Since the publication of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto in 1764, the Gothic genre has proliferated and continues to capture popular and academic interest. In this class, we will explore how the genre's first wave reflected and negotiated the sociocultural potentials and anxieties of its time. Considering how these texts respond to contemporary issues of gender, power, and class, we aim to investigate the use of the fantastic as a tool for social commentary. Seminal texts by Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis, and Jane Austen will be read for the complex implications of their ruinous castles, ancestral secrets, and transgressive heroines.
Students should be aware that the reading list for this course will be fairly extensive. An interest and some prior knowledge in the study of Gothic fiction are recommended.
Frequency | Weekday | Time | Format / Place | Period | |
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weekly | Do | 10-12 | V2-213 | 07.10.2024-31.01.2025 |
Module | Course | Requirements | |
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23-ANG-AngPM2.1_a Profilmodul 2.1: British Studies | 2.1.3 Literature and Culture | Study requirement
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23-ANG-AngPM2_a Profilmodul 2: British Studies | 2.3 Literature and Culture | Study requirement
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Student information |
23-ANG-Profil4 Profilmodul 4: Advanced British and American Studies | Profil4.2 British Literature and Culture OR American Literature and Culture | Study requirement
Graded examination |
Student information |
Profil4.3 British Literature and Culture OR American Literature and Culture | Study requirement
Graded examination |
Student information |
The binding module descriptions contain further information, including specifications on the "types of assignments" students need to complete. In cases where a module description mentions more than one kind of assignment, the respective member of the teaching staff will decide which task(s) they assign the students.