This module offers a close examination of gothic fiction drawn from the Victorian era, and spanning a period of eighty years. The aim of this course is to introduce students to developments in Victorian tales of horror, published between the 1830s and 1920s, by close readings of a number of novels and film adaptations from this genre. This will be balanced with more general discussions of the literary and ideological background, which played a pivotal role in the development of the gothic during the nineteenth century.

You will focus on key issues such as the mechanics of later gothic narratives; representing the supernatural; gender, sexuality and race; the ‘progress’ of science; modernity and the city; psychoanalysis and the divided self. There will also be opportunities to consider film adaptations of Victorian gothic fiction, which have further extended the genre’s global popularity and reach.

Please note: it is not necessary to have taken SE2468 Gothic Fiction: The Romantic Age to enrol on this module.

• analyse key gothic texts in relation to developments in the novel during the period
• assess the significance to gothic fiction of issues of ideology, sexuality and science
• discuss the role of modernity, empire and race on the development of the gothic
• assess a range of approaches to the adaptation of gothic fiction
• dissect and evaluate both established and new critical understandings of the gothic

This module will be delivered through a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities, as part of this programme’s blended provision, which will include on-campus and online teaching and support.

The precise mode of delivery and details – subject to Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance – of the teaching and support activities will be made available at the start of the semester via Learning Central.

Academic skills: the particular skills of the module bear upon reading and understanding how a literary genre (in this case, gothic fiction) adapts to, negotiates with and transforms the culture from which it emerges. Analysis of the complex relationship between different forms of media in generating meaning will also be an important facet of this module. This requires careful scholarship, sensitivity to language through close reading and a broader historical awareness of social change.

Employability skills: these include the ability to synthesise information, participate in group-based discussion, to negotiate different and conflicting standpoints, to communicate ideas and to produce clear, informed arguments in a professional manner. Student-led research will encourage skills of information collation, selection and synthesis.

The methods of summative assessment for this module are detailed in the table below.

Formative work to be submitted before each summative assessment: you can choose between submitting, as appropriate, an essay plan/structure, synopses of essay topic options (if undecided) or sample paragraph/s; for creative assignments, you can submit working drafts of parts of your composition, as arranged with the workshop convenor.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:
As with School policy, failed or unsubmitted assessments can be retaken during the August resit period.

Indicative Syllabus:

• Victorian gothic short fiction, from Edgar Allan Poe to M. R. James
• Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights (1847)
• Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)
• Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)
• Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897)

Content warning: please be aware that several of the books/topics discussed in this module deal with difficult themes (including misogynistic, homophobic and racist attitudes, as well as graphic representations of physical and sexual violence), which some students may find distressing. If you have any concerns about this, please contact the module leader for advice.