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The Gothic Novel

Purpose of Course  showclose

Course Information  showclose

Learning Outcomes  showclose

Course Requirements  showclose

• Unit 1
• Unit 2
• Unit 3
• Unit 4
• Unit 5
• Final Exam
• All Units

Unit Outline show close

Unit 1: An Introduction to the Gothic  

Though originally maligned as a “low” literary form, not worthy of serious study, the Gothic novel has more recently come into favor among literary scholars, who see in it a wealth of subversive literary features.  In this unit you will read a number of scholarly essays exploring the Gothic in order to engage with the debates surrounding the genre and to acquaint yourself with critical approaches and reading methods that you may choose to challenge or adopt for yourself.  The unit will touch briefly upon the novel versus other forms of the Gothic and conclude with a review of the genre’s hallmark devices, figures, and tropes, which, as Professor Eugenia DeLamotte noted, almost became clichés before they were conventions.

Unit 1 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 1 Learning Outcomes   show close


1.1 What Is “The Gothic”?  

1.1.1 Etymology of “Gothic”: From Goths to Architecture  

• Reading: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Gothic Experience: Gothic Architecture, Gothic Literature, The Oxford English Dictionary Definition”; University of California, Davis: David De Vore, Anne Domenic, Alexandra Kwan, and Nicole Reidy’s “The Gothic Novel”; The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “The Gothic: Overview”

  Link: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Gothic Experience: Gothic Architecture, Gothic Literature, The Oxford English Dictionary Definition” (PDF); University of California, Davis: David De Vore, Anne Domenic, Alexandra Kwan, and Nicole Reidy’s “The Gothic Novel” (HTML); The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “The Gothic: Overview” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Dr. Melani’s “The Gothic Experience,” including the sections on Gothic Architecture, Gothic Literature, and the Oxford English Dictionary definition.  Then read David De Vore, Anne Domenic, Alexandra Kwan, and Nicole Reidy’s “The Gothic Novel.”  Also read “The Gothic: Overview” from The Norton Anthology of English Literature for an introduction to the Gothic novel.  The three resources provide an excellent foundation for your study of Gothic literature.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  The article “The Gothic Experience” has been reposted by the kind permission of Dr. Lilia Melani from Brooklyn College and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.2 Gothic versus Classical Architecture and 17th- and 18th-Century Connotations  

• Reading: Boston College: Professor Jeffery Howe’s A Digital Archive of Architecture: “Gothic Architecture”

  Link: Boston College: Professor Jeffery Howe’s A Digital Archive of Architecture: “Gothic Architecture” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please look over the illustrations linked here for a visual representation of Gothic architecture and an overview of some of the major elements of the Gothic style.  You may click on each thumbnail for a larger image.
  
  Studying the characteristics of these images should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: International World History Project: Andrew Henry Robert Martindale’s “Gothic Art and Architecture”

  Link: International World History Project: Andrew Henry Robert Martindale’s “Gothic Art and Architecture” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the section on the history of the Gothic period of art and architecture to learn about the basic forms of Gothic architecture.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.3 The Gothic as a Literary Mode  

• Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Gothic as a Literary Mode”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Gothic as a Literary Mode” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please read this article.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 15 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: University of Virginia: Vijay Mishra’s “The Gothic Sublime”

  Link: University of Virginia: Vijay Mishra’s “The Gothic Sublime” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this short excerpt from Mishra’s “The Gothic Sublime” for a discussion of the presence and function of the sublime in the Gothic novel.
  
  Reading this excerpt should take less than 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.4 The Gothic as a Literary Time Period  

• Reading: The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “The Romantic Period”; Tabula Rasa: David Carroll and Kyla Ward’s “The Horror Timeline”; Carson-Newman College: Dr. L. Kip Wheeler’s “Literary Terms and Definitions”

  Link: The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “The Romantic Period” (HTML); Tabula Rasa: David Carroll and Kyla Ward’s “The Horror Timeline” (HTML); Carson-Newman College: Dr. L. Kip Wheeler’s “Literary Terms and Definitions” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: First, read the short essay titled “The Romantic Period” for a basic introduction to the Gothic in the context of its contemporary literature.  Also look over the sections of Carroll and Ward’s “The Horror Timeline” for an overview of the history of the Gothic novel.  From Dr. Wheeler’s “Literary Terms and Definitions,” please read the definitions of “Gothic Literature,” “Gothic,” and “Gothic Novel” for some basic information on the development of the genre.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.5 The Gothic as a Set of Literary Themes  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s “The Structure of Gothic Convention”

  Link: University of Virginia: Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s “The Structure of Gothic Convention” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please look over the excerpt from Sedgwick’s The Coherence of Gothic Conventions titled “The Structure of Gothic Convention” for more information about the formulaic conventions in Gothic literature.
  
  Reading this excerpt should take less than 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Gothic as a Set of Literary Themes”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Gothic as a Set of Literary Themes” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please read this article.
  
  Reading this article should take less than 15 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.6 The Gothic as a Portrait of the Fallen World  

• Reading: University of Saskatchewan: Kathy Prendergast’s “Introduction to the Gothic Tradition”

  Link: University of Saskatchewan: Kathy Prendergast’s “Introduction to the Gothic Tradition” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read the section of the essay titled “The Gothic Tradition in Literature,” which begins about halfway down the webpage.  In particular, focus on the discussion of the Gothic novel as a portrait of the “fallen world.”  Pay close attention to the brief excerpt from Ann B. Tracy’s The Gothic Novel, 1790-1830, which specifically comments on Gothic fiction as the representation of a fallen world.
  
  Reading this essay and taking notes should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Gothic as a Portrait of the Fallen World”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Gothic as a Portrait of the Fallen World” (PDF)
  
  Instructions:  Please read this article.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 15 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.7 An Overview of Alternative Approaches to the Gothic  

• Reading: Adam Matthew Publications: Peter Otto’s “The Northanger Novels” and The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “Jane Austen, from Northanger Abbey” and “Thomas Love Peacock, from Nightmare Abbey”

  Link: Adam Matthew Publications: Peter Otto’s “The Northanger Novels” (HTML) and The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “Jane Austen, from Northanger Abbey” (HTML) and “Thomas Love Peacock, from Nightmare Abbey” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Peter Otto’s “The Northanger Novels” for another approach to the study of Gothic novels.  Then read the two short excerpts from The Norton Anthology of English Literature – both examples of the Gothic parodies that Otto discusses.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.2 Why the Gothic Novel?  

1.2.1 What Is a Novel? Matters of Form and Convention  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Stephen Bernstein’s “Form and Ideology in the Gothic Novel”

  Link: University of Virginia: Stephen Bernstein’s “Form and Ideology in the Gothic Novel” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this short excerpt from Bernstein’s critical study of the Gothic novel.  As you read, pay attention to the mention of the narrative structures of the Gothic novel.
  
  Reading this excerpt should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.2.2 The Rise of the Novel  

• Reading: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Novel” and “The Gothic Experience: The First Wave of Gothic Novels: 1765-1820, Gothic Fiction in the Nineteenth Century, Gothic Fiction in the Twentieth Century, Some Connections”

  Link: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Novel” (PDF) and “The Gothic Experience: The First Wave of Gothic Novels: 1765-1820, Gothic Fiction in the Nineteenth Century, Gothic Fiction in the Twentieth Century, Some Connections” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Read “The Novel” for a broad introduction to the rise of the novel, including information on its historical development and initial structures.  Then read “The Gothic Experience,” which traces in detail the inception and development of the Gothic novel.
  
