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In discussions of US American literature, the gothic genre has been attributed diverse qualities. While more recent literary studies scholars view the genre as representative of most American literature, it has also been considered ‘low-brow’ and hardly worth a critic’s attention. These scholarly disputes notwithstanding, with its focus on the mythical, the ghostly, the horrific, and the ambiguous, it is beyond doubt that gothic literature has been critical in highlighting the perpetual ambiguities and political and cultural struggles that characterize US American social life to this day. In this seminar, we will look specifically at how the gothic genre with its metaphors and symbols has lend itself to the creation of Feminist literary texts. By reading and discussing a diverse array of authors, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Lisa May Alcott, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jean Rhys, Toni Morrison, and Leslie Marmon Silko we will attempt at uncovering the intersectional feminist literary work that has been done by the application of gothic imagery and themes.
This class is primarily dedicated to the reading of literary texts and the development and sharpening of close reading skills. While the short stories and the secondary material (which will be kept to a manageable amount and discussed in the beginning of class) will be made available on Moodle, participants in this class are expected to read three to four full-length novels.
Please note: Even though this class is marked as “blended,” it will be held digitally and mostly synchronously (with two or three asynchronous sessions) until further notice. Participants are asked to please make sure that they are generally available during the assigned time of seminar. |
