Department of English

A look at various manifestations of the gothic in fiction and nonfiction prose. We’ll begin with a quick look at the ur-Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, then proceed to Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights. Moving across the ocean, we’ll look at American Gothic, which is dramatically different from its British parents. We’ll read tales by Hawthorne, Melville and Poe, and then venture into the ghost story with Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. We’ll meet another ghost in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, then explore nonfiction prose with Capote’s In Cold Blood and Jeanette Walls’ The Glass Castle.  We’ll also see clips from the many film versions of these texts. Requirements include brief weekly reading responses, a mid-term and a take-home final.    This course fulfills the Arts and Letters requirement in the College and in the School of Liberal and Professional Studie s