lanyon, keeping the Victorian setting, as this is an era of history that I am interested in, and would like to write about it for my narrative. I feel that Lanyon may be an interesting character to write about as he seems to be a mysterious character (an occurring trend with most of the characters in the novella), and I feel that this allows me to adapt his character for my own narrative.

Narrative Strategies Reflective Journal: 24/12/17:

This week, I read chapter 3 of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886). In Dr. Jekyll was Quite at Ease (Chapter 3), Mr. Utterson visits Dr. Jekyll to ask him about the will. Utterson is concerned about Jekyll, and he wonders if he is hiding something about his relationship with Hyde. After questioning the will, Utterson is told by Jekyll that Hyde is not a concern, stating “[T]he moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde” (1886, p.20), which fails to satisfy Utterson’s concern. Jekyll also requests Utterson to not ask about the will again, which suggests that Jekyll is hiding information from Utterson and the audience.

I have decided to use Victorian London as the setting for my short story, as I feel that this will be the most appropriate for me to link the themes from the novella and my story together. Whilst my story is separate from the novella’s events, I feel that sharing the era that those themes were part of would help me to create a topic of discussion for my essay, as well as a point of possible conflict in my short story.

Narrative Strategies Reflective Journal: 31/12/17:

This week, I read chapters 4 and 5 of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886). In these chapters, we learn that Hyde has committed a murder, and Mr. Utterson believes that Jekyll is covering for Hyde’s crimes. In The Carew Murder Case (chapter 4), Hyde murders a member of parliament, Sir Denvers Carew. As Carew’s laywer, Utterson is called to identify the victim, and is presented with a letter addressed to him. The murder was witnessed by a maid from a window, and she was unable to describe Hyde’s face, but took a distaste for him like everyone who witnesses him. In Incident of the Letter(chapter 5), Utterson asks his clerk Mr. Guest to analyse a letter from Hyde. An invitation from Jekyll is also presented, and it is deducted that the two handwriting styles match, albeit at a reversed, sloped angle. Utterson is convinced that Jekyll has forged the note for Hyde.

I also began research for my short story. I wanted to use the Victorian era for my setting, and decided to look at examples in film to see a visual example of the Victorian setting.

For my visual research, I watched The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Norrington, S. 2003) to observe the film’s portrayal of the Victorian setting. I also looked at how it portrays Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who appear in the film.

The film uses a steampunk-style for its costumes and props, which makes the film have a more fantasy element to it. The reference to guns firing one bullet at a time suggests that this may be in the mid-Victorian era, where people were still experimenting with new technology. As the film focuses on new technology that is too advanced for its time, i.e. tanks, small details to ‘current’ technology helps to set the scene for the film.

The film was adapted from a graphic novel, which contrasts Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886), which was written as a text, then adapted into a graphic novel later. The link between the graphic novels is the supernatural, both novels contain an element of fantasy that would be unusual in the Victorian era, i.e. Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde; Dorian Grey’s ageing painting.

For my short story, I would like to write about the Victorian era, as I find this to be an interesting era that was mostly about experimentation and discovery, which interests me. As I continue to read the novella, I will consider characters and themes that I can look at to help me make my story believable and appealing.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (5/5) Movie CLIP - Me on a Bad Day (2003) HD [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1SZ4ccagFQ [Accessed: 28/12/17]

Norrington, S. (2003) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. [DVD] 20th Century Fox: USA.

Narrative Strategies Reflective Journal: 7/1/18:

This week, I researched Victorian clothing and researched films from the Victorian setting to help me generate ideas for my short story for my project. I wanted to see the type of clothing Victorians would have worn to help me with my descriptive writing for my short story.

I created a moodboard to look at Victorian clothing to help me understand what the Victorians would have worn, as this may be helpful to my story if I choose to describe clothing as part of my story. I would like my story to be accurate to the era I am writing about, so I will continue to research Victorian assets to help me with my descriptive language in my story.

I also read chapters 6 and 7 of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson, 1886). In chapter 6 (Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon), Utterson visits Dr. Lanyon after being refused entry to Jekyll’s house. Lanyon is very ill, claiming he has had a severe shock, and will not recover. He tells Utterson that the cause of this is a secret he knows about Jekyll, and he wishes to not talk about him again whilst he is alive. Utterson is curious at the cause of Lanyon’s shock, knowing that something is suspicious with Jekyll. After Lanyon’s death, Utterson receives a letter that states to be opened on Jekyll’s death. Utterson does not open the letter, and he stored it away in his safe. In Incident at the Window (Chapter 7), Utterson and Enfield are out walking, and notice Jekyll sitting near the window of his house. Jekyll refuses to come out of the house, and so he talks to the two men from his window. Enfield has a shock at the sight of Jekyll - something has happened to him.

