'The Gothic'

Gothic novels are a particular type of literature that arose from the period of 1790 to the 1800's, and has many particular conventions that make them easily recognisable. They contain particular themes, characters and situations that set them aside from the generic genres of literature. Here are some indicators of Gothic fiction:

Setting
In gothic novels, the setting tends to be places that invoke fear and are scary and decrepit, which usually have the purpose of depicting the bigger picture of the world that the novel is set in. For example in Great Expectations, Miss Havisham's house is a mass decaying structure. This can mirror the historical context of the period that the author, Charles Dickens, lived in. The Victorian era was notorious for social class disparities and chaos among the capital of London, this is even shown in the 2012 film 'Great Expectations' when Pip first enters the city and can barely walk amongst the hustle and bustle. Moreover, Miss Havisham lives in the country, where rural-urban migration was occurring and so masses of people moved to the cities in search of work. Her house can represent the loss of population in the countryside regions of the UK. Moreover, the french revolution is a factor that changed England as they knew it, which could also be a factor that influenced the house of Miss Havisham.

Power
'The Gothic' is absolutely fascinated with the supernatural and its power. This is a strong convention seen in gothic literature which can focus on powerful supernatural figures e.g. Satan, or it can focus on the other end of the spectrum where people are vulnerable and defenceless. It delves into what it takes to be a human, and particularly what tests humans. This includes the strength of desire, whether it be from an internal or external source, and influences that make a person to act unusually. Moreover, in terms of women, it explores their vulnerability and lack of power, or their accelerated desires for something. In terms of Great Expectations, this can again be shown through Miss Havisham and also Estella. Miss Havisham has lost her fortune and been left at the altar, and because of the rife patriarchy during those days, she is in too high of a class to be looking for work or asking for help. Moreover, her hatred has driven a desire for power above men using her daughter, Estella, to ruin a man's life as revenge. This is comparable to devilish acts, which may also relate to the supernatural.

Sexual Power
There are many taboo topics that are addressed for entertainment in gothic fiction. These include:

• Perverseness 
• Incest
• Same sex desire
• Violence
• Abduction
• Rape
• Sexual power- males that are unable to control their desires

The Uncanny

The Uncanny is described by Sigmund Freud as an event or person introduced to us that we have not encountered before, but reminds us of something we have experienced or someone we know or have seen. It can also represent the archaic past of our world. We can even begin to recognise inhuman figures. In terms of the gothic, it can make us frightened and afraid, and can be closely compared with deja-vu. 

I believe in Great Expectations, Miss Havisham relates to the uncanny in the way that she is the old, alarmingly timeworn, ghoulish version of her past self. The reader can imagine the happiness and glow of her past self pre-wedding, which is now nestled inside the rotting but living corpse of Miss Havisham. She is not yet dead but may as well be. 

The Sublime

The sublime is being fascinated with the power of nature and power. Big events that cause the character or the reader to feel awe or anxiety or even exciting will be caused by events that are a result of something that is powerful or maybe beautiful.

The Supernatural and the Real

The supernatural was a phenomenon that really interested those in the Victorian era, which is why gothic literature was so popular. However, it may not always have occurred as a result of something that was not legitimate. For example in Ann Radcliffe's 'The Mysteries of Udolpho', there appeared to be ghosts at the start of the story, however at the end it is explained that all these paradoxes have happened as a result of nature rather than the supernatural. Therefore there are two types of supernatural when it comes to gothic fiction; the genuine supernatural and the supernatural that has a natural explanation. 

Grotesque in Great Expectations
'Grotesque' is stereotypically known as a definition for something gory, however in terms of literature it is when a normal being such as a human or animal is changed to the extent that their behaviour is creepy, unearthly or humorous. Again, Miss Havisham is the epitome of grotesque in Great Expectations. She is a walking cadaver that has accelerated forms of emotion, particularly hate, and all aspects of her life are exaggerated for entertainment in the form of grotesque. Hardly ever in real life would you come across a woman that resembles a ghost or the walking dead, and so she was created by Dickens for gothic effect.

