Gothic Fiction 3301-LB2029
The course offered for BA cycle
This course is geared specifically to the needs of students taking an interest in Gothic fiction. Starting with such elementary issues as: the various implications of the term "Gothic", the origin of the form, the course will introduce the students to the most significant works, issues and debates within the field of Gothic studies.
The Gothic is notable for its mobility and its ability to reconstitute itself anew in the light of changing social, political and cultural circumstances. Since its advent in the second half of the 18th century, it has assumed a variety of manifestations and forms, adapting and developing in response to transitions in literary and intellectual fashion. This course will be tracing the transformations of the genre through history, from the "classic" Gothic to its 19th and 20th century transmutations.
Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, the first Gothic novel proper, proved a seminal work which had much influence on the development of a genre. Walpole's novel influenced the work of such writers as Ann Radcliffe, William Beckford and Matthew Lewis. These novels were popular with readers for their historical settings as well as for representation of supernatural events and evocation of terror. The genre moved into the 19th century: influenced by Romanticism, it generated a new set of themes and motifs. The figures of a wicked villain and persecuted heroine, inherited from the previous century, were supplemented by the figures of the vampire, the searcher after forbidden knowledge, and the wanderer. In the novels of James Hogg and Robert Louis Stevenson, the motif of the double (Doppelganger) acquired prominence.
It is often claimed that Gothic literature has flourished at times of social and political upheaval, for instance, in the late 18th century. It is no coincidence that the decade of the French Revolution was the period when the Gothic novel was most popular. Such a theory could be supported by the sudden resurgence of Gothic at the end of the 19th century. The age which produced many powerful cultural myths, including R. L. Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Bram Stoker's Dracula, was a time marked by growing fears of degeneration back to a pre-civilised state. England was an imperial power in decline.The traditional values and family structures of the middle class were disintegrating, threatened by the emergence of such figures as Dracula and Dr Jekyll. London, the capital of the civilized world, was often represented as a site of cultural decay and a source of menace. Stoker's novel was one of many examples of fiction in which the security of English society was undermined. In addition to vampirism, what made Dracula alien and fearful to late Victorian readers were his origins in the 'backward' east of Europe and his acts of sexual transgression.The diversification that increasingly characterize the Gothic genre gave rise to some new categories and subdivisions, such as: the Gothic thriller (Sheridan Le Fanu, Wilkie Collins), the tale of terror focusing on psychological disturbance and obsessive states of mind (Edgar Allan Poe), and the ghost story centering on uncanny experiences and events. The versatility of the Gothic is also reflected in the parodic versions of Gothic themes and conventions (Jane Austen). In reworking Gothic motifs and subjecting them to parodic revision, these writers challenge the traditional notion of and the prejudiced attitudes to Gothic fiction.
While discussing a selection of Gothic novels and tales, an attempt will be made to contextualize and re-evaluate them in the light of changing currents in literary crticism and theory.
Course coordinators
Term 2026Z: | Term 2025Z: | Term 2024Z: |
Type of course
foreign languages
elective courses
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students will have in-depth familiarity with:
K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the disciplines of literary studies concerning the Gothic tradition, in accordance with their chosen specialization (and educational path)
K_W04 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01 apply the advanced terminology, theories and research methods of literary studies and culture and religion studies to solve complex and original research problems in accordance with his/her chosen specialization (and educational path)
K_U04 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required
*** Applies to students who began their studies in the year 2022/2023 ***
Knowledge
Students will have in-depth familiarity with:
K_W01 Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of literary studies within the humanities
K_W02 Describe on an advanced level the current trends in literary research of zgothic tradition within English studies
K_W04 Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in literary with special focus on the application of methods and tools in formulating research problems
K_W05 Identify the notions and principles pertinent to intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01 Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline of literary studies.
K_U02 Apply advanced research methodology within literary studie so fo Gothic traditon respecting ethical norms and copyright law
K_U03 Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to the discipline literary studies
K_U04 Analyze literary phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level
K_U05 Discern alternative methodological paradigms within a discipline
K_U06 Find information in various sources and critically assess its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development
K_K03 Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to the disciplines included on the curriculum of English studies
K_K04 Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related to the studies
K_K06 Value cultural heritage and cultural diversity as well as individual opinions
Assessment criteria
Final exam and active participation in our discussions in class.
3 absences permitted.
Bibliography
Primary sources (a selection of which to be discussed in class):
Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (1764)
Ann Radcliffe, The Sicilian Romance (1790)
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
John Polidori, The Vampyre (1819)
Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights (1847)
Sheridan Le Fanu-Carmilla (1872)
Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)
Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897)
Further Reading:
Baldick, Chris. 1987. In Frankenstein's Shadow. Clarendon Press.
Botting, Fred. 1996. Gothic. Routledge.
Botting, Fred. 2008. Gothic Romanced. Routledge.
Freud, Sigmund. 1919. 'The Uncanny'.
Gelder, Ken. 1994. Reading the Vampire. Routledge.
Jackson, Rosemary.1981. Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. Methuen.
Punter, David. 1996. The Literature of Terror. Vol.1-2. Longman.
Punter, David, ed. 2001. A Companion to the Gothic. Blackwell Publishers.
Jack G. Voller, 'The Literary Gothic' (www.litgothic.com/index_html.html)
Notes
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Term 2026Z:
Three absences are allowed |