I will continue to look at the Victorian setting, and will begin to consider topics for my short story. After reading more of the novella, I am drawn to the character of Dr. Lanyon, as I feel that the vague description of him could suggest that he is hiding something. I would like to consider adapting this character for my short story, as I feel that I could make this character more appealing by portraying him in a different way using one of the themes from the novella.

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Narrative Strategies - Feedback (2 of 2):

I also received feedback on my essay. Whilst my essay described my ideas process well, it was suggested that I consider looking at other references and quotes to back up my essay. This would help to strengthen my statements, and also improve the flow of my essay. My essay also needs to be condensed, and I will consider removing parts of the essay that I feel are not strong enough or do not benefit my ideas or reflection on my short story.

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Narrative Strategies - Feedback (1 of 2):

I received feedback on my short story and essay. For my short story, it was noted that my text was too long, and would need to be condensed. It was also suggested that some of my sentences were not necessary, and were additional scene setting that did not need to be in my story. The midpoint of my story was the strongest, and I think that I will begin my story here to be able to reduce the amount of words my story currently has.

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

To accompany the fighting scene, I also looked at how the camera could effect the scene in my animation idea. In this scene from  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), the camera makes fast cuts and moves quickly, which gives it a disorientating feeling.

I could use the idea of fast cuts in my animation idea, and I can explain in my essay how this can exaggerate Lanyon’s emotions whilst he is watching the fighting.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)  Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom - Cart Escape And "Water!" (Ending Part 2 Of 3) [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ds9mfUB7Dg [Accessed: 4/2/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

For my research, I looked at a bare-knuckle fight scene to help me imagine the visuals within my own short story. I looked at a scene from Hard Times (1975) to understand how the fighters manoeuvred, but also how the crowd reacts to the fighting.

In the scene, the fighters move around a lot, and deliver fast hits to the opponent. The spectators cheer through the cage, and some have dark frowns which may suggest their favoured boxer is losing. 

I thought that this was appropriate as Lanyon would be a spectator to the boxing, rather than a fighter, so I thought that by studying how the crowd reacted, this would help me to write about it within my story. The idea that some of the spectators are frowning is useful to me, as I can experiment with this idea of a ‘darker side’ to Lanyon, which I can express more though the descriptive language in my short story.

"Hard Times"(1975) Charles Bronson vs Robert Tessier (2016) [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbxlsbnVeBs [Accessed: 3/2/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

I read the first chapter of Great Expectations (1861) to look at the type of language used. Although the book is not set in the Victorian era, it was written during the Victorian period, and so I thought that it was appropriate to research this to help my writing for my short story.

The language used in the book is very similar to modern English, however some older words are still used, and the dialogue is still written with references to the Victorian language.

By researching this, I was able to understand how I can use descriptive language and the type of language to help aid my writing, as my short story is also set in the Victorian era.

Dickens, C. (1861) Great Expectations (2010) London: Harper Press.

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

For my animation idea, I have considered using hand-drawn animation to reflect my short story. This music video uses hand-drawn animation with a messy, scribbly look. I would consider using this art style for my animation idea, as I think that this would be a good visual indicator to show the change in Lanyon as he witnesses the bare-knuckle fighting. As he gambles, I can imagine that the lines get more messy to show his loss of control.

Archuleta, D. (2017)  David Archuleta - Invincible (Official Lyric Video) [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYhDFiTvqU [Accessed: 22/1/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

I decided to revisit my notes on storytelling, as I felt that it would be helpful to revisit this as a write my story. In my story, I should look at including conflict, as well as a simple story structure, such as Freytag’s Pyramid, to help me create a well-balanced narrative. This will help the reader to identify the start, climax and end of my story. Whilst my narrative will be a short story (500 words), it is important that I recognise the key points that structure my story, as this will make it more appealing to read.

Narrative (Week 1) 6/12/16:

Our research project focuses on the narrative of a story. We are looking at narrative as our research project and will produce an essay of 1500 words the role and development of narrative in animation.

This week we learned about story and narrative. A story is “a sequence of events taking place over a particular period of time” (Wells, 1998, p68.)

Narrative - a story that is told (somehow; i.e. spoken word, movement in a ballet, through music, etc.)

Story - What is told (words).