  Reading these essays should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: The essays above have been reposted by the kind permission of Dr. Lilia Melani from Brooklyn College and can be viewed in their original forms here and here.  Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.2.3 The Gothic in Drama and Poetry  

• Reading: University of Virginia: “Gothic Drama”; The Saylor Foundation: Percy Bysshe Shelley’s The Cenci: A Tragedy in Five Acts, “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty”, and “Dark Spirit of the Desart Rude”; Poets.org: John Keats’ “Eve of St. Agnes” and Lord Byron’s “The Giaour”

  Link: University of Virginia: “Gothic Drama” (HTML); The Saylor Foundation: Percy Bysshe Shelley’s The Cenci: A Tragedy in Five Acts (PDF), “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” (HTML), and “Dark Spirit of the Desart Rude” (HTML); Poets.org: John Keats’ “Eve of St. Agnes” (HTML) and Lord Byron’s “The Giaour” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: First, read “Gothic Drama” for a brief overview of the dramatic literature of the period.  Then read the Preface and Act 1 of Shelley’s The Cenci for an example of Gothic drama.  Also read the two poems linked here for examples of Gothic poetry.  Then read the excerpts from Keats’ and Byron’s poems, which contain Gothic elements.
  
  Studying these resources should take approximately 5 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.2.4 Gothic Architecture and the Form of the Novel: Twists and Turns, Suspense, and the Labyrinth  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Cannon Schmitt’s “Techniques of Terror”

  Link: University of Virginia: Cannon Schmitt’s “Techniques of Terror” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read this excerpt, which discusses the ways in which Gothic novels create a physical world that mirrors the confusion of the labyrinth.
  
  Reading this excerpt should take less than 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3 Gothic Conventions  

1.3.1 Decayed or Ruined Buildings  

One of the signature conventions of the Gothic novel is place, particularly man-made structures, such as houses, castles, mansions, abbeys, and monasteries.  These antiquarian structures tend to emphasize the decaying presence of the past in the here and now and even in the future; they are often symbols of the sins of the past that persist into the present.

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please read the definition of “the haunted castle or house” linked here for brief commentary on the role of architecture in Gothic literature.
  
  Reading this definition should take less than 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.2 Heroes and Villains  

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” and University of Virginia: “Hero or Villain or Hero-Villain?: Defining Masculinity in the Female Gothic”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF) and University of Virginia: “Hero or Villain or Hero-Villain?: Defining Masculinity in the Female Gothic” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read the “villain-hero” entry in “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms”; it provides a brief introduction to the presence and function of heroes and villains in Gothic literature.  Then read “Hero or Villain or Hero-Villain?” for a more detailed discussion of the relationship between these two roles.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage (“Hero or Villain”) above.  The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.3 The Wandering Jew  

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” and McGill University: Carol Margaret Davison’s “Gothic Cabala: The Anti-Semitic Spectropoetics of British Gothic Literature”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF) and McGill University: Carol Margaret Davison’s “Gothic Cabala: The Anti-Semitic Spectropoetics of British Gothic Literature” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please read this definition of the “wandering Jew.”  Then read Chapter 3 (Parts III & IV) and Chapter 4 of Davison’s “Gothic Cabala” for more information about the Jewish themes in Gothic texts such as Dracula, The Monk, and Carmilla – all of which you will study later in the course.  Please note that you must click on the PDF icon near the top of the page in order to access the entire essay.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.4 The Sublime  

• Reading: Carson-Newman College: Dr. L. Kip Wheeler’s “Literary Terms and Definitions” and The Victorian Web: George P. Landow’s “Eighteenth-Century Theories of the Sublime”

  Link: Carson-Newman College: Dr. L. Kip Wheeler’s “Literary Terms and Definitions” (HTML) and The Victorian Web: George P. Landow’s “Eighteenth-Century Theories of the Sublime” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Dr. Wheeler’s definition of “sublime” linked here.  Also, read “Eighteenth-Century Theories of the Sublime” for a more historical approach to sublime themes in Gothic literature.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.5 Supernatural Elements  

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” and The Literary Gothic: Mary Shelley’s “On Ghosts”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF) and The Literary Gothic: Mary Shelley’s “On Ghosts” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the definition of “explained supernatural” linked here.  Then read Shelley’s “On Ghosts” for an early 19^th-century perspective on the supernatural in Gothic literature.
  
  Reading these resources and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.6 Gender-Bending and Sexual Deviance  

One of the frequently recurring themes of the Gothic novel concerns sexual taboos.  Historically in the West, there have been taboos against homosexuality, sexual drive in women, and incest, among others.  Discussing – let alone changing – these taboos has often been a source of terror within the ruling power structure of a given society.

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Michael O’Rourke and David Collings’ “Queer Romanticisms: Past, Present, and Future”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Michael O’Rourke and David Collings’ “Queer Romanticisms: Past, Present, and Future” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read this essay, focusing on the authors’ concept of a “Queer Gothic” theme.
  
  Reading this essay should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.7 Others and Outsiders  

• Reading: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Other” and University of Virginia: Frederick R. Karl’s “Gothic, Gothicism, Gothicists”

  Link: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Other” (PDF) and University of Virginia: Frederick R. Karl’s “Gothic, Gothicism, Gothicists”(HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read “The Other” for a quick overview of the theme of the “other” in literature.  Please also read the short excerpt from Karl’s “Gothic, Gothicism, Gothicists” from The Adversary Literature: The English Novel in the Eighteenth Century – A Study in Genre.  Please note the focus on the presence of “outsiders” in Gothic literature, and pay attention to the function of “the other” in the genre.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  “The Other” has been reposted by the kind permission of Dr. Lilia Melani from Brooklyn College and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.8 Labyrinths  

• Reading: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “A Brief Introduction to the Gothic Novel”

  Link: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “A Brief Introduction to the Gothic Novel” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the section under the header “The Gothic Paradigm: Paradise Lost,” which examines the world of the Gothic novel.  In particular, please note the concept of the labyrinth as a literal place in the novel as well as a narrative device that enables secrecy.
  
  Reading this section should take less than 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.3.9 Psychological Disintegration  

• Reading: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “A Brief Introduction to the Gothic Novel”

  Link: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “A Brief Introduction to the Gothic Novel” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the section “Dream and Nightmare: Visions of the Gothic World” for a discussion of psychological tension in Gothic texts.
  
  Reading this section should take less than 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Gothic Conventions Quiz”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Gothic Conventions Quiz” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please complete the linked assessment, which is designed to help you think through some of the major conventions used in the Gothic novel.  When you are finished, check your answers against the Saylor Foundation’s “Gothic Conventions Quiz Answer Key” (PDF).
  
  Completing this quiz should take approximately 30 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 2: Gothic Spaces  

The ruined castle, with its gargoyles, abandoned wings, and dark dungeons, has become a Gothic cliché.  In this unit you will examine notions of space, place, and architecture as they pertain to psychology, gender relations, and questions of ownership and family inheritance in the Gothic novel.

