A typewriter and an axe

ENGL 1220: From Gothic to Horror

Ghosts and monsters fill the pages of popular books and appear on our TV and movie screens. This course surveys the history of such creations and asks what we can learn from them. We will begin by exploring the origins of the Gothic genre. We’ll also familiarize ourselves with theories...

ENGL 1220: From Gothic to Horror (Fall 2019)

Explores literature in the Gothic mode and aesthetic and critical theories related to modern "horror" genres or their precursors. Introduces literary-critical concepts (such as notions of abjection, repression and anxiety) that developed alongside this branch of literature. Students read canonical works in British and American traditions while reflecting on notions...

Illustration of a squid-like creature

ENGL 1220-003: From Gothic to Horror (Spring 2019)

Horror is “hot” right now. Prestige television programming such as The Walking Dead and True Detective, the popularity of writers such as Jeff VanderMeer and Thomas Ligotti, and academic interest in weird and new weird fiction attest to this fact. This course examines this current popularity by way of an...

Illustration of lightning bolts entering a gothic style room

ENGL 1220-001, 002: From Gothic to Horror (Spring 2019)

Explores literature in the Gothic mode and aesthetic and critical theories related to modern "horror" genres or their precursors. Introduces literary-critical concepts (such as notions of abjection, repression and anxiety) that developed alongside this branch of literature. Students read canonical works in British and American traditions while reflecting on notions...

A scary looking forrest on a moonlit night.

ENGL 1220-001, 002: From Gothic to Horror

Ghosts and monsters fill the pages of popular books and appear on our TV and movie screens. This course surveys the literary history of such creations and asks what we can learn from them. We will begin by exploring the origins of the Gothic genre.