2010-2011 Academic Catalog

Oct 18, 2024

2010-2011 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

ENG 122 - Terror of the Gothic

In this course, we will explore our delight in terror through an understanding of the genre of Gothic fiction, delineating the origins of the Gothic novel in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto and tracing its varied forms throughout the nineteenth century in novels such as Charlotte Dacre’s Zofloya, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Through these texts, we will examine the recurrent themes of sin, family lineage, and politics as this genre reveals both its relationship to the dominant culture of the nineteenth century, as well as its dark underside. Following current literary scholarship, we will pose questions about the role of gender, race, class and sexuality in this body of work. Throughout the course, we will discuss the culture legacy of this genre in our modern obsession with horror in film. For undergraduate English majors this course satisfies the Genre (B-2) requirement.

Instructor: Ms. Kasmer

When Offered: Offered 2009-2010

Faculty: Lisa Kasmer, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of English