Unit 2 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 2 Learning Outcomes   show close


2.1 The Castle of Otranto, the Original Gothic Novel  

• Reading: Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto

  Link: Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  Google Books
  HTML (Separated by chapter)
  
  Instructions: You will be reading The Castle of Otranto over the course of this unit.  It may help to review the reading questions on The Castle of Otranto in subunit 2.1.7 and keep them in mind as you read the novel.  The Castle of Otranto is often considered the first Gothic novel; not only does it title itself as a “Gothic romance,” it also introduces a number of the devices and tropes that would later become hallmarks of the Gothic.
  
  Reading this text should take approximately 4 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: The material above is available in the public domain.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.1 The Novel’s Self-Labeling as “Gothic”  

• Reading: Adam Matthew Publications: Peter Otto’s “Gothic Fiction: Introduction”

  Link: Adam Matthew Publications: Peter Otto’s “Gothic Fiction: Introduction” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this essay.  In particular, note Walpole’s attempts to construct his own “Gothic Story” in The Castle of Otranto.  Also take note of the mention of the novel’s subtitle – A Gothic Story.
  
  Reading this essay and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.2 Antiquarianism and Medievalism  

• Web Media: Yale University: The Lewis Walpole Library’s Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill Collection: “Virtual Tour”

  Link: Yale University: The Lewis Walpole Library’s Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill Collection: “Virtual Tour” (HTML)
  
  Also available:
  Interior Tour
  Outside Tour
  
  Instructions: Please follow the link here for a tour of Walpole’s own Gothic-styled mansion.  In the top right corner, you will see links to the tour of both the interior as well as the outside of the building.
  
  Exploring this webpage should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “The Mysterious Castle” and The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “Strawberry Hill”

  Link: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “The Mysterious Castle” (HTML) and The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “Strawberry Hill” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the section entitled “Antiquarianism and the Gothic.”  Then read “Strawberry Hill,” which is considered evidence of Walpole’s interest in medieval and antiquarian architecture and culture.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 45 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.3 The Figuration of the Castle  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Douglass H. Thomson’s “Mingled Measures: Gothic Parody in Tales of Wonder and Tales of Terror”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Douglass H. Thomson’s “Mingled Measures: Gothic Parody in Tales of Wonder and Tales of Terror” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read pages 5 and 6 of the essay, paying special attention to Walpole’s creation of a Gothic castle-world in the novel.  Also note Thomson’s mention of what Walpole achieved through his creation of the Gothic castle and how it appealed to certain classes of readers.
  
  Reading this essay and taking notes should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.4 Inside and Outside of the Castle: Movement, Space, and Constraint  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Frances A. Chiu’s “Faulty Towers: Reform, Radicalism and the Gothic Castle, 1760-1800”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Frances A. Chiu’s “Faulty Towers: Reform, Radicalism and the Gothic Castle, 1760-1800” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Chiu’s “Faulty Towers” for an overview of the function of the Gothic castle in literature, especially in Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto.  In particular, take note of the mention of Gothic spaces as sorts of prisons.
  
  Reading this essay and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.5 Fathers and Sons: Land Ownership, Inheritance, and Filial Rupture  

• Reading: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “The Mysterious Castle” and Aaborg University: Carsten Hammer Andersen’s “Patriarchal Power in The Castle of Otranto”

  Link: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “The Mysterious Castle” (HTML) and Aaborg University: Carsten Hammer Andersen’s “Patriarchal Power in The Castle of Otranto” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read the section entitled “Inheritance, Primogeniture, and Ential” for a commentary on the theme of filial relationships in The Castle of Otranto.  Also read Andersen’s essay for a detailed study of The Castle of Otranto.
  
  Reading these essays should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.6 Crisis in Romance: Genre and Plot Concerns  

• Reading: Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate: Brean S. Hammond’s “Romance and the Didactic in the Eighteenth-Century Novel” and Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Gothic Experience: History”

  Link: Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate: Brean S. Hammond’s “Romance and the Didactic in the Eighteenth-Century Novel” (PDF) and Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Gothic Experience: History” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Read “Romance and the Didactic in the Eighteenth-Century Novel” for a discussion of the collapse of the Gothic and the Romantic in eighteenth-century literature, including Walpole’s seminal text.  To access the text, follow the link on the right side of the page that reads: “Download the PDF of Volume 3.3.”  The article can be found on pages 305-311.  Also review Dr. Melani’s essay for a discussion of the development of the Gothic novel by means of Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto.  As you read, take note of the overlap between romance and supernatural themes in Gothic literature.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  “The Gothic Experience” has been reposted by the kind permission of Dr. Lilia Melani from Brooklyn College and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.7 The Supernatural  

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” and University of Maryland’s Praxis Series: Fred Botting’s “Reading Machines”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (HTML) and University of Maryland’s Praxis Series: Fred Botting’s “Reading Machines” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: First, read the definition of “supernatural gadgetry” to learn about some of the types of supernatural interventions that occur in Walpole’s novel.  Then, read “Reading Machines” for a more specific overview of the supernatural themes in The Castle of Otranto, including broad reflections on the style of Gothic literature.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Castle of Otranto”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Castle of Otranto” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please complete the assessment linked above.  After answering these reading questions, check your answers against the sample responses in the Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Castle of Otranto – Guide to Responding” (PDF).
  
  Completing this assessment should take approximately 1 hour.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2 The Mysteries of Udolpho  

• Reading: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “Ann Radcliffe” and Project Gutenberg: Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho

  Link: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “Ann Radcliffe” (PDF) and Project Gutenberg: Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  Google Books
  
  Instructions: Before you read the full text of The Mysteries of Udolpho, please read Dr. Melani’s “Ann Radcliffe” essay for an introduction to the novelist and her most prominent themes.  Because the novel is rather lengthy, you may want to break up the reading as follows: read Volume I during subunits 2.2.1 and 2.2.2; read Volume II during subunits 2.2.3-2.2.5; read Volume III during subunits 2.2.6 and 2.2.7; ad read Volume IV during subunits 2.2.8 and 2.2.9.
  
  For many readers, The Mysteries of Udolpho is the archetypical Gothic novel: crumbling castles, a damsel in distress, supernatural events, and a brooding villain all feature prominently in the work, making it an easy target for parody (which Jane Austen executed brilliantly in her Northanger Abbey).  Even so, it is a rich find for the Gothic enthusiast.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 12 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  The “Ann Radcliffe” essay has been reposted by the kind permission of Dr. Lilia Melani from Brooklyn College and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.1 The Centrality of the Castle  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Norman N. Holland and Leona F. Sherman’s “Gothic Possibilities”

  Link: University of Virginia: Norman N. Holland and Leona F. Sherman’s “Gothic Possibilities” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the short excerpt of Holland and Sherman’s “Gothic Possibilities,” focusing in particular on the function of the castle in Radcliffe’s novel.
  
