LI 216 - Literature of the Gothic

Credits: 4 credits

Focuses on literary and aesthetic tradition known as the Gothic, following its various manifestations from 18th-century England up to present-day America. Students read novels, poetry, short stories, and plays. Students interested in postmodern expressions of the Gothic, from graphic novels to film, are invited to bring these to the table. Is Dracula really about the anxiety of empire? What is Frankenstein saying about social theory and the dangers of Romanticism? And finally, why does Gothic material retain its fascination in the 21st century, when so many aesthetic movements lie moldering in their graves?

Fulfills the Literary Perspective.