References
http://cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/greatex/context.html
http://www.jessicatiffin.org/victorian-gothic/gothic-literature/
http://earth.subetha.dk/~eek/museum/auc/marvin/www/library/uni/projects/gothnov.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNohDegnaOQ
http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/engl403-1.3.1-A-Glossary-of-Literary-Gothic-Terms.pdf

High Definition Broadcasting

Makeup

HD Broadcasting is the the practice in which cameras now have a very clear, magnified picture of every detail that will appear on screen. This means imperfections with makeup such as dry skin, foundation lines and poor blending becomes extremely apparent and so makeup artists have to be very careful and precise when applying makeup, making sure that they use the correct products which  are HD appropriate and are micro-ionised.

This video comes from the BBC academy, where makeup artist John Woodbridge informs us on the uses of airbrushed makeup and its positive use for HD broadcasting. He outlines that it gives a more flawless look, less chance of lines and a longer lasting wear. He also tells us that you cannot use normal setting powders for the face in fear of making the face look ashy and dull, so HD appropriate, micro-ionised powders need to be used.

Hair
When it comes it hair, it is said that high definition makes the hair look more dull than it does in real life, as it picks up the flaw and accentuates it. In addition to this, stray hairs and broken hairs will be much more apparent and so hair stylists need to be more aware of this than ever before.

Lack of hair continuity will be more apparent to the viewer, and so for example if a wig is not applied well, it will be glaringly obvious. Also, when it comes to wigs, the line between the real hair and the fake hair needs to be clean, smooth and disguised. Cynthia McCourt says that wigs should be custom built as they will be much easier to apply and the transition between real and fake hair will be easier to hide. Synthetic hair is not good to use as it can reflect shine back to the camera too much. Shiny adhesives should not be used as they will do the same, this is notable when it comes to wig lace and also beard lace as this is what is used to apply them.



The type of lighting used by the team can also affect how makeup, hair and wigs appear on camera, and so overall, it is important that checks are made before filming occurs because the lighting and camera crews will need to know if there will be any problems.


References
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/magazine/27FOB-Medium-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.highdef.com/library/Vanity2.htm
http://www.bscine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/080527_How_HD_affects_Depts.pdf

In depth analyses of Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham is arguably the most eccentric character of 'Great Expectations'. She encompasses revenge, hate and distress, which obviously affects her appearance.

In the book, there are several quotes from Pip that describe Miss Havisham's appearance:

• " I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone."
• "She was dressed in rich materials- satins and lace, and silks- all of white"
• "She has a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white."
• "I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre, and was faded and yellow."
• "The bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness in her sunken eyes"
• "Now, wax-work and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me"

When I see the portrayals of her on screen, I find that my favourite ones are those from the BBC version and from the 2012 film. This is because the makeup and hair conforms to what I imagined Miss Havisham to look like more than other imitations of her that I have seen. 

This face chart that I created is my interpretation of Miss Havisham. I would like to create sharp cheekbones, sunken, dark eye circles as this is what has been described in the book. White eyebrows as she has white hair, and chapped lips because she will not have been looking after herself. I want to accentuate all the hollow areas of the face, and also the lines on the face as this will show age and misery. I believe that I would like for this look to appeal to a television audience, as I would like to create something rather realistic instead of an exuberant theatrical version. However a television version will most likely require latex and/or old age stipple to look more realistic. In addition, I need to make sure that the makeup is camera appropriate, which would include adding a tinge of yellow to the eyebrow so that the white does not appear blue. If this was for the BBC or a movie, I believe that the audience figures would be large and so the expectations of the audience for the hair and makeup would be high. Moreover, access to TV and film is much easier nowadays which also heightens the amount of viewers, whereas in the movies from the 60's and 70's, audience figures would not have been as high and so less need for elaborate makeup and hair. 

When it comes to the hair, it has to be noted that Great Expectations was set in the the early 1800's rather than the late, and so the hairstyles would have differentiated. This means there would be no hair hanging at the bottom from the back of the head, and buns at the back of the head were popular. In addition, the book describes Miss Havisham as having jewels in her hair, this is because she was getting married and at that time she was a woman of money and of a high class. The jewels that I use can be costume jewellery as that will be used in television, but it would have to look real as her jewellery will have been real. 