  Reading this excerpt should take less than 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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2.2.2 Homage to Walpole: Intertextual Relations between The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Castle of Otranto  

• Reading: Adam Matthew Publications: Peter Otto’s “Gothic Echoes/Gothic Labyrinths” and University of Pennsylvania: Robert D. Hume’s “Gothic versus Romantic: A Revaluation of the Gothic Novel”

  Link: Adam Matthew Publications: Peter Otto’s “Gothic Echoes/Gothic Labyrinths” (HTML) and University of Pennsylvania: Robert D. Hume’s “Gothic versus Romantic: A Revaluation of the Gothic Novel” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read Otto’s essay, which analyzes the tendency of Gothic novelists to borrow motifs and themes from one another.  Then read Hume’s essay, which discusses the development of the Gothic novel tradition.
  
  Reading these essays should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: iTunes U: University of California, Los Angeles: Dr. Jayne Lewis’ “Priestley, Radcliffe, and the Gothic Grammar of Atmosphere”

  Link: iTunes U: University of California, Los Angeles: Dr. Jayne Lewis’ “Priestley, Radcliffe, and the Gothic Grammar of Atmosphere” (iTunes U)
  
  Instructions: Select “View in iTunes” for the “Priestley, Radcliffe, and the Gothic Grammar of Atmosphere” lecture to open it in iTunes.  Watch the lecture.
  
  Watching this lecture and pausing to take notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.3 Movement and Stasis: Traveling and Entrapment in the Novel  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Jacques Blondel’s “On ‘Metaphysical Prisons’” and Ellen Moers’ Literary Women

  Link: University of Virginia: Jacques Blondel’s “On ‘Metaphysical Prisons’” (HTML) and Ellen Moers’ Literary Women (HTML)
  
  Instructions: First, read the brief excerpt from Blondel’s “On ‘Metaphysical Prisons’” for a critical reflection on the theme of entrapment in Gothic novels.  Then read the excerpt from Moers’ Literary Women for more information about female entrapment in Gothic literature.
  
  Reading these excerpts should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: University of Virginia: Max Byrd’s “The Madhouse, the Whorehouse, and the Convent”

  Link: University of Virginia: Max Byrd’s “The Madhouse, the Whorehouse, and the Convent” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read this article.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.4 Representation of Domestic Space and Gender Relations  

• Reading: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “The Bloody Bedchamber” and Romanticism on the Net: Frances A. Chiu’s “Dark and Dangerous Designs: Tales of Oppression, Dispossession, and Repossession, 1770-1800”

  Link: Gothic Labyrinth: Monica Kanellis’ “The Bloody Bedchamber” (HTML) and Romanticism on the Net: Frances A. Chiu’s “Dark and Dangerous Designs: Tales of Oppression, Dispossession, and Repossession, 1770-1800” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read “The Bloody Bedchamber” for a quick review of the function of domestic spaces in the Gothic novel, especially as they pertain the restricted freedoms of women.  In Chiu’s “Dark and Dangerous Designs,” focus on the discussion of gender politics in The Mysteries of Udolpho in the section entitled “II. Politics Gothic: Rewriting the Political Romance.”
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.5 The Sublime  

The “sublime” is a philosophical concept as well as a descriptive term.  Although first discussed by the ancient philosopher Longinus, the notion of the sublime receives significant critical attention in the eighteenth century by philosophers such as Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant.  Inspired by extreme landscapes and natural phenomena such as the Alps, these thinkers articulated the concurrent yet seemingly opposite sensations associated with the sublime: inspiration, awe, and respect for that which is greater than oneself versus fear, terror, and desire to be greater than one’s current self.  The sublime, therefore, encourages man toward artistic and creative heights; at the same time, it explains how man can distort and pervert the natural world in his striving to exceed it.

• Reading: University of Adelaide: Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Judgement; University of Pennsylvania: Edmund Burke’s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful; Brown University: George P. Landow’s “Eighteenth-Century Theories of the Sublime”

  Link: University of Adelaide: Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Judgement (HTML); University of Pennsylvania: Edmund Burke’s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (HTML); Brown University: George P. Landow’s “Eighteenth-Century Theories of the Sublime” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  Google Books (The Critique of Judgement)
  Google Books (A Philosophical Enquiry)
  
  Instructions: From Kant’s The Critique of Judgement, read the Preface as well as “Book II: Analytic of the Sublime,” which introduces his concept of the beautiful and the sublime.  Also read this short excerpt of Burke’s perspective on the sublime.  Then read the short piece by George P. Landow.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 6 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.6 Terror versus Horror  

• Reading: The Literary Gothic: Ann Radcliffe’s “On the Supernatural in Poetry” and Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “Terror versus Horror”

  Link: The Literary Gothic: Ann Radcliffe’s “On the Supernatural in Poetry” (PDF) and Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “Terror versus Horror” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: First, read the Radcliffe’s “On the Supernatural in Poetry.”  To access the text, click the “On the Supernatural in Poetry” link to download a PDF of the essay.  Then read Dr. Melani’s “Terror versus Horror” for an alternate description of the distinction between the two forms and a review of popular critical understandings of both terms.
  
  Reading these essays should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: “On the Supernatural in Poetry” is available in the public domain.  “Terror versus Horror” article has been reposted by the kind permission of Dr. Lilia Melani from Brooklyn College and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.7 The Swooning Heroine, Bodily Weakness, and Victimization  

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” and University of Virginia: Terry Castle’s “The Spectralization of the Other in The Mysteries of Udolpho”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF) and University of Virginia: Terry Castle’s “The Spectralization of the Other in The Mysteries of Udolpho” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read the Thomson’s definition of “pursued heroine,” paying special attention to its relation to the heroine of The Mysteries of Udolpho.  Then read the excerpt from “The Spectralization of the Other” for a discussion of the construction of the heroine in Radcliffe’s novel.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.8 Mystery and the Supernatural in the Novel  

• Reading: University of Alberta: Dr. David S. Miall’s “The Preceptor as Fiend: Radcliffe’s Psychology of the Gothic” and University of Pennsylvania: Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Review of Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho”

  Link: University of Alberta: Dr. David S. Miall’s “The Preceptor as Fiend: Radcliffe’s Psychology of the Gothic” (HTML) and University of Pennsylvania: Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Review of Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read Dr. Miall’s “The Preceptor as Fiend,” which discusses the natural and supernatural in Radcliffe’s fiction.  Also skim S.T. Coleridge’s review of The Mysteries of Udolpho for another perspective on the supernatural elements in the novel.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 4 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.2.9 Elements of Sensibility and Imagination versus Reason  

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Read the Dr. Thomson’s definition of “sensibility.”
  
  Reading this definition should take less than 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Mysteries of Udolpho”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Castle of Otranto” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please complete the assessment linked above.  After answering these reading questions, check your answers against the sample responses in the Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Castle of Otranto – Guide to Responding” (PDF).
  
  Completing this assessment should take approximately 1 hour.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 3: The Monstrous Other  

Frankenstein may be the most famous of the Gothic novels; it has been adapted and reincarnated innumerable times since its initial publication in 1818.  Part of the novel’s popularity relates to its figuration of the monster, an archetype that appears in a number of Gothic novels and has become something of a cultural icon in its various iterations, particularly in recent years, with the fantastic commercial success of vampire-related fiction.  In this unit you will explore the representation of the monster or the “Other” in the Gothic novel, relating it to matters of gender, race, the unknown, and more.

