Analysis of Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham

When I read the book, my first impression of Miss Havisham was that she is a wealthy, eccentric old lady who lives in a rotten, unkept mansion. But when you analysis her properly she is a lot more than that, we start to understand her as a character. 

Miss Havisham never recovered from her heartbreak after her fiancé didn't turn up on their wedding day. She is obsessed with her past; all clocks have stopped at 8:40 (the time she was jilted), the wedding table is still set with all mouldy food on it, and she is still wearing her wedding dress which is now "withered". Miss Havisham invites Pip to her house so Estella can practice in manipulating men, she tells Estella that she can break Pip's heart. When Pip falls in love with Estella, Miss Havisham is thrilled as she wants him to get hurt. Her passionate need for revenge ruins her life, and damages Pip and Estella. 

She does finally change her ways, after realising she's hurt Pip she asks for his forgiveness. She understands that she has made Pip suffer the way she has and she feels guilty. Her regret makes us as readers feel sorry for her, rather than blame her for what she's done. 

1967                      1998                           2011                         2012 

Images from: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3c/c1/d9/3cc1d96650c6d985cf1b6c15a2cee537.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02063/anne-bancroft-1998_2063146i.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02063/Gilian-Anderson5_2063010i.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02063/Bonham-Carter_2063039i.jpg

Emotions:
There are probably many emotions that Miss Havisham has experienced such as heartbreak, anger, jealousy, revengeful and abandoned. All of these will have an impact on her behaviour and even her appearance. I want to portray a few, if not all, of these emotions in my character design. 

Living conditions:
There would have been no electricity, gas, lighting or running water meaning that the house would be cold and dark. They wouldn't have been able to wash themselves, their hair, or even brush their teeth so as you can imagine they would have smelt pretty bad! They had big fires which would spit out coal and soot and the candles were made out of fat which, when burned, would smell and stain. No one would have cleaned the house, it would be filthy dirty and a surface of grime. In that era, there were no toilets so it would have been done in a pot in the corner of the room and emptied twice a day. The windows weren't opened so the smell would be trapped in the house. 

There are many ways that Miss Havisham can be fleshed out in production such as her mannerisms, her background, her emotions etc which is why I have created a brainstorm of ideas, covering these areas to give me a better understanding of her character and how I want her to be portrayed. I'm unsure whether I would like to stick to the traditional Miss Havisham or create a more contemporary/younger version of her. I have started to create face charts to help me with developing my ideas. 

Miss Havisham is often thought of as an old lady, I wanted to see how a traditional look turned out with all the elements of the book and the way she is described. I quite like it, however I want to create something a bit more unique and different as I feel that Miss Havisham has always been portrayed like this. 

So here I have created a more modern day Miss Havisham, I have made her a lot more younger but I have still kept some traditional features about her. I wanted this to have some elements of Dickens description, but with a twist. In the book, Dickens refers to Miss Havisham as having "sunken eyes" so I have made her eyes very dark and heavy, I have also decided to contour her face so that you can see her cheekbones as she has "withered" like her dress. As mentioned previously, I am terrified of spiders so I have made her eyelashes look like individual spiders legs and I got my inspiration from a very strange lady...

 Images and information from: http://indulgencesandwhims.blogspot.co.uk/2011_05_01_archive.html

When I first saw this picture I was amazed at how creepy but cool these eyelashes looked, until I found out that they were REAL fly's legs. British artist Jessica Harrison dismembers flies and uses there legs to make fake eyelashes. I won't be using these on anybody so I decided to create my own version, using only mascara! 

I put on my mascara as normal but I added a lot more coats to what I would usually put on, to make them thicker. I then used a comb and started to brush my lashes in all directions and I used my fingers to bend the tops of them to create a flies leg look. I am quite pleased with how they have turned out, I want to experiment with other ways incase I find an alternative that works much more better.


Because of her obsession with the wedding, I am certain that I want to include a veil in any of my hair designs. I think it adds to the character and add a lovely finish to the photographs. I know for a fact that I want her to have messy dropped out hair from where she has left it in on her wedding day.

