|
Instructors: Dr. Jochen Ecke
Event type:
Proseminar
Displayed in timetable as:
BS 122
Hours per week:
2
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
- | 45
Registration group: PS I BS
Priority scheme: Senatsrichtlinie
Contents:
In this course, we will explore the long tradition of the weird and the Gothic in the British short story. We will examine the historical transformations of the genre as it spells out and subverts its central conventions and tropes, and we will analyse how Gothic short stories adapt to different social and historical pressures over the course of two centuries. To this end, we will have a look at seven stories, starting with the 1817 tale “The Vampyre” by John Polidori, the very first vampire story in the English language. We will then proceed to another, somewhat more sophisticated vampire tale, namely Sheridan Le Fanu’s famous “Carmilla” (1872). These two stories represent the first and the second wave of 19th century Gothic fiction in Britain; they will provide ample opportunity to analyse the historical genesis of the genre. “Casting the Runes” by M.R. James will be the first 20th century story we tackle, and the only ghost story in our reading list. Next, we will consider Rudyard Kipling’s “The Gardener” (1914) and Arthur Machen’s “The White People” (1904). In the second half of the 20th century, the Gothic story sees remarkable changes; Gothic tropes are now appropriated by other genres and implemented in stories and novels that – at first glance – have little in common with the Gothic. We will nevertheless consider J.G. Ballard’s short story “The Terminal Beach” (1964) in terms of the Gothic. Finally, we will have a look at the transformations of the Gothic in the 21st century. Warren Ellis and Marek Oleksicki’s Frankenstein’s Womb, a 2009 comic book, will serve as our primary text during the Proseminar’s final sessions.
Recommended reading list:
All of the primary texts are available for photocopying in Frau Mohr / Frau Scheufler’s office (01-567). Please read and prepare the short stories by Polidori and Le Fanu in preparation for our first session.
|