Unit 3 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 3 Learning Outcomes   show close


3.1 Frankenstein  

• Reading: Project Gutenberg: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Major Themes in Frankenstein”

  Link: Project Gutenberg: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (HTML) and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Major Themes in Frankenstein” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  PDF (Shelley’s Frankenstein)
  
  Instructions: Please read Frankenstein over the course of the unit.  Also, please look over Curran’s “Major Themes in Frankenstein.”  Over the course of the unit, you will want to return to look more closely at these passages as they relate to the specific topics.  Frankenstein relates the story of a scientist who learns to create new life, fashioning an individual intended to be stronger and greater than man.  It has been adapted and reproduced innumerable times and is often considered the first science fiction novel.  It may help to review “Reading Questions: Frankenstein” in subunit 3.1.8, and keep them in mind as you read the novel.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 10 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Frankenstein is available in the public domain.  Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.1 The Uncanny  

• Reading: San Diego State University: Dr. Laurel Amtower: Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny” and University of Virginia: David Morris’ “Gothic Sublimity”

  Link: San Diego State University: Dr. Laurel Amtower: Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny” (HTML) and University of Virginia: David Morris’ “Gothic Sublimity” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny” and then the excerpt from Morris’s “Gothic Sublimity” for a more explicit discussion on the connection between the “uncanny” and Gothic literature.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 3 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.2 Body Horror  

• Reading: PopMatters: Mikita Brottman’s “Review of The Gothic by Gilda Williams” and Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms”

  Link: PopMatters: Mikita Brottman’s “Review of The Gothic by Gilda Williams” (HTML) and Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please read this review of Williams’ The Gothic, which touches on the enduring characteristics of the Gothic novel.  Also read Dr. Thomson’s definitions of “transformation,” “body-snatching,” and “possession” for a review of different types of body horror.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.3 The Terror of Technology, Simulation, and Doubles  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Aija Ozolins’ “Dreams and Doctrines: Dual Strands in Frankenstein” and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Themes – Doubling” and “Themes – Knowledge”

  Link: University of Virginia: Aija Ozolins’ “Dreams and Doctrines: Dual Strands in Frankenstein” (HTML) and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Themes – Doubling” (HTML) and “Themes – Knowledge” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read the short excerpt from Ozolins’ “Dreams and Doctrines,” which discusses the function of the psychological motif on the double in the novel.  Also, please look at Curran’s article on the theme of doubling and knowledge, both of which also include important textual moments about science.
  
  Studying these resources should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

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3.1.4 Madness and Mental Instability in the Novel  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Themes – Madness”

  Link: University of Virginia: Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination (HTML) and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Themes – Madness” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read the excerpt from The Madwoman in the Attic for a critical discussion of madness in Frankenstein.  Also look over Curran’s site on madness in Frankenstein, which includes an index of useful passages in the novel.
  
  Studying these resources should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.5 Representation of the Monstrous  

• Reading: The Victorian Web: Devon Anderson’s “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Creation, Frustration, Fragmentation, Abomination”

  Link: The Victorian Web: Devon Anderson’s “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Creation, Frustration, Fragmentation, Abomination” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please read this essay for an introduction to the idea of monstrosity in Frankenstein, especially as it pertains to Gothic body horror.
  
  Reading this essay should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Devon Anderson’s piece was published on The Victorian Web, and permission is granted for use of the materials for scholarly or educational purposes.  The original version can be found here.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.6 Race and Otherness  

• Reading: Mt. Holyoke College’s Questioning Authority: “Elizabeth Young on Frankenstein” and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Themes – Alienation” and “Themes – Solitude”

  Link: Mt. Holyoke College’s Questioning Authority: “Elizabeth Young on Frankenstein” (HTML) and University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “Themes – Alienation” (HTML) and “Themes – Solitude” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: First, read the interview with Elizabeth Young, in which she discusses her critical text Black Frankenstein.  Also refer to Curran’s sections on alienation and solitude to understand the concept of otherness in the novel.
  
  Studying these resources should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “Race and Otherness”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Race and Otherness” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please read this article.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 15 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.7 The Figure of Prometheus – Classical Roots and Its Gothic Iteration  

• Reading: University of Pennsylvania: Theodore Ziolkowski’s “Science, Frankenstein, and Myth” and Rutgers University: Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Preface to Prometheus Unbound”

  Link: University of Pennsylvania: Theodore Ziolkowski’s “Science, Frankenstein, and Myth” (HTML) and Rutgers University: Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Preface to Prometheus Unbound” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  Google Books (Prometheus Unbound)
  
  Instructions: First, read Ziolkowski’s short critical commentary, which succinctly reviews the implications of the Prometheus myth in the novel and discusses some other instances of classicism in the text.  Also read the preface to Shelley’s lyrical drama Prometheus Unbound, which offers his analysis of the importance of the Prometheus myths in the novel.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.8 The Novel in Context: The Influence of the Industrial Revolution  

• Reading: University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “The Scientific Grounding of Frankenstein” and McGill University: Monique R. Morgan’s “Frankenstein’s Singular Events: Inductive Reasoning, Narrative Technique, and Generic Classification”

  Link: University of Pennsylvania: Stuart Curran’s “The Scientific Grounding of Frankenstein” (HTML) and McGill University: Monique R. Morgan’s “Frankenstein’s Singular Events: Inductive Reasoning, Narrative Technique, and Generic Classification” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Curran’s “The Scientific Grounding of Frankenstein,” which discusses science at the time of Shelley’s writing of Frankenstein.  Then read Morgan’s “Frankenstein’s Singular Events” for an in-depth discussion of science and industry in the novel.
  
  Reading these articles and taking notes should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Frankenstein”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Frankenstein” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please complete this assessment, which is designed to help you think through some of the major themes present in Frankenstein.  When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Frankenstein – Guide to Responding” (PDF).
  
  Completing this assessment should take approximately 1 hour.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2 Dracula  

The Victorian Age refers first to the period of time in which Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837-1901) and second to a set of values associated with her reign.  “Victorian” connotes strict personal morality, particularly in relation to women’s sexual activity and to heterosexuality; the ethical value of hard work; an allegiance to the Church of England as superior to the medieval heritage of the Catholic Church and to the alien and mysterious customs of Judaism; the strict maintenance of the British class system; and the perceived superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race and of Great Britain in particular.  The latter three preceded Victoria’s reign and have already figured in the themes and motivations at work in the first wave of English Gothic novels.  Dracula represents a late-Victorian novel; it plays into England’s fear of cultural and political change – from foreign invasion to the rise of women in the public sphere.

• Reading: Project Gutenberg: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

  Link: Project Gutenberg: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  Google Books
  
  Instructions: Please read Dracula.  Since the novel is long, please feel free to break up the reading as follows: read Chapters 1-4 during subunit 3.2.1; read Chapters 5-7 during subunit 3.2.2; read Chapters 8-12 during subunit 3.3.3; read Chapters 13-17 during subunit 3.3.4; read Chapters 18-22 during subunit 3.3.5; read Chapters 22-27 during subunit 3.3.6.
  
  Though Dracula was written well after the period most commonly associated with “The Gothic” (1897 versus 1760s-1820), it is frequently categorized as such, as it includes elements of the unknown, horror-inducing incidents, and the monstrous Other in disguise.
  
