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Course
Description
This course will explore the major themes and
development of Gothic literature in English, including its historical origins,
its various archetypes, its presentation of social issues, its aesthetic
strengths and weaknesses, and its position in the canon. We will trace the
development of the Gothic from the nineteenth century to the present, focusing
on the ways writers reinvent the genre.
Texts
Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca (Avon)
Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs
(St. Martin's)
Judith Hawkes, Julian's House (NAL)
*Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas (Dover)
Bram Stoker, Dracula (Penguin)
George Wells, ed. 26 Great Tales of Terror
and the Supernatural (Dover - 6-book boxed set)
(stories by Poe, *Le Fanu,
R. L. Stevenson, *H. G. Wells, *Henry James, and *others)
*These texts are optional.
If texts are unavailable at the campus bookstore,
try amazon.com or varsitybooks.com.
Web
Resources
The course webpage (http://sjfc.edu/~jadwin/239D.htm)
is under construction. It will contain an updated syllabus, course handouts
as they are assigned, and, if applicable, extra-credit-related
assignments, exam tips and topics, and links, filmographies, bibliographies,
etc. Several course texts are in the public domain and available for reading
or downloading on the web. Check the links on the online syllabus.
REQUIREMENTS &
POLICIES
Attendance
& Participation
In this interactive lecture course, exams will
be based on ideas and terms introduced in readings and lectures. Feel
free to speak up in class, ask questions, participate in demonstrations,
and introduce relevant topics. While you will not be graded on your
attendance and participation, students who participate actively and
consistently may receive grade bonuses.
You should aim to miss no more than two classes.
Every semester, several students fail because they don't attend class.
Don't add your name to this list! After an absence, find out what you
missed, including assignments or handouts, from a classmate rather
than from me. This helps both of you: your classmate learns from teaching
you, and you find out what you missed. Do not ask me "Did we do anything
important in the class I missed?"
Be punctual. Students whose tardiness disrupts
class will be penalized on their final score for the course. If you come
in late, seat yourself quietly and unobtrusively and later contact
another student to find out what you missed.
If severe weather should threaten to cancel
class, call my voicemail (385-8192) for an update.
Exams
There will be three midterms and a final exam.
The first midterm is worth 10% of your grade and the remaining exams are
worth 30% each. There are no makeups for exams. If you miss an exam, you
will be assigned a paper due within one week of the exam and, at my discretion,
you may be assessed a penalty.
Exams will be offered in two formats; you
will always have your choice of formats, even until the date of the exam
itself. Multiple choice/short-answer exams require students to
have mastered important concepts, terms, and analytical techniques; they
feature a combination of multiple choice and short-answer questions. Essay/short
answer exams feature a choice of identification questions covering
key terms, plus an essay requiring writers to apply key concepts to a
text.
Students who attend regularly, take clear,
well-organized notes, and complete the readings thoughtfully and on-time
are likely to succeed in the course. I do everything I can do to help
students succeed in this course, including spending class time discussing
exam-taking techniques, but I can only help students who work to capacity.
Communicating
with Dr. Jadwin
Drop by during office hours to discuss course
business, introduce yourself, or share ideas about the course - no appointment
is necessary during these times. Extra copies of in-class handouts will
be available on my office door and will be posted on the webpage as they
are distributed.
If you are concerned about your performance
in the course, consult with me in person, call (385-8192), or leave an
e-mail message (ljadwin@sjfc.edu). It is always a good idea to tell me
in advance or as soon as possible if an emergency is likely to affect
your performance in the class.
If you have a diagnosed learning disability,
please meet with me as soon as possible so that we can work with the Office
of Student Development to make appropriate arrangements.
Writing
Assignments
Students may choose to substitute formal analytical
essays for midterms 2 and 3. Essays
(4-6 double-spaced pages) are due at the beginning of each exam period
and should focus on the texts currently under consideration. See the Paper
Guidelines for evaluating criteria.
Calendar
Complete assigned readings before coming
to class. Bring your book to class. Asterisked readings (*) will be handed
out in class.
This schedule is subject to change. Recommended
films are available at local video stores and, in some cases, Lavery Library.
