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Featured Module: Gothic Fictions: Villains, Virgins, Vampires

Explore how Gothic characters and narratives have been replayed and re-worked for contemporary audiences.

Module Description

The Gothic had a huge influence on the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century imagination, and is still one of the most powerful genres in Western culture. This second-year module explores how Gothic characters and narratives – such as the Gothic villain, the supernatural, gloomy castles, abduction, fear, terror, and horror – have been replayed and re-worked for contemporary audiences through a range of forms, from novels to the short story.

Module Content

The module ranges across the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century to trace the variety and scope of literary contributions to the Gothic. It begins by discussing the origins of the Gothic novel, before moving on to the heyday of the genre in the revolutionary 1790s, and then through to authors writing in the early and mid-nineteenth century, the decadence of the 1890s, film adaptations, and the ghost stories of the early twentieth century.

Texts

• Matthew Gregory Lewis, The Monk (1796)
• Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
• Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Adventure of the Copper Beeches' and 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' (1892)
• Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897)

Student Testimonials

"Through choosing the Gothic module, I got to explore how and why the genre is just as important today as it was in the eighteenth century. I found it really pleasurable to read some of the most eerie and fantastical texts in English Literature." - Oliver Portillo, English 2014–17

"The Gothic has been without a doubt my favourite module. From typical Gothic fictions such as The Castle of Otranto to the Sherlock Holmes stories, the texts fascinated me. The range of theories and interpretations covered was immense, meaning that it was the most interesting module I have done. I would definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in the weird and wonderful!" - Devon Wesson, English 2014–17

Other Featured Modules

• Apocalypse and the Modern Novel
• Literatures of Environmental Crisis
• War Writing Since 1914
• Professional Writing
• American Crime Writing