  Reading this novel over the course of this unit should take approximately 10 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Dracula”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Dracula” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link above and complete the linked assessment, which is designed to help you think through some of the major themes in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and this unit’s critical readings.  When you are finished, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Dracula – Guide to Responding” (PDF)
  
  Completing this assessment should take approximately 1 hour.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.1 Outside of England: The Exotic and the Foreign in Dracula  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Elizabeth Miller’s “Coitus Interruptus: Sex, Bram Stoker, and Dracula” and University of Virginia’s Sublime Anxiety: The Gothic Family and the Outsider: “The Vampire”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Elizabeth Miller’s “Coitus Interruptus: Sex, Bram Stoker, and Dracula” (HTML) and University of Virginia’s Sublime Anxiety: The Gothic Family and the Outsider: “The Vampire” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Miller’s article for an overview of critical opinion on Dracula, including information on the historical context of the novel.  Then, look over the University of Virginia’s exhibit on “The Vampire,” which provides a review of the vampire myth in numerous cultures.
  
  Studying these resources should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

• Lecture: University of Virginia: Dr. Stephen Arata and Susan Tyler Hitchcock’s “Frankenstein and Dracula: Separated at Birth – and Not Dead Yet”

  Link: University of Virginia: Dr. Stephen Arata and Susan Tyler Hitchcock’s “Frankenstein and Dracula: Separated at Birth – and Not Dead Yet” (Flash)
  
  Instructions: Please listen to this lecture for an overview of the historical context of Dracula and the vampire myth.  The lecture is also an excellent transition from the previous unit on Frankenstein, as it discusses the common theme of monstrosity in both novels.
  
  Listening to this lecture should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.2 The Figure of the Vampire in 18th-Century England  

• Reading: Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and All Things Dracula: J. Gordon Melton’s “Introduction: Dracula the Text”

  Link: Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (PDF) and All Things Dracula: J. Gordon Melton’s “Introduction: Dracula the Text” (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  The Gutenberg Project (HTML)
  
  Instructions: First, read Chapters 1-3 of Carmilla.  Then, in Melton’s “Introduction: Dracula the Text,” read the information under the header “Dracula’s Antecedents,” which explicitly connects Stoker’s novel to other contemporary vampire novels.  On a broader level, note the connections to other pieces of Gothic fiction including Carmilla, The Castle of Otranto, and Frankenstein.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Carmilla is available in the public domain.  Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.3 Race, Miscegenation, and Otherness  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Diane Long Hoeveler’s “Objectifying Anxieties: Scientific Ideologies in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Lair of the White Worm” and Trevor Holmes’ “Becoming-Other: (Dis)Embodiments of Race in Anne Rice’s Tale of the Body Thief”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Diane Long Hoeveler’s “Objectifying Anxieties: Scientific Ideologies in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Lair of the White Worm” (HTML) and Trevor Holmes’ “Becoming-Other: (Dis)Embodiments of Race in Anne Rice’s Tale of the Body Thief” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Hoeveler’s article, focusing on her invocation of the theme of “otherness” in Dracula, especially as it applies to racial and foreign outsiders.  In Holmes’ “Becoming-Other,” please focus on the idea of Dracula as the prototype of the vampire as a racial, ethnic “other.”  You may also want to consult the article later in the unit as you consider Dracula’s legacy in contemporary culture.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.4 Travel and Movement in the Novel  

• Reading: The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “Victorian Imperialism” and Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate: Eleni Coundouriotis’ “Dracula and the Idea of Europe”

  Link: The Norton Anthology of English Literature: “Victorian Imperialism” (HTML) and Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate: Eleni Coundouriotis’ “Dracula and the Idea of Europe” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Read the short piece on “Victorian Imperialism” for historical context on movement, travel, and imperialism in Stoker’s time.  Also, read “Dracula and the Idea of Europe” for a more focused discussion of travel in Dracula.  In order to access this article, please follow the link that reads “Download the PDF of Volume 3.2.”  The article can be found on pages 143-159.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.5 Journaling, Epistolary, Inscription, and Documentation in Dracula  

• Reading: The Victorian Web: Dr. Terry Scarborough’s “Science or Séance?: Late-Victorian Science and Dracula’s Epistolary Structure” and All Things Dracula: J. Gordon Melton’s “Introduction: Dracula the Text”

  Link: The Victorian Web: Dr. Terry Scarborough’s “Science or Séance?: Late-Victorian Science and Dracula’s Epistolary Structure” (HTML) and All Things Dracula: J. Gordon Melton’s “Introduction: Dracula the Text” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the article from The Victorian Web on the novel’s epistolary structure.  As you read, pay attention to the construction of an epistolary space in the novel.  Then, read the section titled “Veiling the Storyteller: Stoker’s ‘Documentary’ Form” on Melton’s page for more information about the narrative structure in Dracula.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.6 Issues of Temporality and Time  

• Reading: Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate: Jason Dittmer’s “Dracula and the Cultural Construction of Europe”

  Link: Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate: Jason Dittmer’s “Dracula and the Cultural Construction of Europe” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Dittmer’s “Dracula and the Cultural Construction of Europe” for a discussion of the creation of a “timeless” Europe in the novel.  Also, pay attention to the discussion of Stoker’s concept of backwards and progressive cultural differences.  As you read, note the mention of other themes in the novel, including travel, documentary style, and empire.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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3.2.7 The Unknown and the Unrepresentable  

• Reading: All Things Dracula: J. Gordon Melton’s “Introduction: Dracula the Text”

  Link: All Things Dracula: J. Gordon Melton’s “Introduction: Dracula the Text” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the section titled “Ancient Evil vs. Modern Technology,” which discusses vampires as unfathomable creatures that contrasted with modern attempts to understand reality.  Also, please read the section under the header “Appendix: Christie’s Description of the Dracula Manuscript” for a discussion of Dracula, himself, as a concealed and unknowable character.
  
  Reading this section should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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3.2.8 The Legacy of the Vampire in Contemporary Culture  

• Reading: VampireChronicles.net: Excerpts from Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles

  Link: VampireChronicles.net: Excerpts from Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Once on the Vampire Chronicles website, click on “Books and Quotes” under “Vampires” on the left side of the webpage.  Then select the link to each book, and review the quotations from Anne Rice’s novels, which provide a more contemporary outlook on the vampire myth in modern culture.
  
  Reading this excerpt should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Web Media: YouTube: VisoTrailers’ “Twilight – Official Trailer” and Hulu: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

  Link: YouTube: VisoTrailers’ “Twilight – Official Trailer” (YouTube) and Hulu: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Flash)
  
  Instructions: Please watch the trailer for Twilight, paying attention to the prevalence of Gothic themes in the film.  Also watch a few clips from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  These will give you a sense of the persistence of the Gothic in today’s culture.
  
  Watching these clips should take less than 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 4: Gender and Sexuality  

The field of Gothic studies is home to a number of feminist and queer theorists – and for good reason.  The novels that you have already read, and especially those that you will encounter in this unit, often overtly present psycho-sexual behavior, lust and seduction, and cross-dressing and gender confusion as central themes.  In this unit you will take a look at these issues, teasing them out and examining their relationship to other Gothic devices and themes.