Discourse - How it is told (showing)

We will be looking at animated narratives from their beginnings to modern-day sophistication, and how this is different to other forms of media. We will also look at a range of theories for narrative, including Aristotle’s Poetics (c.335BC), and Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots (2004). This will help me to understand the different ways to create and show a narrative in a story. This will also help me to tell my own stories, as well as to understand why they work, and why the occasionally do not.

Structure - the overall design or layout of a story.

Artifice - “making something cleverly”

There are stories in all cultures; we recognise the structure of a story, even if we do not understand it. We learn the structure of a story and can recognise one through the way it is shown to the audience, even if it is in another language. The same story can be told in different ways, using traditional, linear or controversial ways. Most people agree that conventional narratives share similar structures, they are also more popular in ‘franchise’ films, the James Bond for example uses this structure; the audience is immediately thrown into action before we can ‘care’ about the character. However, ‘controversial structure’ does not equal ‘controversial film’. The audience can still care about a character in this format, especially if they are familiar with the character in older films. Animation is a good example of creating unconventional stories, as it does not have to follow the same format as other film. “…animation possesses the capacity to create new modes of story-telling, often rejecting the notion of a plot with a beginning, a middle and an end, in favour of symbolic or metaphoric effects” (Wells, 1998, p 68).

Narratives are more enjoyable if they are shaped (somehow). Freytag’s ‘pyramid’ (1863) is often used in narrative storytelling as it follows a pattern.

Figure 1: Freytag’s Pyramid has three stages that make up a narrative. 

In Freytag’s pyramid, we can see that the climax of the narrative is in the middle of the story, not the end. This is the case with many classical stories, such as fairy tales. However, in modern-day storytelling, such as films, this diagram is not as accurate.

An adapted version of Freytag’s pyramid exists for modern-day narratives:

Figure 2: Freytag’s Pyramid edited for modern narratives. (Selvidge, L. (2007))

As we can see from figure 2, the diagram closely resembles a narrative from modern-day, as opposed to a classic fairy tale. As you can see, the ‘pyramid’ becomes more of a slope, gradually increasing in tension until the ‘breaking point’ (the climax). The peak of tension in the story comes slightly before the end of the narrative. It is worth noting that the climax does not take place at the end here either, but much closer to the end of the film than the previous diagram. The resolution still follows the climax here, but they are much closer together; the ‘falling action’ in the previous diagram has been replaced by the resolution, a substitute that is likely to include the ‘falling action’ as part of the conclusion of the story. 

Most stories follow a basic structure, i.e., a beginning, a middle and an end. As an example, Pixar have a narrative frame that structures a convincing story. Emma Coates, an ex-Pixar storyboard artist, shared 22 rules for good storytelling, one of which describes an ordinary character whose life changes one day, which results in an adventure for them. “Once upon a time there was _____. Every day, ______. One day _____. Because of that, _____. Because of that, _____. Until finally, ______”. This follows a basic narrative route, as there is a clear, beginning, middle and end being described.

·        Exposition - Identification, telling us about the characters.

Pixar’s storytelling rule above features exposition through its introduction (” Once upon a time, there was….”). Exposition can appear through different ways, i.e. a flashback, a narration, or showing in a visual story.

Aristotle divides stories into three acts; when writing about tragedy, he divides the story into three acts: a beginning (protasis), a middle (epitasis) and an ending (catastrophe). Tragedy contains drama, which is why the ending causes a down-stroke, and unhappy ending for the character.

Alternatively, a denouement (un-knotting) may occur, which unties the complications in the story, concluding the narrative with a happy ending. 

A story needs to have change to progress the narrative. Aristotle also states that stories need peripeteia, the ‘reversal of fortune’. This is often a turning point in the narrative where the character begins to overcome their fears or obstacles.  This often occurs before the anagorisis (recognition) in the story. This is also known as an epiphany (coined by James Joyce) or realisation. A story needs change as it is trying to tell the audience something. This can be a lesson of what not to do, i.e. ‘this could happen to you if you do this’, a meaning, or a moral. A story’s events can cause us to express emotion towards the characters; we feel pity and even fear for characters whose stories end in tragedy.

A story also need to be self-contained in some way. The audience should understand why things are happening and why they happen in this particular way, in the narrative’s universe.

Self-contained - explains why things have happened, i.e. why people behave in a certain way.

According to Aristotle a narrative should be:

Complete

Self-contained

Connected (because of that… because of that.)

