General Description

This course will provide insights into Gothic Fiction, ranging from the emergence of the mode – the late eighteenth-century England – to the present day. Besides examining historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives that have arisen in relation to this mode, we will examine the role of time in Gothic Fiction. Particular focus will be placed on how temporal motifs allude to alternative meanings and realities, discussing connections such as between monstrosity and ethnicity, or vampires and gender.

We will read theoretical and critical texts on the Gothic, as well as excerpts from Gothic short stories and novels, including Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol, and Dracula. In addition, we will be viewing Jim Jarmusch's film Only Lovers Left Alive (2013).

Assessment: class participation, group assignments, final essay of 2500 words OR a course diary