The Night Circus is roughly about two people who are destined to have some great big duel, but aren't given any information as to who each other is, or when the battle is to happen. Meanwhile there are several other stories intertwined together that all fall under one venue, which is Le Cirque des Reves, the Circus of Dreams.

I personally really enjoyed the elaborate description of this magical circus, and the attention to detail brought into the colors and even materials of clothing. It created a very sophisticated, yet magical and etherial atmosphere.

Referring to the story, the use of magic and the price it comes with was very intriguing, however I also liked the idea that the two opponents were very much in the dark about there fate/destiny. I enjoyed this idea because, being at the place I am now I can relate to this pre-destined duel to my own fears of going out into the world and finding what I am to do with my life. The feeling growing up and realizing that the uncertainty of what's ahead never goes away, and that you will never be able to predict what will happen next. Which leads me to my next point, which is the ending of The Night Circus, was such an unexpected twist, considering we are used to resolutions to this kind of story ending in a huge battle. It was such an interesting way of resolving the story, because to me it left me not necessarily happy, but not really disappointed either, and I think that this is because it wasn't a black and white solution of we have a winner and a loser and everything will change based off of the outcome, but rather it was a resolution were their wasn't really a winner or loser and for the most part things remained neutral. This again relates back to life and how although every decision has a consequence it is a reminder to the audience that not everything is black and white, and that you still are able to pave your own path so to speak.

In Aunt Maria, after Mig and her older brother Chris face a parental breakup in which the father disappears, the siblings and their mother go on a "short visit" to Aunt Maria's. At first Aunt Maria seems like the sweetest old lady you could possibly imagine. but that is short lived as the siblings begin to realize that Aunt Maria has the village underneath her thumb. We notice that men are dull and in the background, and and the other children are clone-like. Even with Mig and Chris busy with the bunches of chores Aunt Maria has tasked them with, Mig is still able to see that something is off about Aunt Maria, and that she is not who she appears to be.

Witches are known for representing feminism and woman empowerment. With that said the perspective of this representation changes depending on the stance of the writer. In Aunt Maria it is very apparent that woman empowerment or women in power is a scary thought and should be feared rather than welcomed. Whereas if we look into the film Kiki's delivery service, women empowerment is for the most part celebrated and a positive experience. 

The image of vampires has changed vastly over time. Where vampires were once blood-sucking demons that where feared by humans as some deathly pale human-like monster, is now a fantasized super-human who's looks are irresistible.

I think the reasons why vampires have been so fantasized is because it's like this forbidden love with a super-human with a loner persona that lives off human life(blood). It's a dangerous relationship which makes it that much more exciting for the human lover.

In An Interview with a Vampire the main character Louis tells his story of how he became a vampire and all the tragedy that came along with the undying curse. He explains all the terrible things he has gone through and how much he hates being what he is. However the interviewers response to his story was requesting that Louis turn him into a vampire.

This response from the interviewer is a direct reflection of how humans view vampires today and how there view has changed.  

Although Frankenstein has Gothic aspects within the unforgettable story, it appears more to be a compilation of Romantic and Gothic combined.

Gothic novels focus primarily on mystery and supernatural. Whereas in Frankenstein the mystery resides in the circumstances Victor Frankenstein has to create the monster(the gathering of body parts and the little known modern technology for unnatural purposes. The supernatural aspect of the story is the use of unexplored fields of science to raise the dead.

Continuing the contrast to other Gothic novels, Frankenstein doesn't have a castle. Though mentioned (P97 'Ruined castles hanging over precipices of piny mountains'.) It is only used to emphasize natures power over man. Castles in Gothic novels are often the main setting throughout the duration of the story. In my opinion a castle captures overwhelming isolation, and distance from civilization, especially if it is stereotypically placed at the top of a steep hill that looks down on a nearby village.

Isolation is a parallel that Gothic novels share with Frankenstein. The North Pole for example is a great setting of unexplored territory, that leave the reader with their imagination of what could go wrong in such a strange and mysterious location.