Universität Wien
Warning! The directory is not yet complete and will be amended until the beginning of the term.

123044 PS Proseminar Literature / Literary Studies (2016S)

American Horror Stori(es): Gothic Tales from Poe to Morrison

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Friday 18.03. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 08.04. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 15.04. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Tuesday 19.04. 18:00 - 20:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 22.04. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 29.04. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 06.05. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 13.05. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 20.05. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 27.05. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Monday 30.05. 18:00 - 20:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 03.06. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Wednesday 08.06. 18:00 - 20:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Friday 10.06. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 17.06. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05
  • Friday 24.06. 10:30 - 12:00 Raum 1 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-05

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Gothic fiction has been one of the most popular genres among American authors and readers alike ever since its emergence in the mid-18th century, and continues to influence the literary landscape well into the 21st century. From its foundation, the new nation's unique challenges have led US-American authors to the Gothic as a particularly malleable genre to express their fears, anxieties, and secret passions. Gothic novels, short stories, and poems offered a ready template to express quintessentially American conditions, from early frontier experiences to the trauma of slavery, from Puritan morality to the depiction of domestic oppression in a patriarchal society. Today, Gothic representations of extreme horror, cruelty, persecution, wilderness, and the abject continue to haunt American culture in a myriad of popular movies and TV shows.

In this course, we will trace the development and ongoing appeal of Gothic fiction as well as a variety of critical responses to the genre from literary theorists and critics. We will examine typical Gothic tropes and themes, the role of the author and the narrator, and genre conventions, among other things, to determine how and why Gothic fiction has undergone a variety of transformations but still remains an immensely popular genre in American fiction and film.

Students will learn to critically examine texts from different theoretical perspectives and to employ the respective critical terminology. They will also be familiarized with the research and writing skills necessary to write a term paper.

Assessment and permitted materials

Regular attendance, active participation in class, short presentations, weekly readings, short written assignments, research assignments, paper abstract/proposal, final research paper

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

This course will introduce students to US-American Gothic fiction, its origins and evolution between the 18th and 21st centuries. We will work with classic Gothic texts, including short stories, poems and (excerpts of) novels, as well as examples from popular culture in the form of movies and TV shows to trace the characteristics of Gothic fiction, and explore the historical and cultural contexts as well as the academic debates and discourses relevant to the conceptualization of the genre. Students will learn to critically examine texts from different theoretical perspectives and to apply the respective critical terminology to primary texts. They will also be familiarized with the research and writing skills necessary to write a term paper.

Examination topics

Interactive discussions, individual assignments, group work, short presentations, research project, multimedia

Reading list

A reader will be made available at CopyStudio (Schwarzspanierstraße 10), including most of the primary texts we will be discussing. You will additionally need to purchase Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987) at Facultas am Campus. We will also be working with a variety of movies and/or TV shows. Further details will be posted on Moodle.

Association in the course directory

Studium: UF 344, BA 612; BEd 046
Code/Modul: UF 3.3.3-304, BA10.1; BEd 08a.1, BEd 08b.2
Lehrinhalt: 12-3041

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33