Great Expectations (2012) Review

The 2012 film Great Expectations is a movie version of the literary classic, directed by Mike Newell. Following the book very closely, it is apparent that the director intended to create a visual version of what readers would interpret when reading the novel, for example the cadaverous appearance of Miss Havisham, the hustle and bustle of Victorian London and historically accurate outfits, hairstyle and makeup. What I noticed in terms of this was how Pip's costume changed particularly colour wise. When he was a blacksmith he would wear dark greens and browns, however when he came into his fortune, he wore white when first arriving in London (which was juxtaposed with the dark costume of every single other person in London). Moreover, he has sideburns later in the film. I found that the movie has characters that are humorous such as Mr. Pumblechook, which softened the narrative before we are introduced to startling nature of Miss Havisham and the decline of Pip's good luck. 

There are metaphors in the movie that the audience can pick up on, for example the scene I mentioned previously where Pip is in white amongst a crowd of black clad Victorians. This could represent his innocence and purity before London, money and his desire for Estella ruin him and his loyalty to his roots for years. In addition to this, at the end of the film when Miss Havisham first receives Estella, she welcomes her under her veil, depicting her influence over her and the taking of Estella's heart. 

What I didn't like about the setting was that the marshes that surrounded the Gargery residence wasn't as eerie or marshy as I'd imagined, and I believe that the BBC rendition is more aesthetically accurate. However, I did enjoy the film thoroughly and thought it condensed the book well. 

Existing Portrayals of Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham has had different portrayals across the platforms of TV, film and theatre which give the audience different impressions of her and her wellbeing, although every single interpretation does indicate that she is a woman that does not look after herself and is living in the past. I have looked at the different aesthetic portrayals of her to see what differentiates across the platforms as I would like to have an idea as to what looks are more appropriate for which audiences.

Film Portrayals

Helena Bonham Carter (Great Expectations 2012)-

 

• Extremely pale face
• Red under the eyes
• Frizzy, messy white hair
• Red eyes
• Pale lips
• Yellow teeth
• Hair adorned with jewellery
• Sometimes wears her veil over her face
• Large ruffled dress that looks dusty, stained and ragged. 

This version of Miss Havisham I believe is more focused on the costume rather than her face which looks a bit old and unkempt but not as exaggerated as I believe I would like to create. However I think that if I attempt to create something too elaborate I won't have enough time as I will have to use latex and other materials that will take up time. 

Martitia Hunt (Great Expectations 1946)- 

• Rather fresh faced compared to Helena Bonham Carter's 
• Very messy, frizzy hair
• More focused on costume. Her dress is very lacey and has a long veil extending from the back of her hair to her feet. 
• The setting of her house is extremely cluttered and exaggerated with a lot of furnishings and a lot of cob webs. 
• Overall her makeup is not haggard enough for my liking. 

TV portrayals

Gillian Anderson (Great Expectations 2011)-

 

• Chapped lips
• Dark, yellow circles around the eyes which is a result of lack of sunlight and malnutrition
• White hair that is in a stereotypical early Victorian style
• Dress colour has significantly aged, yet she still wears it. 
• She is a haggard, worn version of her past self. You can imagine what she would have looked like on her wedding day as the only thing that has changed her is time. 
• This is my favourite portrayal of Miss Havisham. You can tell that she is old because of her white hair, however she still has her young self beneath all the aged clothing and exhausted aesthetic. Other interpretations feature an old actress already which does not need that much work, however I believe that Anderson has been aged well without having to be old. I don't believe that this look is overly exaggerated, which is appealing to me for my assessment. 
• In the programme, she has a rash on her hand which she constantly scratches at when she is stressed, which is a significant point to think about for the assessment.

Jean Simmons (Great Expectations 1989)

• Again, more focus on costume and setting is used in this as the actress is already old and so not much makeup needs to be used. 
• I found that in this series she was more stern and harsh then deranged and psychotic like other interpretations of Miss Havisham. 
• I also found that her hair is more late Victorian rather than early Victorian as she has curls at the back of the head that extend down, despite them not being very long. 
• I don't believe this will be an inspiration for my assessment as I would like to focus on makeup and have a more historically accurate hairstyle. 

Overall it is apparent that those who wanted to create their version of Miss Havisham had a focus on the ageing and fatigued look of Miss Havisham, whether it be through costume or makeup. As we are studying makeup I think that the 2011 Gillian Anderson version and 2012 Helena Bonham Carter version of Miss Havisham are the most helpful due to the fact that they use fairly young actresses that are then made up to look careworn, distraught and disheveled. 

