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Vampires, Monsters, and the Gothic in Literature and Culture Course Code : CLB9030 Recommended Study Year: 2020/21 No

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Vampires, Monsters, and the Gothic in Literature and Culture Course Code : CLB9030 Recommended Study Year: 2020/21 No Course Title : Vampires, Monsters, and the Gothic in Literature and Culture Course Code : CLB9030 Recommended Study Year: 2020/21 No. of Credits/Term : 3 Mode of Tuition : Sectional approach Class Contact Hours : 3 hours per week Category : Humanities and the Arts Cluster in Core Curriculum Discipline* : Inter-disciplinary (Literature, history, art, film) Prerequisite(s) : none Co-requisite(s) : none Exclusion(s) : none Exemption Requirement : none Brief Course Description: This course introduces students to the concept and representations of the Gothic in early history, art, architecture, poetry, fiction, and film. As the longest surviving cultural tradition in the West, the Gothic has never lost its fascination. This is seen in the proliferation of vampire films, Gothic courses, Gothic sub-cultures, and the International Gothic in art. Via a variety of readings, discussions, classroom activities, media clips, film, written assignments and creative project presentations, students will study the elements of the gothic related to such themes as terror and horror, appearance and reality, setting and confinement, justice and injustice, and the politics of transgression. The focus in this course will be on the Western tradition from the 12th to the 21st centuries, but examples of Gothic youth cultures from Asia will be included as well. Aims: This course aims to engage students to analyze and evaluate the relationship between Gothic representations, our fascination with the dark side of the mind, and the Gothic as a social, cultural, and political critique. Students are challenged to trace the cultural sensibility of the gothic in art, literature, and film and develop a critical consciousness of the various forms of representation. This course addresses such questions as “Why are we fascinated with the dark side of the mind?” “What human consciousness does the Gothic represent?” “How does the cultural representation of the Gothic differ in the various genres and cultures?” How does the Gothic function as social, cultural, and political critique throughout the ages?” The aim is to nurture critical thinking about cultural productions and to express it well academically and creatively. Learning Outcomes (LOs): Upon completion of the course, students will be able to: No. LOs 1. Explain the forms of the Gothic in various genres and to talk and write about them using proper terminology 2. Recognize elements of various genres in the Humanities and apply analytical skills to a variety of texts, films, and art 3. Research and interpret the connections between various forms of the Gothic and cultural, social, and political contexts 4. Demonstrate literary and cultural analysis skills that are applicable to other themes and enquiries 5. Express an aspect and interpretation of the Gothic in a creative way Indicative Content: 1. Gothic origins I: History and architecture 2. Gothic Origins II: Art, the Church, and the culture of the Middle Ages 3. Gothic Origins III: Gothic Romance (early Gothic novels) 4. Dark Romanticism: Fairy Tales and the idea of the ‘Uncanny’ 5. Monster Film: The Gothic novel in film (Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) 6. Monster Medicine: Gothic perspectives on science and infectious diseases (Frankenstein, Dracula) 7. The Monster Within: The psychology of the Gothic (Toni Morrison, Angela Carter, other) 8. The Homely Horror: Special on Edgar Allan Poe 9. Vampires: From mythology to film; history of the vampire (Hong Kong Gothic) 10. Gothic Vampire Film I: Dracula through the ages (interpretations and re- interpretations of Dracula) 11. Gothic Vampire Film II: The post-modern vampire (Anne Rice, Interview with the vampire) 12. The Culture of the Gothic: Gothic sub-cultures (fashion, music, TV) 13. Creative Project Presentations Teaching Method: 3-hour sectional teaching. Since teaching is designed to be highly interactive and project-oriented, the course is taught in a 3-hour section so that audiovisual materials and discussions can easily be incorporated. In addition to short lectures, readings and class discussions, students are asked to contribute materials and ideas to each weekly session. Part of the teaching method is guiding the creative project, which will take several weeks of cooperation. The creative projects will be exhibited at the end of the semester, and student also must individually hand in a short reflective commentary on their projects. The two quizzes are intended to test general knowledge of concepts, assigned readings, and terminology. The final paper will examine a more in-depth understanding and interpretation of the materials and will include independent research. The creative project will help students to understand, apply, and express the Gothic as critical cultural trope. A typical class includes a lecture, homework sharing, and discussions of readings and other materials. In the week that covers Gothic Romance, for example, a short lecture covers the historical development and some of the main works. Students are assigned to contribute information about