And contain a moment of change (peripeteia)

Example:

In the Sainsbury’s Christmas Advert (2016), the story follows a basic narrative:

Exposition - meeting the character(s), initial set up (We see the character and his family.)

Trigger - identification of conflict (He wants to spend time with his family, but he is busy with work. He also needs gifts for them.)

Complications - a sense of things getting worse, causes tension (It’s Christmas so he is extra busy; the trains are delayed.)

Crisis - moment that leads to a turning point/change (He has an idea.)

Resolution - catastrophe (tragedy) or denouement (happy ending) in the story. (He can spend time with his family, and give is family the one gift they want - himself.)

This narrative follows Freytag’s modern pyramid, as the crisis occurs near the end of the narrative, unlike the classic pyramid where the climax occurs in the middle of the story. The story also has a well-balanced narrative as it follows Aristotle’s narrative (as mentioned above).

When creating my own narratives, it is important that I consider how I want my story’s narrative to branch out. Although popular films follow the ‘basic’, controversial narrative route, having a non-linear or experimental narrative may make my story captivating, especially in an animated format, as this a good format to create un-conventional stories, as there are more methods to show what a character is thinking or feeling in an animation.

Freytag’s Pyramid (1863) Technique of the Drama.

Wells, P (1998) Understanding Animation, p.68. New York: Routledge.

Pixar’s 22 Rules for Phenomenal Storytelling (2015) [Online] Available from: https://www.visualnews.com/2015/09/23/22-rules-to-perfect-storytelling-from-a-pixar-storyboard-artist/

Sainsbury’s OFFICIAL Christmas advert 2016 -The Greatest Gift (2016) [Online] Available from: https://youtu.be/bq5SGSCZe4E [Accessed: 11/12/16]

Selvidge, L. (2007) Writing Fiction Workbook, Lulu Enterprises Inc.

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

For my animation idea, I have considered using a piece of music that could reflect Lanyon’s struggle between his addiction and his morals. This music has tones of sadness to it, which is accompanied by the softness of the instruments. I would consider using this style of music for my animation idea as it would audibly reflect Lanyon’s conflicts, and also his misery in his lack of control towards his addiction.

Ziegler, A, v. (2017)  Emotional Music - Darkness [Video/Audio Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGTWb2E_L84 [Accessed: 22/1/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

For my research, I looked at an example of duality in media. In this scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the character Gollum is an alter ego of the character Sméagol. Gollum persuades Sméagol to do things that he would often object to, showing how the two sides of a character conflict.

This is something that I could consider for my short story, as Lanyon is conflicting with himself as well. I could show this through visuals for my animation idea, as this would help to show the audience that Lanyon’s change is not physical, but mentally.

LOTR The Two Towers - Gollum and Sméagol (2013) [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB2CNr692RE [Accessed: 22/1/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

I have also considered sound design for my animation idea, and how this would be used to create an atmospshere that would reflect my story in the Gothic genre.

In this scene from Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), there is no music soundtrack to accompany the film. Sound foley and dialogue is used, and I think that this has more impact due to the lack of music. For my animation idea, I would consider using no or very little soundtrack to emphasise the tension, and to reflect Lanyon’s internal conflict with his gambling addiction.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Movie CLIP - Spin Cycle (2015) - Simon Pegg Action Movie HD (2015) [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nKjUU360Ng [Accessed: 21/1/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

For my idea for an animation, I have considered using a 2D, hand-drawn style for the animation style, as I think that this would be appropriate for my story. 

In this music video by a-ha, the characters are hand drawn to resemble a comic book. The wobbly, hand-drawn lines are appealing, and I would like to create a similar style to this for the illustrations in my animation idea.

A-ha (1985)  a-ha - Take On Me (Official Video) [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914 [Accessed: 21/1/18]

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Narrative Strategies - 500-Word Story First Draft:

I have written a first draft of my short story with the character Dr. Lanyon. Whilst my story will need to be shortened, I would like to get feedback on my story first, so that I can improve it and remove necessary text that does not benefit the story. I am pleased with my draft, however I know that there will need to be improvements to my story before I create the final draft.

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

For my story title, I wanted to link the theme of boxing to the themes that I was writing about in my essay. I researched different boxing idioms to help me create a title for my short story that reflected Lanyon’s feelings during my writing.

I decided that the title ‘On the Ropes’ was the most appropriate for my story, as this reflected Lanyon’s struggle to overcome his addiction. I did also like ‘Knockout’, as it suggests the feeling of losing. I will also consider other titles for my short story, however I will include this title as one of my final choices.

