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This course will serve as an in-depth case study for the analysis of narrative texts. Inaugurated by Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764), the Gothic novel was the defining genre of late 18th-century narrative literature. Novels such as William Beckford's Vathek (1786), or Matthew Lewis, The Monk (1796) are marked by a set of standard characteristics: the Gothic edifice as setting as well as stock characters, such as spectres, monsters, evil aristocrats, and fainting heroines. The Gothic formula spilled over into the 19th century and generated three of the most persistent Romantic and Victorian Gothic narratives, which have been highly influential on contemporary neo-Gothic and countless horror movies. We will, therefore, also look at Gothic elements in movies such as Ken Russell's Gothic (1986), Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola (1992), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Interview with the Vampire (1994) by Neil Jordan or Van Helsing (2004), James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) by Kenneth Branagh, or Mary Reilly (1996) by Stephen Frears. Required reading: The 18th-century Gothic tradition can be best explored in the anthology Four Gothic Novels (OUP, ISBN 0-19-282331-0) You will need editions of the three 19th-century novels/novelettes: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818), Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897). Prerequisites: Intermediate exam/”Zwischenprüfung” Assessment: Regular participation, an oral presentation and a term paper Registration: Please send an e-mail to Eckart Voigts-Virchow before March 31st, stating your name, semester standing and subjects. The number of participants is restricted to 30. |
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19th-Century Horror