The overall purpose of this class is to teach you to approach, read, and analyze fiction critically, thoughtfully, and intellectually.

This course will cover British literature of the 19th century with a focus on the gothic novel; it takes as its theme the depiction and exploration of “madness,” specifically in women. We will be examining how literature both establishes and challenges social norms. Within this context, what did it mean for a woman to be considered insane, dangerous, immoral, and an unacceptable and unproductive member of society? Were these separate categories or was there overlap between them? What exactly made these women different from their “normal” counterparts? What rules do they break? What are their motivations?

At its inception, the gothic genre was dismissed as idle women’s writing. Instead of focusing on challenging this assessment, we will explore why women (and men) chose this particular genre to give voice to distinctly female issues. What is it that the gothic and its use of certain conventions, such as a very precisely crafted environment, tone, and the prevalence of the supernatural (ghosts, inhuman creatures, etc.) provides these authors that the more realistic novel could not offer?

We will begin with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and in addition to our other novels, we will also read secondary criticism to both situate ourselves in the gothic genre, and examine different critical perspectives dealing with the themes raised in the novels. In order to fulfill the University “W” requirement, students will be asked to write, and revise, two five to seven page papers.

Required Course Texts:
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Norton Edition (ISBN: 978-0393964585)
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Norton Edition (ISBN: 978-0393975420)
Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret, Broadview Edition (ISBN: 978-1551113579)
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw, Norton Edition (ISBN: 978-0393959048)

The novels listed above will be available at the UW Bookstore, but if you choose to purchase your materials elsewhere, please use the ISBN numbers provided here. It is important that you obtain these editions since they contain required secondary criticism.