Coe, T. (2015) 12 boxing idioms in English [Online] Available from: https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/05/01/common-boxing-idioms-metaphors/ [Accessed: 21/1/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Ideas:

For my short story, I am going to write about the character Dr. Lanyon, using the themes of duality and gambling addiction to demonstrate links to Stevenson’s novella.

I have begun making notes for my short story, as well as my essay, to help me visualise what I am going to write about. I will use my short story to consider an animated adaption, which I will write about in my essay.

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

for my short story, I would like to focus on the themes of duality and gambling addiction. To understand the purpose of duality, I looked at Freud and Jentsch’s essays on the Uncanny. This would help me to understand how the uncanny effects the mind, and how I can represent duality in my short story.

Jentsch’s essay talks about the uncanny, and how automata have a uncanny trait due to their human-like movement, despite their appearance. This can also cause some people to feel uneasy, as they have decided to treat either the automata as real or inanimate. Jentsch states that automata are often used in stories to create an unsettling feel.

Freud’s essay expands upon the ideas of Jentsch’s essay, adding new insight to the psychology behind the uncanny. Freud states that the uncanny is related to horror, causing the person to be frightened. He refers to Jentsch’s essay, stating that it is an ‘intellectual uncertainty’ that causes a person to be frightened of an object they do not know is, or is not inanimate. He also states that the double is also a frightening concept to people. The idea that there is an ‘evil’ version of yourself, which is often portrayed as another person in fiction, and how this links to the uncanny.

From this, I can see that the uncanny is linked to the idea of two sides. In my short story, I can represent this through Dr. Lanyon’s gambling addiction, using the idea of two conflicting sides, which also links to the theme of duality. The theme of duality is also a key theme in Stevenson’s novella, so it would be appropriate for me to write about duality in my short story.

Freud, S. (1919) The Uncanny [PDF Online] Available from: https://uncanny.la.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/freud-uncanny_001.pdf [Accessed: 20/1/18]

Jentsch, E. (1906) On the Psychology of the Uncanny [PDF Online] Available from: http://www.art3idea.psu.edu/locus/Jentsch_uncanny.pdf [Accessed: 20/1/18]

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Narrative Strategies - Visual Research:

I continued to research gambling and gambling addiction in the Victorian era to help me find information that would help me with my scene setting and descriptive writing in my short story.

To the Victorians, gambling was a leisure sport. Both high and working class Victorian gentlemen enjoyed the entertainment of gambling, but they bet in different sports. Whilst working class men bet on boxing (such as bare knuckle fighting), high class men bet on dice and card games. Both were often violent, and in 1820 the state lottery was abolished due to the government's conflicted views on gambling. This was replaced by gaming houses, which were run by bookmakers in pubs. People disagreed with gambling due to the immoral nature of it, however it was still very popular (Steinbach, S. 2016).

In 1963, gambling in pubs became illegal. Many old gambling pubs and houses still display paintings of gambling. Sports like ratting and baiting were common sights in Victorian pubs, as was human fighting. People would also bet against each other, daring them or betting on a statement they have made whilst playing amongst their social groups (Rees, L. 2014).

I also looked at Victorian currency, as I thought that it was appropriate to research alongside the theme of gambling in my short story. There were many coins used in Victorian England, the most common being the sovereign, the shilling, the groat and the guinea - which was not a single coin or note, and consisted of one pound and one shilling. Bank notes consisted of £5, £10, £20, £50, £100, £500, £1,000. (Perry. A)

Steinbach,S, (2016) Understanding the Victorians: Politics, Culture and Society in Nineteenth-Century Britain [Book Online] p.152. Available from: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LcPLDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA152&lpg=PA152&dq=bare-knuckle+fighting+in+victorian+london+gambling&source=bl&ots=j-c70LNE9B&sig=T7OBCY2hudpxVFltZLTS26taDys&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj20dyt3ebYAhVhF8AKHSGKC0kQ6AEIWDAL#v=onepage&q=bare-knuckle%20fighting%20in%20victorian%20london%20gambling&f=false [Accessed: 20/1/18]

Rees, L. (2014)  Blood, Betting and Baiting: The Dark History of London’s Pubs. The Victorian Web. [Online] Available from: http://www.victorianweb.org/history/leisure/pubgambling.html [Accessed: 20/1/18]

Perry, A (2018) Victorian Currency [Online] Available from: http://www.anneperry.co.uk/miscellany/ephemera/victorian-currency/ [Accessed: 20/1/18]