Harper Lee, the contemporary American writer, is noticeable for her great novel To Kill
a Mockingbird which has been welcomed and loved by readers since its publication. This
novel focuses on the trial of the black man Tom though the eyes of the little girl Scout who
experiences innocence to mature in order to display the social reality and assail the social
evils such as the social hierarchy, racial discrimination and the dark side of human nature, at
the same time, the author convinces the reader that there is still good and justice in human
being.
While To Kill a Mockingbird has been a bestseller that won reader’s love since it was
published in 1960, and the book received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. In 1999, it
was named "the best novel of the century" in an investigation launched by the library
magazine. Harper • Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, but the
study of the novel is relatively few, in view of this, the paper tries to analyze To Kill a
Mockingbird from the wide range of influence on American Literature－Gothic feature to
allow more readers to appreciate the charm of the novel.
All in all, the use of Gothic elements in Harper • Lee To Kill a Mockingbird enhances the
readability of the novel, giving their works a special artistic charm and making it handed
down among the enduring masterpiece.
Harper Lee is an American writer, who earns her fame worldwide by writing the novel
To Kill a Mockingbird, which is prized by the novelist and essayist Truman Capote:
“Someone rare has written this very fine novel, a writer with the liveliest sense of life and the
to kill a mockingbird
warmest, most authentic humor. A touching book…so likeable.”
1
Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1962, in Monroeville, Alabama, whose father was a
lawyer. One of Lee’s childhood friends was the future novelist and essayist Truman Capote
who lived with relatives next door to Lee’s family. During her undergraduate studies at the
University of Alabama, Lee wrote for several student publications, which built a solid
foundation for her future writing. In the mid 1950s, she moved to New York City, where she
completed and published To Kill a Mockingbird in the year 1960. To Kill a Mockingbird was
an immediate bestseller and won great critical acclaim, including the Pulitzer Prize for
Literature in April 1961. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United
States for her contribution to literature in 2007.
To Kill a Mockingbird tells the growth of the little heroine both in physical and mental,
in which the little girl learns a lot of lessons from what she has experienced. The major event
involving the trial of the black young man who is actually innocent displays the main social
problem－racial prejudice in that age.
The novel focuses on the story occurs in the small town Maycomb that suffers the sever
Great Depression. Scout and Jem are reared by their father, for their mother died when they
were very young. During summer vacation they make acquaintance with Dill who is in his
aunt’s. The three children get together to have more exciting adventures. They venture to the
mysterious house, in which lives an eccentric person－ Boo Radley who is actually a victim
of his father’s indifference and autocratic. However, they are scared to death by the large
shadow of Boo’s brother and rushed home. Late in the night, Atticus is informed of the case
in which the black young man Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Atticus promised todefend for Tom. Tom is sentenced to death although Atticus shows Tom’s innocence by the
self-evident testimony. After the trial ends, life returns to quietness, but Ewell vows to
retaliate for he feels he is fooled by Atticus and Judge. Scout and Jem are attacked by Bob
Ewell on the late night of Halloween. At the dangerous moment, they are saved by Boo
Radley who becomes the real human being rather than a freak in their mind.
Gothic fiction is associated with the development of aesthetic concept sublimity. Since
the classic On the Sublime written by Longinus in the late 17th century, has been translated
into English, many critics and writers have discussed and explored the origin of sublimity,
who argue consistently that the grand, horrible things can cause a lofty beauty. This kind of

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