Unit 4 Time Advisory   show close


Unit 4 Learning Outcomes   show close


4.1 The Monk  

• Reading: Project Gutenberg: Matthew Lewis’ The Monk

  Link: Project Gutenberg: Matthew Lewis’ The Monk (HTML)
  
  Also available in:
  Google Books
  
  Instructions: Please read The Monk over the course of the unit.  Read Volume I during subunits 4.1.1-4.1.2; read Volume II during subunits 4.1.3-4.4.4; and read Volume III during subunits 4.1.5-4.4.6.  The Monk is among the most salacious of the Gothic novels, featuring incidents of rape, incest, demonic pacts, and otherwise transgressive sexuality – even (and perhaps most shockingly) among clergymen and women.
  
  Reading this text over the course of this unit should take approximately 6 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Monk”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: The Monk” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link above and complete the linked assessment, which is designed to help you think through some of the major themes present in The Monk and the unit’s critical readings.  When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “Guide to Responding to Reading Questions on The Monk” (PDF).
  
  Completing the assessment should take approximately 1 hour.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.1.1 Disruption of Normative Gender Patterns in The Monk  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Max Fincher’s “The Gothic as Camp: Queer Aesthetics in The Monk”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Max Fincher’s “The Gothic as Camp: Queer Aesthetics in The Monk” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please pay close attention to Fincher’s concept of the deviant sexuality in his article on The Monk.  In particular, please take note of his idea of gender classifications within the novel, and in much of Gothic literature, as unstable.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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4.1.2 Matricide and Family Rupture  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Kari Winter’s “Sexual/Textual Politics of Terror”

  Link: University of Virginia: Kari Winter’s “Sexual/Textual Politics of Terror” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this excerpt, which discusses of the treatment of women in The Monk.
  
  Reading this excerpt should take less than 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.1.3 The Male Gothic versus the Female Gothic  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Lisa M. Wilson’s “‘Monk’ Lewis as Literary Lion”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Lisa M. Wilson’s “‘Monk’ Lewis as Literary Lion” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Wilson’s critical essay, paying special attention to her discussion of female stereotypes in the novel.  Also notice Wilson’s application of these stereotypes to the Gothic novel itself, as she discusses the historical perception of Gothic fiction as a stereotypically feminine form.
  
  Reading this article and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.1.4 Titillation and Voyeurism  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Clara Tuite’s “Cloistered Closets: Enlightenment Pornography, The Confessional State, Homosexual Persecution and The Monk” and University of Pennsylvania: Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Review of Matthew G. Lewis, The Monk”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Clara Tuite’s “Cloistered Closets: Enlightenment Pornography, The Confessional State, Homosexual Persecution and The Monk” (HTML) and University of Pennsylvania: Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Review of Matthew G. Lewis, The Monk” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read Tuite’s “Cloistered Closets,” which discusses eroticism, sexuality, and voyeurism in The Monk.  Also read Coleridge’s review of The Monk for further discussion of the voyeuristic aspects of the novel.
  
  Studying these resources should take approximately 3 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

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4.1.5 Treatment of Religion and Social Mores  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Sydny M. Conger’s “Confessors and Penitents in M. G. Lewis’ The Monk” and Ann Campbell’s “Satire in The Monk: Exposure and Reformation”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Sydny M. Conger’s “Confessors and Penitents in M. G. Lewis’ The Monk” (HTML) and Ann Campbell’s “Satire in The Monk: Exposure and Reformation” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read Conger’s “Confessors and Penitents in M. G. Lewis’ The Monk,” which discusses religious impulses in The Monk and the novel’s historical context.  Also read Campbell’s “Satire in The Monk” for another discussion of the novel as a text intended to inspire political, religious, and social reformation.
  
  Studying these resources should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

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4.1.6 Disguise and Cross-Dressing  

• Reading: Romanticism on the Net: Jerrold E. Hogle’s “The Ghost of the Counterfeit – and the Closet – in The Monk” and Lauren Fitzgerald’s “The Sexuality of Authorship in The Monk”

  Link: Romanticism on the Net: Jerrold E. Hogle’s “The Ghost of the Counterfeit – and the Closet – in The Monk” (HTML) and Lauren Fitzgerald’s “The Sexuality of Authorship in The Monk” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: In Hogle’s “The Ghost of the Counterfeit – and the Closet – in The Monk,” pay close attention to his discussion of England’s class struggle, specifically among the middle-class.   In Fitzgerald’s “The Sexuality of Authorship in The Monk,” consider his idea of gender disguise.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

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4.1.7 Virginity in Distress  

• Reading: University of Virginia: “Virgins in Distress and Demons in Disguise: Constructing the Heroine’s Identity in the Female Gothic”

  Link: University of Virginia: “Virgins in Distress and Demons in Disguise: Constructing the Heroine’s Identity in the Female Gothic” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this page for an introduction to the “virgin in distress” theme in the Gothic novel.  In particular, please pay attention to its overview of critical material that relates to the distressed damsel idea in The Monk.
  
  Reading this webpage should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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4.2 Jane Eyre  

• Reading: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre

  Link: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (PDF)
  
  Also available in:
  Google Books
  
  Instructions: Please read Jane Eyre, which will be the focus of this unit.  Because the text is quite long, please feel free to split up the reading as follows: read Chapters 1-8 during subunit 4.2.1; read Chapters 9-17 during subunit 4.2.2; read Chapters 18-24 during subunit 4.2.3; read Chapters 25-33 during subunit 4.4.4; read Chapters 33-38 during subunit 4.4.5.
  
  Jane Eyre is a novel documenting a young woman’s coming-of-age and romantic involvement with a brooding Byronic hero (Mr. Rochester).  In it we see the Gothic – its places, incidents, villains, and heroes – through the eyes of a woman.
  
  Reading this novel over the course of this unit should take approximately 12 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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• Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Jane Eyre”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Jane Eyre” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Please click on the link above and complete the linked assessment, which is designed to help you think through some of the major themes present in Jane Eyre and this unit’s critical readings.  When you are finished, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “Reading Questions: Jane Eyre – Guide to Responding” (PDF).
  
  Completing this assessment should take approximately 45 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.2.1 Struggle for Sexual/Political Rights  

• Reading: The Victorian Web: Suzanne Hesse’s “The Victorian Ideal: Male Characters in Jane Eyre and Villette,” Dr. Andrzej Diniejko’s “The New Woman Fiction,” and Helena Wojtczak’s “Hastings and Women’s Suffrage”

  Links: The Victorian Web: Suzanne Hesse’s “The Victorian Ideal: Male Characters in Jane Eyre and Villette,” (PDF) Dr. Andrzej Diniejko’s “The New Woman Fiction,” (PDF) and Helena Wojtczak’s “Hastings and Women’s Suffrage” (PDF)
   
  Instructions: Read these pages, which are intended to provide you with an overview of Victorian debates about sexuality and political rights. Within each of the articles, you will find hyperlinks through which you may explore additional articles on the topic under discussion.
   
  Terms of Use: These pages may be used without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose.  They are attributed to Suzanne Hesse, Dr. Andrzej Diniejko, and Helena Wojtczak and the original versions can be found here, here, and here.

