Last modified: 31 May 2022 13:05
This course looks at how eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Gothic Fiction confronts themes and concepts which are considered taboo, unpleasant or strictly. Sexuality and mortality are key themes here, as well as the crossing of class, racial and gender boundaries. We explore how the Gothic can be simultaneously deeply conservative and shockingly radical, and speaks to private fears and desires whilst bringing to public light social injustices and inequalities. This course focuses mainly on the Gothic novel, but may also include poetry and short stories.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This course looks at how Gothic Fiction, from its earliest days up to the end of the nineteenth century, confronts themes and concepts which are considered taboo, unpleasant or strictly private in the cultural context in which they are produced. Sexuality and mortality are key themes here, but other topics include the crossing of class, racial and gender boundaries. We will consider how the Gothic can be simultaneously deeply conservative and shockingly radical and can speak to private fears and desires whilst bringing to public light injustices and inequalities that society would rather remained hidden. This course focuses mainly on the Gothic novel, but may also include poetry and short stories. The course covers a variety of Gothic tales which engage with forbidden and transgressive ideas in different ways, from early writers such as Ann Radcliffe to late-Victorian vampire texts.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
Alternative Assessment
(30%) 1,500-word Close Reading Essay
(55%) Essay, 3,000-words
(15%) Group Presentation
(10%) SAM
Alternative Resit Assessment
1 x 3,500-word Written Assessment (100%)
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Apply | Ability to demonstrate an understanding of how relevant themes, such as sexuality and mortality, are treated in a range of Gothic texts. |
| Reflection | Apply | Ability to present written work in scholarly form. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Ability to analyse some of the narrative and literary techniques that authors use to address sensitive or forbidden subject matter. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Ability to construct coherent, succinct and well-supported arguments, both verbal and written. |
| Procedural | Apply | Ability to situate the texts studied within the context of the literature of the period and contemporary cultural debates. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Ability to give critically-informed readings of Gothic texts which demonstrate an understanding of relevant theoretical and critical material. |
| Reflection | Understand | Ability to show an awareness of how different texts conform to and/or challenge social conventions. |
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