This module surveys the development of Gothic literature from the 1800s to the present day. Students will study major works of Gothic fiction, reading novels, poetry and short stories. Through a study of this literary genre, debate will arise concerning issues such as rationalism and the irrational subconscious, sexuality, the boundaries of identity and the effect of the past upon the present. This module will equip students with a detailed knowledge of one of the most influential and popular genres of fiction.

Texts may include:
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley (1816)
Dracula – Bram Stoker (1897)
‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ (1892) – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
‘Carmilla’ – Sheridan Le Fanu (1872)
Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier (1938)
Lanny – Max Porter (2019)

Shapes shifting in shadows, ghostly voices, nightmarish imaginings – Gothic fiction is filled with details that unsettle. Read a collection of texts from the last couple of hundred years to the present day and explore the darkest literary imaginings. The Gothic just won’t die: it rises afresh with each generation of writers, and it calls to you now to add your own critical or creative piece to its long tale of terror! Warning: may contain vampires.

Library and VLE

1. demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the key features of gothic literature and their relation to cultural/historical contexts through enquiry and analysis
2.
Reflect on contributions to class learning.
3. critically evaluate and apply theoretical or critical material relevant to the Gothic mode.
4. produce a clearly structured piece of critical or creative writing which articulates concepts associated with gothic fiction.

Learning journal: to consist of two equally weighted elements. (LOs: 2)¿¿

a reflection upon a contribution to class learning on the module, using authentic forms such as podcasts, presentations, vlogs, leading group sessions¿(these may be done in pairs or alone), blogs, poster presentations. Reflection should show the detail of what the student intended to convey, how and why. Reflection should also show how the contribution was received and what the student would do differently next time.¿

Second entry in the journal will be a reflection upon a ‘verbal pitch’: student must pitch their ideas for their final assignment to a tutor. Reflection should detail the plans for the assignment, the tutor’s feedback, and how the student intends to action that. ¿


Essay or piece of creative writing – a literary-critical essay or a piece of creative writing in the Gothic mode. Topic to be agreed with tutor. (LOs: 1,3,4)

Teaching will be delivered by weekly workshops which will involve segments of lecture, discussion activities, student participation and analytical practice.

Anolik, R.B. (2007) Horrifying Sex: essays on sexual difference in Gothic literature. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.
Auerbach, N. (1996) Our Vampires, Ourselves. Chicago, Ill: University of Chicago Press.
Bronfen, E. (1992) Over her dead body: death, femininity and the aesthetic. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Ellis, M. (2000) The History of Gothic Fiction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Groom, N. (2012) The Gothic: a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hayes, K.J. (2002) The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hogle, J.E. (2002) The Cambridge Companion to Gothic fiction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hogle, J.E. (2014) The Cambridge Companion to the Modern Gothic. Cambridge University Press.
Kristeva, J. (1982) Powers of Horror: an essay on abjection. New York: Columbia University Press.
Leitch, V.B. (2018) The Norton Anthology of theory and criticism. 3rd ed. London: W. W. Norton.
Luckhurst, R. (2017) The Cambridge Companion to Dracula. Cambridge University Press.
Paglia, C. (1990) Sexual Personae: Art and decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Parker, E.G. (2020) The Forest and the Ecogothic: The Deep Dark Woods in The Popular Imagination. 1st ed. 2020. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Punter, D. (1996) The Literature of Terror: a history of Gothic fictions from 1765 to the present day. Vol 01, The Gothic tradition. London: Longman.
Punter, D. (2001) A Companion to the Gothic. Oxford: Blackwell.
Sedgwick, E.K. (1986) The Coherence of Gothic conventions. London: Methuen.
Smith, A. (2016) The Cambridge companion to Frankenstein. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weinstock, J.A. (2017) The Cambridge companion to American Gothic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press