OverAnalyzed: Mirrors and Media

Taxi Driver, Supernatural, William Wilson, Dark Souls II, The Picture of Dorian Gray: What do all of these have in common? Each one involves a tense scene involving a mirror or mirror stand-in. But why? Let us venture an exploration of various mirror scenes in media and the philosophical ramifications thereof. In particular, we will look to Hegel’s Master-Slave Dialectic, Lacan’s theory of the Mirror Stage, and Merleau-Ponty’s “Eye and Mind” to explain the meaning behind various famous and not-so-famous mirror scenes.

OverAnalyzed: Dark Souls as a Gothic Text

Creeping shadows in the corner of the eye, or piles of corpses littering a dungeon? Gothic literature is divided into two main categories: Terror and Horror. Terror Gothic is exemplified by Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, wherein feelings of helplessness and fear are cultivated by protagonist Emily’s helplessness against the schemes of rapacious Count Montoni and her own uncertain mental state. By contrast, Horror Gothic is found in books such as Matthew Lewis’ The Monk, which evokes feelings of shock and disgust through the violence and transgressive sexuality presented within. Elements of both Terror and Horror Gothic can be found within video games such as the Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Resident Evil series, Alien: Isolation, and the dark-fantasy role-playing series Dark Souls. In particular, the Souls series combines Terror and Horror Gothic to create a new style within Gothic media. Additionally, the Souls games’ use of video game mechanics allow for a deeper experience of the game as a whole.