Course info

Literature and Cinema of the Fantastic

 

In this course you will be introduced to some of the greatest works in British and American literature of the fantastic, including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The approach will be historical, beginning with the roots of the Gothic novel in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and working up to the ‘classic' Gothic novels of the 18th century. We will also examine American literature and especially the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Finally, we will consider the lingering influences of these classic novels on the horror fiction and cinema of the 20th century: King Kong, Dracula, The Bride of Frankenstein, Cat People, Psycho, The Exorcist, and others. We will also consider the psychological, social, historical and aesthetic dimensions of cinema of the fantastic. Students will be initiated into the interpretation of film, and introduced to an appropriate critical vocabulary.