Beauty ideals in the Victorian Era

http://timebinder.net/storage/Woman%20in%20Feathered%20hat.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1263258727065

Makeup and cosmetics were not widely used during the Victorian era, and were in fact rather frowned upon, especially among the upper classes. Victorians believed that a clean, fresh face was the epitome of beauty, and the only women that did wear makeup were actresses and prostitutes.

 If the upper classes were to wear makeup, it would be pale and unnoticeable. Eyeshadows would be made of lead and antimony sulfide, lipsticks of mercuric sulfide and the juice of beetroots could be used to rouge the cheeks subtly. There was a huge stigma towards attempting to model yourself upon the 'ideal victorian woman', and so women effectively had to live with what they were given. Despite this, women secretly wanted to be able to use cosmetics and enhance their features, but behind the curtain of society so that their fellow upper class women would not gossip or judge, even though it was rather commonplace. If cosmetics were sold, they would usually be sent via the post from factories that were creating cosmetics that they had not tested and so had no idea of the after effects, and even still used poisonous chemicals such as mercury, white lead, arsenic and prussic acid. Moreover, they used 'Pearl Powder' which had a yellowing and leathering effect on the skin, and would react with gas lighting and coal fires thus turning black on the face. Fabrics and clothing were considered more important than the skin.


However, there were people that attempted to prey upon the aesthetic angsts of these women, such as a famous con artist named 'Madame Rachel'. She successfully created a business based upon clever marketing and mediocre products that were very popular among upper class women. She would essentially create products that were the same as what was on the market, but then package and sell them in a way that attracted women, for example her 'Jordan Water' that did not come from Jerusalem at all, but rather just England. She was able to sell products and her services for extortionate prices, such as 'enamelling' which was a process of lathering the skin in a combination of white lead and arsenic to fill in wrinkles, for an excruciating equivalent of £1400 in today's currency. She had a wealth of clients that would enter her carriage for their appointment, and then cover themselves in fear of being seen having a consolation. This shows that despite the stigma about cosmetics and vanity during the Victorian era, women did indeed want to indulge in these products in order to look aesthetically pleasing, and so would conduct their missions to look beautiful via cosmetics in the shadows.

References

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-1305730/The-ugly-face-Victorian-beauty-BEAUTIFUL-FOR-EVER-BY-HELEN-RAPPAPORT.html
• http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/
• Downing, S.J., 2012. Beauty and Cosmetics, 1550-1995. United Kingdom: Shire Publications Ltd.
• Rustenholz, A., 2003. Make Up, United Kingdom: Hachette Illustrated UK.

Victorian Hairstyles

1830's-1860's:

Long hair during this period was seen as extremely desirable, and the epitome of femininity, which lead to an obsession with hair. Women would brush their long locks 100 times each night, however this would make the hair very greasy as it stimulated the sebaceous glands too much. Hair was pulled up because when left down it was seen as a sexual symbol. Drawing it up and making the front a focal point became more popular, with adornments such as pearls, ribbons, feathers and flowers such as white and red Japanese rose, accompanied with the hair being a dark colour. Moreover, ringlets around the face were smaller than they used to be.  

This hairstyle consists of a waved texture at the front and curls at the back that are surrounded by a large plait.

This comprises of small, tight curls at the front and the back of the hair, and a horizontal plait that extends down the shoulder.

To achieve this, small curls would be present at the front, the hair would be waved at the back and two plaits would extend down and be fastened together.

Hairstyles at the beginning of the century were rather elaborate but still quite muted, they consisted of curls and waves and fastenings. Tight curls were very popular.

Moreover, from portraits it is apparent that middle partings were commonplace along with slick, smooth hair as above. 

1860's-1890's:

During this period, fringes were introduced into Victorian hairstyles. And as fashion changed, so did hairstyles, for example the longer the dress, the longer the length of the hairstyle. It also focused on the crown of the head. Different types of buns and chignons had their rise and fall, as did false hair. To begin with both were enormously popular, as was dying the hair still, however both lost their popularity.

For example here, there is a large focus on the crown of the head where an elaborate hairstyle has been formed, and hair extends down the neck with long ringlets. They would use floral adornments to decorate the hair. 

http://www.milkywayjewels.com/vintagephotos/Victorian-Stag-M-Broch.jpg

This photo from the 1880's shows the beginning of fringes and its new appearance in hairstyles. This would have been more of a day to day style as it is quite simplistic, whereas evening hairstyles were more like the one above.

http://demodecouture.com/hair/hair_second.html

French twists became popular for evening hairstyles like so. The hair was pulled upwards and there is no sign of elongated hair down the neck.

