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How does the American Gothic evolve across literature, comics, film, television, and video games? This seminar explores the shifting forms of the Gothic, from early texts by Charles Brockden Brown and Edgar Allan Poe to contemporary (haunted) screens—film, games, and even mobile phones. We will trace how unsettling landscapes, vampires, haunted houses, and monsters reflect and respond to societal fears and cultural shifts. Students will analyze the interplay of text, image, and interactive media, and explore how media-specific techniques shape the Gothic mode.
The seminar also investigates the Gothic’s engagement with discourses around race, class, and sexuality, its capacity to challenge traditional boundaries, and its potential limitations. We will pay special attention to particular sub-genres of the mode, such as Queer Gothic and Southern Gothic, as well as its intersections with aesthetics like dark academia. How do new and social media reimagine these elements for contemporary audiences?
Students should note that this course requires purchasing and playing a video game as part of the curriculum. |
