In Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes,” my perception changed because this is a graphic novel. The reader is given an illustration in addition to the written words to get a visual of events and characters in the Gothic novel. This presentation makes the story more vivid. The reader is able to see the castle, slime and tyrants with their eyes as well as in their mind.
In the chapter, “The Sound of Her Wings,” the creepiest visual to me was the woman lying on the floor in her own pool of blood, while blood is seeping out of her neck. I found this creepy because she is lying at the bottom of the stairs. There is also a figure standing at the top of the stairs just staring at her. I perceived the figure as her murderer. There is also a psychological trope going on in this page. When Dream and his sister, Death, are going on the quests to make people face mortality, Dream says” You have taught me something I had forgotten. Thank you, my sister.” Dream realizes that he can’t just sit around and wallow in his feelings. Dream comes to terms with his oppression and himself. He is ready to go help save his home from turmoil.
The creepiest idea developed in this chapter, in my opinion, is the volleyball player. At the beginning, he comes up to Death because he thinks she is cute. Then, he asks if he can see her again and she says, “Sure, Franklin. You’ll see me again. Soon.” I found this creepy because the reader is now aware that Franklin is going to die and the character has no idea. I also find it creepy because Franklin didn’t even say his name and Death already knew his name. This goes into a broader idea of the scene. Death knows who is going to die, when and how they are going to die, while the person is clueless. In real life, people don’t know when and how they are going to die. I think this mystery of the unknown is what frightens people the most about death. Death sees Franklin again on the last page of the book when he gets hit by a car. This lightened the mood a little bit because he thinks he lived and says, “Wow! When I came out I thought I was gone for sure!” Then, Death breaks the news to him that he did die.
The chapter, “The Sound of Her Wings,” is Gothic because the reader sees some of the Gothic tropes. One trope is illustrated on the first page by the ornate archway. The damsel in distress and hero are the same person. Dream is both the damsel in distress and hero. Then, his mentor is Death, who leads him to the message he needs to receive. There are also two forms of oppression. Dream is oppressed by his depression. The people that Death visits are oppressed by the fear of seeing Death. “The Sandman” is Gothic in addition to horror, because of the tropes and underlying concepts involving fear and death.
loftusaa 
I love your detail in the introduction paragraph of this blog. I wrote similarly, agreeing with your point on the images able to be interpreted both visually and mentally. Through your description of that story, you define what is creepy to you. If this is to be included in the paper, maybe define what makes something “creepy” as it relates to any reader. Though I did not read this story, the descriptions in class and your blog have given me an understanding of the core ideas of the story. This fact is mostly due to your explicit detail gained by the quotations you chose to cite. I commend your ability to allow this occurrence. The last paragraph sums up your choice with relation to the compilation. By using this reference back to the collection as a whole strengthens the points made throughout this blog.