Mystery, fear, obsession, and romance mark the genre of Gothic fiction, a tradition that women have long been involved in—as authors, characters, and readers. This class focuses on how women helped create, develop, and revise the Gothic genre, often adding gender considerations to more traditional Gothic elements. We’ll explore themes of dangerous fathers and absent mothers, domestic entrapment within patriarchal societies, repressed female sexuality, and transgressive behavior among women. We’ll also examine issues of intersectionality and race, exploring how women writers of color have adopted the Gothic tradition as their own.
Students completing the course should gain a broad understanding of the topics, themes, and literary techniques associated with the female Gothic tradition in literature. Students will develop skills in reading and interpreting both literary and critical texts, and in writing their own original analyses or creative responses to the Gothic.
Books
- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (1817)
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818; 1831)
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962)
- Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987)
- Selected book chapters, short stories and critical essays (PDF files online)
General Education Student Learning Outcomes, Humanities:
This course counts as a general education humanities credit. Such courses share the following student learning outcomes:
- Students analyze how ideas are represented, interpreted or valued in various expressions of human culture.
- Students examine relevant primary source materials as understood by the discipline and interpret the material in writing assignments.
These outcomes will be assessed using Paper 2.