BLOG 2 ( Helen Lopez)

What I think Haggerty means when saying “normative configurations of human interaction” is the way people adapt to their environment and how people conserve their values in order to accomplish things they want in life they must be able to adapt to their values. For example Haggerty says “ heteronormative“ this is the concept that heterosexuality is the preferred or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between people of opposite sex. Which shows how in “ The Castle Of Otranto” Manfred adapted to his values of heteronormativity since he arranged the marriage of his son Conrad with Isabella showing how he was adapting his values by making his son get married to a woman.

In “ The Castle of Otranto” we viewed the way Isabella felt scared and confused the way Manfred desired her as a woman. Instead of viewing her as the wife she was supposed to be for his son Conrad. He told her how his son was not worthy of her beauty and how she should forget him and stop thinking of him and that he is no longer alive and that she has to no longer think of him. Manfred angrily tells her that he once desired her before proving that he had interest in Isabella when he was arranging the marriage of his son Conrad with her and he’s offering himself to get married to her . Isabella says scared and confused “Heavens!” cried Isabella, waking from her delusion, “what do I hear? You! my Lord! You! My father-in-law! the father of Conrad! the husband of the virtuous and tender Hippolita!” She didn’t understand how Manfred can desire her when she was supposed to get married to his son and he has a wife . Isabell was in disbelief she couldn’t believe how her father in law desired her as a woman it says ”Isabella, who was half dead with fright and horror.” which this shows sexual entrapment how Manfred had power in making her feel uncomfortable he wants to trap her and marry her but Isabella escaped and wanted to get away from him .

An example of Hallmarks of Gothic Fiction is for example when you got to a haunted house , and people dress up as scary characters which is fiction, but even though we know it is fiction we still get afraid because of the darkness and suspense of where they can be hiding at and we try to escape and run away from the scary characters.