Instructor: Dr. Gisèle Baxter (gmb@interchange.ubc.ca; put "English 100" in the subject line)
Office: Buchanan Tower 427 (tel. 604 822-4761)
Art, like Nature, has her monsters... - Oscar Wilde
This course will focus on three novels, all inheritors of the Gothic impulse characteristic of the late 18th century. These 19th-century novels have had considerable influence on popular culture; we will, in studying the novels themselves, discuss that influence in terms of film, television, contemporary popular fiction, graphic novels, etc.: students will be encouraged to find and introduce examples. Through related readings in criticism and theory, we will examine the nature of literary and cultural studies, and their relationship to other academic disciplines (such as history, psychology, and sociology), through consideration of genre, production, and reception, as well as the difficulty, if not impossibility, of reaching a "fixed" or consensus reading of any text. When possible, film clips will be screened; supplementary material will be made available online and on reserve in the Koerner Library.
Evaluation will be based on participation (regular contribution to in-class and online discussion: 10%); a response journal (covering at least three core texts and one article: 25%); a midterm in-class essay (15%); a term paper (including prospectus) (25%); and a final examination (25%).
Note: You will need a Campus Wide Login username and password to access the Vista site for this course; you will be expected to visit the Vista site at least weekly, and some required readings will be linked there.
Note: We may make a field trip to the opera and may have at least one guest speaker.
Vista Site and Resources || Return to my home page.
Copyright Gisèle M. Baxter 2011. All rights reserved.
Last updated 3 January 2011.