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4.2.2 The Absent Mother  

• Reading: University of Michigan-Dearborn: Kimmy Milne’s “Victorian Motherhood” and “Substitute Mothers in Jane Eyre”

  Link: University of Michigan-Dearborn: Kimmy Milne’s “Victorian Motherhood” (HTML) and “Substitute Mothers in Jane Eyre” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read these short essays for more information on motherhood in the Gothic novel in general and the absent mother in Jane Eyre specifically.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.

  Submit Materials

4.2.3 Female Paranoia and Madness: The Woman in the Attic  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and The Victorian Web: Joan Z. Anderson’s “Angry Angels: Repression, Containment, and Deviance, in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre”

  Link: University of Virginia: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” (PDF) and The Victorian Web: Joan Z. Anderson’s “Angry Angels: Repression, Containment, and Deviance, in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which is another version of female madness.  As you read, note the treatment of madness and paranoia as it relates to similar depictions in Jane Eyre.  In Anderson’s “Angry Angels,” focus on the concept of female madness in Jane Eyre.
  
  Reading these resources should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

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4.2.4 Genre Blending: Bildungsroman Meets Gothic Meets Romance  

• Reading: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Romance and the Novel” and The Victorian Web: George P. Landow’s “Genre, Plot, and Theme in Jane Eyre”

  Link: Brooklyn College: Dr. Lilia Melani’s “The Romance and the Novel” (PDF) and The Victorian Web: George P. Landow’s “Genre, Plot, and Theme in Jane Eyre” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: First, read Dr. Melani’s discussion of the overlap between Gothic and Romance novels.  Then read Landow’s short essay for a more detailed discussion of Jane Eyre as a “double bildungsroman” that charts the heroine’s maturation.
  
  Reading these articles should take less than 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  “The Romance and the Novel” has been reposted by the kind permission of Dr. Lilia Melani from Brooklyn College and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

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4.2.5 Thornfield (and Its Attic), Gothic Space, and Gender Relations  

• Reading: University of Virginia: Nina da Vinci Nichols’ “Place and Eros in Radcliffe, Lewis, and Brontë” and University of Michigan-Dearborn: Rachelle Mucha’s “Thornfield and Bridewell: Two Different Homes, One Prison”

  Link: University of Virginia: Nina da Vinci Nichols’ “Place and Eros in Radcliffe, Lewis, and Brontë” (HTML) and University of Michigan-Dearborn: Rachelle Mucha’s “Thornfield and Bridewell: Two Different Homes, One Prison” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Read the short excerpt from “Place and Eros in Radcliffe, Lewis, and Brontë,” which is about the effect of Gothic places on the lives of literary heroines.  Next, review “Thornfield and Bridewell,” which discusses the historical depiction of imprisonment, madness, and femininity in Jane Eyre.
  
  Reading these articles should take less than 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

  The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.

  Submit Materials

• Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “Thornfield (and Its Attic), Gothic Space, and Gender Relations”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Thornfield (and Its Attic), Gothic Space, and Gender Relations” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Read this article.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 15 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 5: The Shining (Optional)  

The course concludes with an optional close “reading” of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, a modern treatment of the Gothic.  The film features its own version of the dilapidated castle and its own version of the “monstrous other” as witnessed by the psychological disintegration of one of its inhabitants.

Unit 5 Time Advisory   show close


• Activity: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining

  Instructions: Please rent or screen the film.  Kubrick’s film, adapted from Stephen King’s novel The Shining, helps connect Romanticism and the Gothic novel to contemporary cinema.
  
  Watching this film should take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

5.1 The Hotel as Gothic Castle  

• Reading: The Kubrick Site: Michel Ciment’s “Kubrick on The Shining” and Pauline Kael’s “The New Yorker Review of The Shining”

  Link: The Kubrick Site: Michel Ciment’s “Kubrick on The Shining” (HTML) and Pauline Kael’s “The New Yorker Review of The Shining” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the entire interview with Kubrick for a discussion of the supernatural elements in the film.  Also read Pauline Kael’s review of the film for a discussion of the Gothic conventions at work and the concept of the hotel in the film.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 2 hours.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

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5.2 Doubles, Nightmares, and Ghosts  

• Reading: The Kubrick Site: Frederic Jameson’s “Historicism in The Shining”

  Link: The Kubrick Site: Frederic Jameson’s “Historicism in The Shining” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this essay for a critical perspective on supernatural, traditionally Gothic themes in the film.
  
  Reading this essay should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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5.3 Entrapment versus Escape: Psychological Decline and Space within the Film  

• Reading: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” and Romanticism on the Net: Paolo Cherchi Usai’s “Kubrick as Architect”

  Link: Georgia Southern University: Dr. Douglass H. Thomson’s “A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” (PDF) and Romanticism on the Net: Paolo Cherchi Usai’s “Kubrick as Architect” (PDF)
  
  Instructions: Read Thomson’s definitions of “claustrophobia” and “entrapment,” which are both relevant themes in Kubrick’s film.  Then, read “Kubrick as Architect” and focus on Usai’s construction of “Gothic space” in The Shining.
  
  Reading these articles and taking notes should take approximately 1 hour and 30.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.  The “Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms” has been reposted by the kind permission of Douglass H. Thomson from Georgia Southern University and can be viewed in its original form here.  Please note that the material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

5.4 The Labyrinth  

• Reading: The Kubrick Site: Rod Munday’s “The Shining and Transcendence” and “The Shining FAQ”

  Link: The Kubrick Site: Rod Munday’s “The Shining and Transcendence” (HTML) and “The Shining FAQ” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the conversation between Fulmer and Munday for a discussion of the “maze” theme.  Then read “The Shining FAQ” answer to Question #17, which addresses the film’s treatment of the maze.
  
  Reading these articles should take approximately 30 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.

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5.5 Elements of the Supernatural  

• Reading: The Kubrick Site: Kian Bergstrom’s “‘I Am Sorry to Differ With You, Sir:’ Thoughts on Reading Kubrick’s The Shining”

  Link: The Kubrick Site: Kian Bergstrom’s “‘I Am Sorry to Differ With You, Sir:’ Thoughts on Reading Kubrick’s The Shining” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this essay, which discusses the supernatural elements in The Shining.
  
  Reading this essay should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!

5.6 “The Shining” Itself – What Is It?  

• Reading: The Kubrick Site: “The Shining FAQ”

  Link: The Kubrick Site: “The Shining FAQ” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read the answer to Question #4, which reviews horror themes in the film.  Pay attention to the specific mention of “shining,” as well as what “shining” accomplishes metaphorically.
  
  Reading this question should take approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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5.7 Present, Past, and Temporal Disruption in the Film  

• Reading: The Kubrick Site: Brian Siano’s “Reappraising Kubrick’s The Shining”

  Link: The Kubrick Site: Brian Siano’s “Reappraising Kubrick’s The Shining” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: Please read this essay for a discussion of history and time within the film.  As you read, take note of the collapse of past and present and how it produces horror.
  
  Reading this article should take approximately 1 hour.
  
  Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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Final Exam  

• Final Exam: The Saylor Foundation’s “ENGL403 Final Exam”

  Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ENGL403 Final Exam” (HTML)
  
  Instructions: You must be logged into your Saylor Foundation School account in order to access the exam.  If you do not yet have an account, you will be able to create one, free of charge, after clicking the link.

  See a broken link? Please let us know!