2012-2013 Academic Catalog

May 22, 2024

2012-2013 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

ENG 122 - Terror of the Gothic

Type of Course: First-Year Seminar

This course explores our paradoxical delight in terror through the world of nineteenth-century gothic fiction, like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In tracing the recurrent themes of family dynamics, sin, politics, and nature within the Gothic, we will examine both the relationship of this fiction to the dominant culture of the nineteenth century, as well as the dark underside this literature represents. Following current literary scholarship, we will pose questions about representations of violence; the significance of fantasy and fear; and the role of gender, sexuality, race, and class in this body of work. Throughout the course, we will discuss the legacy of this fiction in our modern obsession with horror in film, novels, and culture. This course satisfies the Verbal Expression (VE) requirement.

Prerequisites: VE Placement Required