Miss Havisham is obsessed with her past so I want to create a character who is obsessive and over the top, such as showing how obsessed she was with the wedding and stopping her life completely at that time but living on as her body is slowly dying. My overall character design will hopefully be recognisable to my potential audience, I want people to look at her and know who she is, but I also would like them to feel like my work is slightly different. I would like people to see that I have taken into consideration every aspect of her life and showed that through my character. 

Gothic Book Research

Gothic Horror: A guide for students and readers - Clive Bloom (second edition)

Introduction: The Nature of Gothic and Horror Fiction (pages 1-3)
In 1997 Bram Stroker's Dracula celebrated its 100th year. It's one of the greatest horror tales ever told and more importantly one of the most important pieces of literature ever written. Since it was first published, it has never been out of print. This was the start of the vampire industry that spans film, radio, tv, books, comics and merchandise. The style within which Stroker wrote represented the old gothic rather than the more modern attitude towards the fiction of the supernatural that was in place by the mid nineteenth century. Dracula is both a synthesis and nostalgic revival of gothic themes.

"When this is considered it becomes clear that the term 'gothic' covers formal problems of style, and content, as well as a history of popular reading, all of which have evolved across two centries. Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto (the first gothic novel) bears a little or as much relationship to Edgar Allan Poe's tales as they do to Clive Barker's Books of Blood. Although the term 'gothic genre' may be singular its incarnations are diverse and often retain only the slightest genuflection toward an orginal 'core' or formal set of generic properties. Futhermore, the nature of the gothic is so disparate that it can include (because of formal similaries) works of fiction that contain neither supernatural nor horror elements but which do contain similar attitudes to setting, atmosphere or style.

Gothicism may be viewed (without much exaggeration) as one pole of the fictional imagination the ther of which (seen as its opposite, but actually a continuum of effects) is the domestic or contemporary fiction (often middle-class) sensibilty. The continuum that links the gothic to 'domestic novel' is marked by the fact that however arcane or historic the gothic setting it is always linked to the desire of contemporary readers. At once escapist and xonformist, the gothic speaks to the dark side of domestic fiction: erotic, violent, perverse, bizarre and obsessionally connected with contemporary fears.

Horror is the usual but not necessarily the main ingredient of gothic fiction and most popular gothic fiction is determined in its plotting by the need for horror and sensation, It was gothicism, with its formality, codification, ritualistic elements and artifice (its very origins as an aesthetic outlook and literary condition first and foremost) that transformed the old folk tale of terror into the modern horror story."

"The new gothic is the horror of the mind isolated with itself"



Gothic - Fred Botting

Introduction: Gothic Excess and Transgression (pages 1-10)

"Gothic signifies a writing of excess. It appears in the awful obscurity that haunted eighteenth-century rationality and morality. It shadows the despairing ecstasies of Romantic idealism and individualism and the uncanny dualities od Victorian realism and decadence. Gothic atmospheres - gloomy and mysterious - have repeatedly signalled emotions of terror and laughter. In the twentieth century, in diverse and ambiguous ways, Gothic figures have continued to shadow the progress of modernity with counter-narratives displaying the underside of enlightenment and humanist values. Gothic condenses the many perceived threats to these values, threats associated with supernatural and natural forces, imaginative excesses and delusions, religious and human evil, social transgression, mental disitegration and spiritual corruption. If not a purely negative term, Gothic writing remains fascinated by objects and practices that are constructed as negative, irrational, immoral and fantastic, In a world, since the eighteenth century, has become increasingly secular, the absence of a fixed religious framework as well as changing social and political conditions has meant that Gothic writing, and its reception, has undergone significant transformations. Gothic excesses, none the less, the fascination with transgression and the anxiety over cultural limits and boundaries, continue to produce ambivalent emotions and meanings in their tales of darkness, desire and power.

