Hauptseminar Gothic Women Writers

This course will be looking at the Gothic novel of the long Eighteenth Century, focussing on seminal texts in the genre by female writers. The Gothic novel is rich with subversive motifs which extend beyond its frequently sensationalist subject material. While we will be familiarising ourselves with the numerous tropes to be found in Gothic fiction, we will also be exploring how these are transformed when viewed through myriad critical lenses, including but by no means limited to the significance of the Gothic novel for women writers in the genre. We will also hope to examine what lies behind the Gothic’s enduring appeal; after all, many of its thrills and spills continue to exert considerable influence over the visual and literary culture of our time. As the course includes novels in their entirety, students will find it rewarding if they are enthusiastic and committed readers. Students should purchase the Oxford World’s Classics editions of the following texts: Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho (Oxford University Press, 2008) ISBN: 9780199537419 Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (Oxford University Press, 2008) ISBN: 9780199535545 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; The 1818 Text, ed. by Marilyn Butler, (Oxford University Press, 2008) ISBN: 9780199537150. It is important that students get the 1818 edition! A Course Reader will also be available from the Copyshop Schug und Real GbR at Reckhammerweg 4 at the start of the semester. Anglistik Universität Duisburg-Essen SoSe 2016 M. A. Schwab Graham Milena M A