|
Crosslistings: HUM 116 |
Ghosts and graveyards; witches and werewolves; crumbling castles, cobwebbed crypts, and bloody chambers--"Things That Go Bump in the Night." We are all familiar with the iconography of Gothic fiction and with the
thrills and chills produced by its
storylines. But how familiar are we with the reasons why we seek Gothic satisfactions, and why we discover them so predictably? How well do we understand the psychological, social, and political motives that drive
Gothic image and narrative? To develop
this understanding, we return to a primary source, the emergence of the Gothic genre in European culture during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. We focus primarily, but not exclusively, on English society, where
the transition from an agrarian to
a commercial and industrial culture was visible and intense, while the impact of social and political revolution was refracted. We also examine the translation of the Gothic to American culture of the mid- and later
19th century under the shadow of Civil
War.
Among the questions we ask: How valid is the proposed distinction between "terror gothic" and "horror gothic"? Does this generic distinction, if valid at all, correspond to the distinction between female and
male genders? Does Gothic fantas
y support or censor forbidden sexualities and crossed genders? How do Gothic spaces and architectures represent the social, political, and economic concerns of an era? Most fundamentally, if Gothic fictions are
fantasies of transgression, are they
progressive or regressive fantasies and how can we tell?
Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA COL Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-19-2002
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459