"While terror and horror are often used synonymously, distinctions can be made between the them as countervailing aspects of Gothic's emotional ambivalence. If terror leads to an imaginative expansion of one's sense of self, horror describes the movement of contraction and recoil. Like the dilation of the pupil in movements of excitement and fear, terror marks the uplifting thrill where horror distinguishes a contraction at the imminence and unavoidability of the threat. Terror expels after horror glimpses invasion, reconstituating the boundaries that horror has seen dissolve."



The Gothic Vision: Three Centuries of Horror, Terror and Fear - Dani Cavallaro

Introduction
"The gothic vision investigates narratives of darkness - the textual constellations of the phenomenon of fear - that represent violent desecrations of common sense and logic. Terror and horror, the concepts around which assessments of dark fiction have traditionally revolved, are not antithetical, as it has often been contended, but complementary. Terror has conventionally been linked to fear triggered by indeterminate agents, and horror to fear occasioned by visible gore. Although feelings of disorientation and anxiety indubitably alter according to the degree to which their causes may be related to material or incorporeal occurances, these do not constitute fixed and self-contained categories for they incessantly collude and metamorphose into each other as fear's interdependant affects."

Developing concepts for Miss Havisham

When creating Miss Havisham it is important to show consideration for the type of media production. Miss Havisham would look completely different for theatre than she would if she was in a music video. The finer details in creating a character is important, it has to be accurate for viewers to believe it. 

I am still indecisive as to how I want to create my Miss Havisham, whether I create her for theatre, TV/film or even fashion. To help me decide, I am going to research into the diferent areas of how I can portray my interpretation of her.

Theatre/Stage

http://onestoparts.com/files/1097-4380-paula_wilcox__miss_havisham
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- Detail would be more obvious; harsh lines, dramatic makeup etc so that people can see it from a distance.
- Makeup doesn't have to be heavier, just more defined, stronger colours.
- Overexaggerated

TV/Film

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/
2011/11/helena_bonham_carter_as_miss_
havisham111104070603.jpg

- Face is magnified on a big screen, every detail is close up so the skin must look clean.

- Can't look painted on

- More realistic choice of colours and everything has to be blended well.

Fashion

Image from: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V-vy8pJtuOY/TJLQkdHG4gI/
AAAAAAAAPNA/pjw9Rlxb83E/s1600/the+grand+couture
+kristen+mcmenamy+paolo+roversi+edward+enninful+vogue+
italia+september+2010+2.jpg

-  Similar to TV/Film makeup
- Photoshop is used to retouch images
- Usually have glowy/flawless looking skin
- Exagerated use of bold, strong colours

After studying different areas of how I can portray Miss Havisham, I have decided to go for TV and film. Dickens was very passionate about theatre which is why I want to make Miss Havisham quite exaggerated, without making her look to stagey. I am going to test out different face charts of how I want Miss Havisham to be portrayed so that I am completely happy with my choice. 

Fears

Image from: http://s1.hubimg.com/u/7049856_f248.jpg

I am not a big fan of horror movies so I definitely don't want my characters to turn out scary!! As the topic is Gothic horror I want my work to be more on the gothic side so I am going to research into what things people are mostly scared about.

What are fears?

A fear of something is hard to explain. You dont know what it is but you are terrified. It creates memories for people, making them never forget.

Fears aren't just about being scared of ghosts or spiders, people can be scared and feel uncomfortable in social situations. This can make the person feel rejected, like other people judge them in negative way, embarrassed and anxious. Many common social fears include: 

Making conversation

Meeting new people

Revealing personal information about oneself

Interacting with certain types of people 

Being the centre of attention

Public speaking and performing

Making eye contact

"Fears involve unrealistic thoughts that distort the potential for danger in a situation"

Information from: http://www.succeedsocially.com/socialfears

In the BBC mini series we see that Miss Havisham keeps scratching and picking at herself. Why is this? Could it be down to a social situation or something she is afraid of?

Image from: https://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/miss-havishams-self-mutilations.jpg

Image from: https://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/letter-of-betrayal-from-compeyson.jpg

What makes me scared?

