The Gothic Novel

Gothic literature incorporates elements of horror, mystery, and the supernatural to create an atmosphere of fear and foreboding. The genre is characterized by dark imagery, suspenseful narratives, and settings that often include castles, churches, ruins, and abandoned estates. In this course, we read four classic Gothic novels, beginning with one of the earliest, The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe (1794). Our next novel is Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein: The 1818 Text, which is far more nuanced than the film of the same name. Our third book is Dracula (1897), which has been depicted in numerous plays and films for over a century. We conclude our course with Pasadena native and past MacArthur Fellow Octavia Butler's Fledgling (2005). Come join us to see how these terrific novels intersect with society today.