Pleasure is one part of the aesthetic experience of fiction; another part is terror. This course will be a survey of major works of horror fiction (whether classified as such or otherwise) from the 19th century through the present, and of some important horror films from the 20th & 21st centuries.
The emphasis in this class will be on techniques for creating horror in fiction, and the uses to which fiction writers have put them, from psychological examination through social critique and beyond; but we’ll also consider how horror works in film, and what horror fiction and film can learn from one another.
Fiction by Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Henry James, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, H.P. Love-craft, Shirley Jackson, Robert Aickman, René Depestre, Rachel Ingalls, and others. Films by Whale, Coppola, Carpenter, del Toro, and others.
Films will be screened on Tuesday evenings. Asynchronous viewing may be an option.
Learning Outcomes:
Delivery Method: Hybrid in-person and remote, with faculty remote
Prerequisites:None.
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
M/Th 1:40PM-5:20PM (1st seven weeks)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: All courses , Literature
Tags: 19th century literature , 20th century literature , fiction , film , film studies , horror , literary analysis