My biggest fears are spiders, death, china dolls and things that are haunted. All of these things get my heart racing and I feel nervous and anxious.

Spiders:

I don't know why but spiders are my biggest fear (even the tiny ones!!) Its just something about them that makes my skin crawl and every time I see one I run a mile! They have way too many legs and I don't appreciate being joined by one!

Death:

There are a lot of things you can ask people to describe, but there is one question that no one can answer - what happens when you die? Getting old and dying scares me, it means you're getting closer to death. It's the unknown that frightens me. Do you live on as a ghost? Are you reborn into someone/something else? Is it just blackness?

China Dolls:

Its the shiny faces and big creepy eyes that get me. They seem follow you around the room and it makes me nervous being around them. Why do people have them on display in their houses?

Haunted:

I am a baby when it comes to horror films and anything scary. I can't sleep at night because I imagine things and create stuff in my head and I end up having sleepless nights (not fun when you have lectures the next day!)

Gothic horror isn't necessarily about the horror, its about the fears that leave people terrified but fascinated at the same time. When it comes to creating my design I really want to somehow incorporate some of mine, or other peoples fears in it to make sure I fully grasp the Gothic theme. 

Victorian Hairstyles

Key Terms

Apollo Knot - false hair looped, plaited or coiled and looped, and wired to cause the loop to stand erect in the hair dress. Fashionable from 1926.

Marcel Wave - An artificial hair wave formed in the manner of that invented by Marcel Grateau using heated Marcel waving irons.

Gibson Girl Coiffure - A high pompadour with short looped coil hanging down the back of the neck. 1904.

Coiffure - A headdress

Early Victorian Hairstyles - 1830's - 1860's:

Image from: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0b/db/
6c/0bdb6cf7bcfc177acde4cae97b21804e.jpg

1830's:

Victorian hairstyles would usually consist of a bun at the back which was quite high up. The hair would be centre parted which tended to be neat and sleek. Most of the hairstyles sit at about jaw level. The Apollo knot/bun and plaits were very popular too. 

1840/50's:

Hair slowly starts to get longer, rather than chin length. The curls start going further around the head rather than on the side. Victorians would use really hot metal tongs, similar to what we have now but a lot narrower, which would be heated in an oven and it would fry their hair. Victorians used soap to wash their hair and they also had oils to put in it. 

Mid/Late Victorian Hairstyles - 1860's - 1890's:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/
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Hair had a lot more volume and more curls. Hair was much more elaborate and the curls moved towards the back of the head. They became much more looser, Marcel Grateau designed the Marcel Wave by turning the tongs over to create a wave. Combs and hair pieces were very popular and used quite a bit in their hair. In the 70's small fringes were seen and the Apollo knots seemed to decrease in popularity, if worn they were much higher on the head.

http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/
image-files/victorian-hairstyles.jpg

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How the hairstyles changed as the century progressed

Based on the books I have read and the research I have found in lessons and on the internet I can see the change in Victorian hairstyles over the years. In the early era we can see that buns/chignons were very popular. Victorians tended to have their hair centre parted which which was neat and sleek and a majority of the hair would sit at about jaw level. About 10 or so years later, their hair starts to get longer and curls start going further round the head rather than on the side. More people started to use the metal tongs which were narrow and would fry their hair. In around the 1870's, their hair had a lot more volume and more curls and it was much more elaborate. The curls moved towards the back of the head and were much more looser. The Marcel Wave became very popular and small fringes were seen. The Apollo knots decreased in popularity and if they were worn they were much higher. 

Creating a Victorian Hairstyle:

http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/
image-files/victorian-hairstyle.jpg

Demo:

1) Part the hair down the middle to create a centre parting.

2) Take the front section of the hair and part down past the ear.

3) Tie the remaining hair at the back into a high ponytail and create a bun.

4) Take the front section and using the curling tongs, curl about 3 pieces of the hair and then you have created your Victorian hairstyle.