other relevant works and/or authors, films, cultural references (a week in advance). Each student/group shares the findings in class. They then will discuss the assigned reading for the week and report on the discussion. To sum up the class, there will be another mini lecture at the end. Measurement of Learning Outcomes: Learning outcomes Lecture Quizzes Essay Project Explain the forms of the Gothic in X X X various genres and to talk and write about them using proper terminology Recognize elements of various genres in X X X the Humanities and apply analytical skills to a variety of texts, films, and art Research and interpret the connections X X X X between various forms of the Gothic and cultural, social, and political contexts Demonstrate literary and cultural X X X X analysis skills that are applicable to other themes and enquiries Express an aspect and interpretation X of the Gothic in a creative way Assessment: 100% in continuous assessment Two quizzes: 15% each (30%) Final essay: 35% Creative project cum analysis: 35% Required/Essential Readings: Aisnworth, W. H., “The Spectre Bride” (1821), in Blair, D., Gothic Short Stories (GSS). London: Wordsworth, 2002. Berry, S., “Tattoo Me”, in K. Hawkinds, E. Price and M. Walker, eds., Hong Kong Gothic. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Writers Circle, 2014. 186-196. Botting, F., Gothic. London: Routledge, 1996. (First and last chapters) Burke, E., A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757) ed. by J. T. Boulton. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968. (also Project Gutenberg public domain) Carter, A., The Bloody Chamber. London: Gollancz, 1979. (story excerpts) Freud, S., "The Uncanny", in Strachey, J., ed & trans., The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, vol. XVII. London: Hogarth, 1953. 219-252. Goethe, J. W., “The Bride of Corinth.” (Project Gutenberg public domain) Grimm’s Fairy Tales (selections) (Project Gutenberg) Gunderson, J., “The Rise of Gothic Art” and “Gothic Art and Architecture”, in Gunderson, J., Gothic Art. Mankato: Creative Publication, 2015. 11-16; 42-50. Hoffmann, E.T.A. “The Sandman (1816).” (Project Gutenberg) Horner, A., Zlosnik, S., “The International Gothic Association”, in Hughes, W., Punter, D., & A. Smith, eds., The Encyclopedia of the Gothic. 348-350. Huckvale, D., “Stairways to Hell”, in D. Huckvale, Touchstones of Horror: A Film Genealogy of Eleven Motifs and Images. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2010. King, S. “Introduction”, in M.W. Shelley, R.L. Stevenson and B. Stoker, Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. London: Signet Classics, 1978. LeFanu, S., Carmilla (1872). (Project Gutenberg; excerpts) Maturin, C. R., “The Parricide’s Tale” (1820). In GSS, 21-31. Morrison, T., Beloved. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. (excerpts and film) Mulvey-Roberts, M., “Gothic Film”, in Mulvey-Roberts, M., The Handbook of the Gothic. New York: New York University Press, 2009. 136-141. Poe, E. A., “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Project Gutenberg) Radcliff, A. The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794). (Project Gutenberg; excerpts) Rice, A., Interview with the Vampire. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976. (excerpts and film) Shelley, M.W., Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1823). (Project Gutenberg; excerpts and film) Stoker, Bram. Dracula (1897). Ed. John Paul Riquelme. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin’s, 2002. (excerpts and film) Vidler, A., “Introduction”, in The Architectural Uncanny: Essays in the Modern Unhomely. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press., 1995. 3-14. Walpole, H., The Castle of Otranto (1764). (Project Gutenberg; excerpts) Recommended/Supplementary Readings: Bernstein, S., "Form and Ideology in the Gothic Novel." Essays in Literature 18 (1991): 151-65. Clery, E.J. "The Supernatural Explained", The Rise of Supernatural Fiction, 1762-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Davies, J.M.Q., German Tales of Fantasy, Horror and the Grotesque. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1987. Gelder, K., The Subcultures Reader (2nd ed.). London: Routledge, 2005. Goodlad, L. M. E., Bibby, M., eds., Goth: Undead Subculture. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2007. Greenway, J. L., “Seward’s Folly: Dracula as a Critique of ‘Normal Science.’” Stanford Literature Review 3 (1986): 213-30. La Ferla, R., “Embrace the Darkness”, The New York Times, October 30, 2005. Lyndenberg, R., "Gothic Architecture and Fiction: A Survey of Critical Responses", The Centennial Review 22 (1978): 95-109. Mishra, V., The Gothic Sublime. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994. Punter, D., A Companion to the Gothic. London: Blackwell, 2001. Rank, O., The Double: A Psychoanalytic Study (1914), trans. and ed. by H. Tucker, Jr. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1971. (a study of Poe) Spooner, C., The Contemporary Gothic. London: Reaktion Books, 2006. Voller, J. G., "Bram Stoker", The Literary Gothic 9 Feb. 2010. (WWW) Williams, A., "Male Gothic", in A. Williams, Art of Darkness: A Poetics of Gothic. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1995. Important Notes: (1) Students are expected to spend a total of 9 hours (i.e.
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