A turning point for victorian hairstyles during the 1870's was the creation by french hairdresser M. Marcel Grateau of a natural looking curl which was created by turning a curling iron upside down.

When in these large, drawn up hairstyles, they would usually be held with decorated combs and pins. False hair was still used and for the purpose of creating rolls and curls, and small fluffy curls were popular. Fringes would usually be fluffy too.

Practice

This is an image of the hairstyle that I have re-created myself.

 

When looking at the image above I knew that I would need a curling wand in order to create the curls at the front, and it is obvious that they are curled towards the face. As you cannot see what the hair looks like from behind, I believe that this bun would have been appropriate as it would have been able to fit underneath the bonnet and encompasses their love of braids. I have also seen this hairstyle used on interpretations of Miss Havisham.

References
Cox, C., 1999. Good Hair Days: A History of British Hairstyling- Caroline Cox - Paperback, United Kingdom: Quartet Books.
Corson, R., 2005. Fashions in hair: the first five thousand years 3rd ed., United Kingdom: Peter Owen Publishers.
http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian-Fashion/victorianhairstyles-1867.html
http://www.fashion-era.com/hair_hats_180040.htm
http://victorianeracnr.blogspot.co.uk
http://demodecouture.com/hair/hair_early.html
http://www.hairarchives.com/private/victorian1new.htm

Homework over Christmas

Great Expectations and the characters of Miss Havisham, Pip and Estella all have contrasting backgrounds, appearances and personalities. It is interesting to see them as a microcosm of victorian people as it can give the readers an insight as to what people in the Victorian era were like, how they acted and what they looked like.

Miss Havisham
The house and the life of Miss Havisham are stagnant, worn, lifeless and haggard. She is like the ghost of wedding's past who roams around the house as a ghostly, solemn, paranoid spirit of her past self. We know that she looks deflated and aged as Pip describes her as having 'sunken eyes' and to have 'shrunken to skin and bone' which indicates that she does not look after herself and is basically waiting for her to die.

 In chapter 8, there is a quote about Miss Havisham that says "I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes". This makes me believe that she is a dilapidated, neglected, timeworn version of her pre-wedding self,  like time has worn the outside of her but she is still the image of what she once was. In chapter 11, she says that she is 'yellow skin and bone', which can be taken quite literally; she may even have Jaundice as a result of poor health. She chooses to live in a decaying house with everything still in the same place as it was on her wedding day and keep the same clothes on and not even put her second shoe on, which also indicates that time seems to have stopped for her as she was mid getting ready when her fiancé left her. She is grieving for that day and has never let it go.

Miss Havisham has been betrayed by men; her half brother and her fiancé. Therefore she becomes extremely hateful and seeks vengeance against males, which may contribute to her appearance looking angry and bitter, with a lot of stress lines and neglect. However, she was once a rich lady and has come from a respectful background, so her costume and hair adornments will have been real, expensive and lavish.

Pip
We know that Pip has a tough upbringing in the marshes as the brother-in-law of a kind blacksmith and the brother of a harsh woman. However he gains a fortune and becomes ungrateful and a snob, which will attribute to his future appearance and his personality.

When he is young, Estella makes fun of his appearance, saying that he has 'coarse hands' and 'thick boots'. He is from the family of a Blacksmith meaning that he is not very wealthy, however he later uses his fortune to buy clothes and jewellery (mostly jewellery). This would suggest that he attempts to look high class.

Because the book is in first person (Pip's perspective), not much of his appearance is talked about and so the reader isn't much aware of what he looks like, but we can assume that he neatens up and is more well kept when he's older than when he's younger. He will have a rich man's haircut and will be well dressed.

Estella
At the end of the novel we find out that Estella is Magwitch the criminal's daughter, and so technically she should look as if she comes from the lowest of the low classes in the Victorian times. However as she was adopted by Miss Havisham, she is launched up into high class society, although she doesn't necessarily leave the house. This means that her costume is rich, and her hair is neatly done.

At one point, Estella says "I have not bestowed tenderness anywhere. I have never had any such thing." This would suggest that her face is emotionless, and despite her youth and beauty, she will have a cold aura about her that can be detected in the face. This could possibly be represented through a pale face, or through a harsh facial expression.