Above is the hairstyle we created without the accessories, it was just a basic hairstyle to help us understand and get us used to creating Victorian hairstyles. I found it very easy and simple to do, especially as we used the curling tongs in our last project. The only thing that made it quite hard is the that the hair on our Katie heads isn't very long. The Victorians had hair down to their waists so they could create big plaits and buns with lots of volume, so having to work on hair that isn't very long is quite difficult as you can't really create a realistic look. I will continue to practice and develop different Victorian hairstyles.

My Hairstyle:

Gothic Architecture and Design

Gothic Architecture, Sculpture, Painting - Rolf Toman

(Pages 118 - 123)

Gothic Architecture in England: The History of England in the High and Late Middle Ages
England was one of the first countries to adopt the Gothic architecture of France during the second half of the 12th century, a major factor in the new styles reception being the close historical links between the two countries. The history of medieval England was deeply marked by the centuries-old conflict with France. This rivalry is clearly reflected in the development of Gothic architecture: right from the beginning the English chose to follow an independent path.
English Gothic architecture can be divided into three main periods, which do not correspond exactly to the Early, High and Late Gothic familiar to those who live in Continental Europe. The terminology of English Gothic was established in 1817 in the book An Attempt to Discriminate the Architectural Styles of English Architecture by Thomas Rickman, and has proved valuable even today. Each of the three periods begins with an adoption of a French Gothic feature which is then transformed by being made to conform to local architectural traditions. Early English describes the first period, from roughly 1170 to 1240. To this early stage belongs the choir of Canterbury Cathedral, which was started by a French architect from Sens and used elements from Sens, St.-Denis, and other buildings of French Gothic. The second period, from roughly 1240 to 1330, is known as the Decorated period. This begins with the restoration of Westminster Abbey, which mostly derives from the cathedral of Reims. Finally the Perpendicular period marks the last and longest period of English Gothic, roughly 1330 to 1530. Although it has its roots in the French Rayonnant style, Perpendicular was the English style least influenced by French Gothic.

A more contemporary version of gothic design is the 2015 Big Brother logo. When I first saw this on tv, it reminded me of gothic horror - the dark colours and the unknown. It reminds me of the deep, dark woods and it leaves you guessing what creatures might be in there. Its almost like living in a house full of your fears. 

Image from: http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article4767579.ece/alternates/s2197/Celebrity-Big-Brother-eye-for-the-2015-series-revealed.jpg

Image from: https://celebritaindotnet.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/cbb-2015-diary-room-chair.jpg?w=1024

History of Women's Costume

Although I am studying hair and makeup, I think it is equally important to research into the costumes of the era as I sometimes get my makeup inspiration through fashion. It is interesting to see what the Victorians wore and the similarities they have between the characters we see in the Great Expectation films. Miss Havisham is seen in the wedding dress she wore when she got jilted at the alter and it is fascinating to research into how they looked and what they were made from. This will hopefully give me encouragement and ideas into creating my own Miss Havisham. 

Costume Reference: History of Women's Costume - Marion Sichel

(Pages 42 - 57)

In the early years of the nineteenth century the simple classical trends of previous years continued. The higher waistlines were at their highest about 1805 and the semi-transparent materials used for the dresses revealed the pantaloons worn beneath. Day and evening wear was very similar, the only exception being that for evening attire the dressed were more elaborate.

Daywear

The classical sales or, as they were also known, The Empire Line, had low decolletages (the upper part of a women's torso) and either long or short sleeves. The ornamentation was Egyptian, Etruscan and even Gothic. These fashions were suited particularly to the younger generation as their charm depended much on the physique of the wearer. The Victorian Gothic styles on the other hand, was more adaptable to all ages, concealing physical imprecations by adding dignity to the matron. 

Evening and formal wear

In the early part of the nineteenth century evening gowns had trained skirts open in front, revealing the lavishly embellished petticoats. Long sleeves reached just over the hands, but short sleeves were often seen. Tunic dresses were also very popular. 

Wedding dresses

The styles of wedding dresses were very similar to day dresses, but they were made of white satin or silk with a lace decoration. The bodies were usually high necked, but if low, were always filled in with a chemisette. Veils usually covered their face and orange blossom wreaths were also worn. 

