Department of English

Fulfills Distributional Course in Arts & Letters

Among the classics that define the Gothic-novel-pseudo-medieval fiction with an atmosphere of mystery and terror-are Matthew Lewis' The Monk (1794) and Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794). We will read selections from both as background for the development of the genre in the 19th century, before preceding to several Gothic-inspired novels of the 19th century. The novels will comprise Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (1847), Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White (1860), and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). We will also read Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen's satire on the genre, originally drafted in 1789-99 but first published in 1818, the year following her death. Course grades will be based on class attendance and participation, an oral presentation, and one or two written assignments.