1
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1/16 |
Introduction. Review syllabus.
Historical basis of Gothic archetypes; rise of modern reader. |
1/18 |
*Charles Perrault, "Bluebeard"
(1697) as foundation of Gothic archetype. British precursors (Walpole,
Radcliffe, Mary Shelley); romanticism as response to Enlightenment
realism/foundationalism. |
2
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1/25 |
Lecture on historical
background of Edgar Allan Poe; Poe's life and literary significance.
Poe, "The
Murders in the Rue Morgue." |
1/27 |
Lecture on rise of medicine. Poe, "The
Masque of the Red Death" (annotated) and "The
Fall of the House of Usher." Recommended film: Roger Corman, dir.,
Fall of the House of Usher (1960; Vincent Price). |
3
|
2/1 |
Lecture on Doyle, Sherlock
Holmes, and "Bluebeard." *Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The
Speckled Band." Recommended film: Paul Arnott, dir., The Speckled
Band (1984; Jeremy Brett). |
2/3 |
Robert Louis Stevenson, The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (chs. 1-4). Recommended
film: Charles Jarrott, dir., The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde (1976; Jack Palance) |
4
|
2/8 |
Lecture on rise of psychology
as "science." Brief introduction to Freud, concepts of splitting and
projection. Stevenson, The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (chs,. 5-10) |
2/10 |
First midterm, covering texts, ideas
and terms from Weeks 1-4 (10% of your final grade). |
5
|
2/15 |
Review midterm if necessary.
Bram Stoker, Dracula,
chs. 1-4. Recommended film: Tod Browning, dir., Dracula (1931;
Bela Lugosi). Read
about Bram Stoker and check out some Dracula links.
Read
about Vlad Tepes, aka "The Impaler," on whom Dracula was based.
Another
page about the history of Vlad the Impaler.
Some
"vampire management" techniques. |
2/17 |
Lecture on historical context of Dracula:
imperialism, slavery, rise of feminism, industrial revolution.
Dracula,
chs. 5-10 |
6
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2/22 |
Dracula,
chs. 11-16 |
2/24 |
Dracula,
chs. 17-22 |
7
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2/29 |
Dracula,
chs. 23-end |
3/2 |
Second midterm, covering texts,
ideas, and terms from Weeks 5-7 (30% of your final grade). |
8
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3/7 |
Review midterm if necessary.
Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca, chs. 1-7. Recommended film: Alfred
Hitchcock, dir., Rebecca (1941; Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine) |
3/9 |
Lecture on Freud's *Oedipal paradigm
and the family romance; relation to gothic paradigms. Rebecca,
chs. 8-15. |
9
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3/12 |
Rebecca, chs. 16-21 |
3/23 |
Rebecca, chs. 22-27 |
10
|
3/28 |
Lecture on supernaturalism;
spiritualism; brief history of the Anglo-American "ghost story." Judith
Hawkes, Julian's House, chs. 1-10. *Optional: In Great Ghost
Stories, read Stoker, Jacobs, M. R. James. Notes
on first lecture on Julian's House. |
3/30 |
Julian's House, chs. 11-20.
Read the complete lyrics and listen to an audio recording of the hymn
"Lead, Kindly
Light." |
11
|
4/4 |
Class canceled for college-wide
programming break. |
4/6 |
Julian's House, chs. 21-33. |
12
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4/11 |
Julian's House, chs.
34-43. |
4/13 |
Third midterm, covering texts, ideas,
and terms from Weeks 8-12 (30% of your final grade). |
13
|
4/18 |
Review midterm if necessary.
Lecture on detective fiction and gothic. Thomas Harris, The Silence
of the Lambs, chs. 1-19. Recommended film: Jonathan Demme, dir.,
The Silence of the Lambs (1991; Jodie Foster) |
4/20 |
Class canceled for Easter break. |
14
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4/25 |
Silence of the Lambs,
chs. 20-39: formal and informal education. Notes. |
4/27 |
Silence of the Lambs, chs. 40-61.Conclusions;
course evaluations. |
Final exam (30% of your final grade), time
and date to be announced by Registrar. ENGLISH
239D The
Development of the Modern Gothic
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