Do many schools have classes about classic Gothics?

[readertim]

Do many schools have classes about classic Gothics? Do you think that they should?

[paigenumber]

I remember reading Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" in high school for English Literature. It is one of the most famous classic Gothic novels and I believe it is taught in many schools. You can't really have classes on Gothics in high school, where students get a small sampling of different genres of literature, but it would be interesting to have a class on Gothics in college.

[readertim]

I think I read that book too. It was just in a regular English class and not a special Gothic class, though.

[Desdemona]

I don't know of any classes on Gothic literature, although there must be some out there. I think that classic Goths do make it into English literature classes. Someone already mentioned Frankenstein and there is Jane Eyre and Dracula (which I consider Gothic although not necessarily a romance.)

I think a class on Gothic Literature would be excellent in a Women's Studies program. So much of classic Gothic literature is about the image of women, the terrorizing of women, the man as savior, the beauty and the beast, the virgin and the whore, the hidden feminine, yadda, yadda, yadda.

[paigenumber]

I agree with you. Maybe we can have our own little Gothic Literature discussion group, focusing on the topics you mentioned above.

[Desdemona]

I agree with you. Maybe we can have our own little Gothic Literature discussion group, focusing on the topics you mentioned above.

That would be fun! I'd be up for it.

[maisonvivante]

The University of Southern California had a class on Gothic literature when I went there. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to take it. But I had already read everything anyway.

[Epigraph]

From what I'm acquainted with, Gothic and Romanticism were put hand in hand when it was taught to me. The Bronte Sisters were one of the specific areas of discussion.

I think each literary current should be taught in-depth, not just a little brush-through. I know I would've enjoyed it so much better if we'd spent more time in the romanticism, provided it's my favorite current, along with its clashing counterpart, the neoclassicism.

[Epigraph]

I agree with you. Maybe we can have our own little Gothic Literature discussion group, focusing on the topics you mentioned above.

That would be fun! I'd be up for it.

As would I! I could even ask my professor for some of her notes and what not. I love literary analysis haha.

[black tulip]

Hi all,

I took a 'literature of the gothic' module on my degree. The degree system in the UK works differently to the US as you do a degree based on one subject only, we do not have majors and minors like you. I did English literature and you had the opportunity to study one or two specific modules in your last year, I chose gothic and it was brilliant! We looked at Mary Woolstencraft's 'Maria' and Ann Radcliffe's 'The Italian' but it was expected that you came to the module having an extensive knowledge of the classics ie: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, Dracula.

The module focused on the birth of the gothic right up until present day. It was great for me as it helped to consolidate my thoughts on my dissertation topic of horror gothic. The next module I took was Romanticism and like someone else mentioned, it does all tie in nicely and you can see how the gothic influenced the Romantics, particularly Coleridge with Ancient Mariner and Christabel and Joanna Bailie who was a female Romantic poet who wrote a poem which is very similar to the plot of wuthering heights (can't remember the name right now but its amazing). I am visiting Yorkshire this summer as I have wanted to go the Bronte home/museum at Haworth and got to Whitby where Stoker wrote Dracula to see the famous landmarks and sit on the bench that Lucy and Mina sat on when Lucy went out without her shoes. Awesome, can't wait.