Image and Information from: http://www.theweddingsecret.co.uk/
magazine/celebrity-weddings-the-significance
-of-royal-wedding-dresses/1855 photograph of Princess Beatrice,
the daughter of Queen Victoria

Image fromhttp://www.devilinspired.co.uk/1488-5435-home/
black-and-white-lace-long-sleeves-gothic-wedding-dress.jpg
Contemporary Victorian Gothic
Wedding Dress

Above are the two photographs of the nineteenth century wedding dress and the contemporary victorian wedding dress. The sweetheart neckline and fitted bodice design are just a few examples of the many factors that make the two similar. You can even purchase the Gothic dress online for £249!! Gothic dress available at:http://www.devilinspired.co.uk/bridal/1488-black-and-white-lace-long-sleeves-gothic-wedding-dress.html

Mourning costume

Black was the usual colour for mourning, although dark brown was usually seen. Black veils were worn over headwear and gloves and even handkerchiefs were black, although a little white would have been worn. 

Informal and sports wear
A dress specially designed for walking appeared at the beginning of the century. This was untrained and the hem was edged with small tucks, later flounced or scalloped, ending just above the ground.




Hairstyles and Makeup
(Pages 55 - 56)

Hairstyles
Most new hairstyles originated in France. There were variations with the back hair hanging in ringlets as well as short curled hair. Classical Grecian and Roman style were also seen early in the century. The classical styles and short Titus hairstyles were gradually replaced by longer and softer hair fashions. Small curls were seen at the forehead and sides, and the hair at the back would be plaited into a large top knot, which by the 1820's was arranged with loops and bows held up with wire and frames! It would then be decorated with feathers, ribbons, flowers and jewellery. False hair was also added, curls and ringlets at the sides being very popular.

Sleeker hair was popular in the 1840's, the hair lying flat from a centre parting and pulled into a bun at the back with an ivory comb. By the 1850's the side hair was slightly puffed out and a chignon worn at the back. This was fashionable, becoming fuller and held in place with a net. In the 1870's small fringes were seen and the chignons began to decrease in popularity and if they were worn they were much higher on the head.
A new method of waving the hair with heated tongs was invented by a Parisian hairdresser, Marcel Grateau. This become fashionable in 1870, influenced by Lily Langtry (a british actress and socialite, known for her beauty) who had her hair waved and wore a chignon low at the back. As she had blond hair this became a fashionable colour and many ladies dyed their hair!
Lily Langtry Information from: http://timessquare.lilliesnyc.com/?page_id=10



Makeup
Plumper's were still in use at the beginning of the nineteenth century, but this fashion died out. Instead rouge was very fashionable, but became less popular in the 1830's when the mode was to be pale looking, pearl powder being used to achieve this effect.
During Queen Victoria's reign, makeup was regarded as improper, and it was not until Edward VII became King in 1901 that a little face powder and a modest amount of make-up was permitted.

Caspar David Friedrich

Casper David Friedrich (1774 - 1840) was a landscape painter of the nineteenth century German Romantic movement. His paintings featured figures in night skies, morning mists, desolate trees and gothic ruins. I chose his work because I feel it fits in with the project well, his work being dark and gloomy.
Information from: http://www.caspardavidfriedrich.org

Two Men Contemplating the Moon - 1819-20

Image from: http://www.caspardavidfriedrich.org

Cross on the Baltic Sea  

Image from: http://www.artinthepicture.com/artists/Caspar_David_Friedrich/baltic.jpeg

The Abbey in the Oakwood - 1809-1810

Image from: http://www.caspardavidfriedrich.org

Coming from an art background, I wanted to experiment with gothic art and incorporate this with makeup. Below is a face chart I have created, inspired by Caspar David Friedrich. The products I used to create this look are:

Kryolan Viva Eyeshadow Palette - Black Pepper/Fennel

M.A.C Eyeliner - Black

Black and White Colouring Pencils