ABSTRACT
A Curriculum on Gothic Literature will propose a course curriculum on Gothic literature.
The thesis starts off with a syllabus for an undergraduate course in literature for thirty students of
freshman or sophomore class standing. The thesis includes an introduction explaining the Gothic
and briefly introduces the works that will be taught in the course, .such as Walpole’s The Castle
of Otranto, Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, Lewis’s The Monk, Shelley's Frankenstein,
Stoker’s Dracula, and James’s Turn of the Screw. The course will also take a look at Psycho and
The Haunting of Hill House, and will analyze how historical and social contexts influence
interpretations of each text. The course will help students identify terror and horror Gothic
literature, and the course will analyze human nature through characters that are presented in
these texts. Lastly, this thesis will explain the major difference between each text and how each
text changed or added to what makes a work a text of Gothic fiction.
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INTRODUCTION
This thesis proposes a course curriculum for Gothic literature that will help students
identify the major themes of Gothic literature in classic and modern texts so as to develop an
appreciation for Gothic themes and literature. This course is intended for approximately 30
students who are freshman or sophomore undergraduates looking to fulfill a general education
humanities requirement. Some of the objectives for this course in Gothic literature will be: (1) to
understand the difference between horror and terror Gothic literatures by identifying the main
characteristics of each in classic Gothic texts, (2) to identify Gothic characteristics in literature
and films, (3) to identify the influences that classic Gothic texts have had on literature and film,
(4) to look at ways Gothic texts have developed over time, and (5) to analyze human nature,
beliefs, and psychology in Gothic texts of both terror and horror, as well as looking at the
historical and social influences that each text expresses. This course in Gothic literature will help
students make connections between classic Gothic texts, other texts, and film.
One of the objectives for the course curriculum is for students to distinguish between
terror and horror Gothic literature. In her essay 'On the Supernatural in Poetry,' Ann Radcliffe
describes the difference between terror and horror Gothic texts: "Terror and horror are so far
opposite, that the first expands the soul, and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life; the
other contracts, freezes, and nearly annihilates them" (Radcliffe 168). The difference between
terror and horror gothic is that in horror Gothic literature, the grave and horrible events actually
happen, causing the soul to "contract, [and] freeze" while in terror Gothic literature there is an
element of fear and uncertainty that becomes interesting and creates curiosity.
In their essay titled 'On the Pleasure Derived from Objects of Terror; with Sir Bertrand, A
Fragment’ (1773), John Aikin and Anna Laetitia Aikin discuss why terror Gothic literature can
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"expand the soul": "A strange and unexpected event awakens the mind, and keeps in on the
stretch; and where the agency of invisible beings is introduced, of 'forms unseen, and mightier
far tan we,' our imagination, darting forth, explores with rapture the new world which is laid
open to its view, and rejoices in the expansion of its powers. Passion and fancy co-operating
elevate the soul to its highest pitch; and the pain of terror is lost in amazement" (Aikin 129).
The uncertainty in terror Gothic literature is what causes this level of curiosity and
excitement, which, as Radcliffe describes, "awaken the faculties to a higher degree of life." The
uncertainty of whether the supernatural is real or imagined in the worlds of some of these texts
makes some of these texts terror Gothic. In 'On Objects of Terror,' Drake also comments on this
phenomenon: "Objects of terror may with propriety be divided into those which owe their origin
to the agency of super-human beings, and form a part of every system of methodology, and into
those which depend upon natural causes and events for their production" (Drake 160). The
supernatural could be real in the world of the text, but the character's psychology and
imagination is also worth analyzing to discover what it reveals about human nature, behavior,
and beliefs.
Students will learn the elements of the terror Gothic and the horror Gothic in these texts
and will recognize and analyze these elements in recent works of fiction. This course will then
expand upon these major differences between terror and horror Gothic literature while studying
texts that exemplify the characteristics of these styles of Gothic literature. The course will look
examine the following texts as well as some others: Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764),
Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), Lewis's The Monk (1796), Shelley's Frankenstein
(1818), Stoker's Dracula (1897), and James's The Turn of the Screw (1898). Some texts will be
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chosen over others, and this thesis will go over why certain works are chosen for inclusion, with
research and analysis explaining why these works are preferred and how they fulfill the course
objectives, with particular emphasis on the history and the social and ideological issues that play
a part in the meanings of these Gothic texts.
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SYLLABUS
Ms. Marissa Garcia de Leon
Fall 3013
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INSTRUCTOR:
OFFICE:
OFFICE HOURS:
EMAIL:
PHONE:
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ENGL 285
Max capacity: 30 students / MWF 3:00 - 3:50 PM
Ms. Marissa Garcia de Leon
Modern Languages 800
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00 - 2:00 PM
[email protected]
(520) 626 - 2942
ABOUT THIS COURSE:
The curriculum for this course is intended for undergraduates in a general education Humanities
course. The course in Gothic literature will help students make connections between classic
Gothic texts and more recent texts and film. This course will provide a foundational knowledge
of Gothic literature and its main texts. This course will cover how Gothic literature developed,
what the major characters, themes, ideas, and symbols that comprise Gothic literature are, and
the connections between modern and classic Gothic literature. The course will also focus on the
social issues that Gothic literature addresses as well as what it says about human psychology and
western history.
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
By the end of this class, students should be able:
(1) to understand the difference between horror and terror Gothic literature by identifying the
main characteristics of each in classic Gothic texts,
(2) to establish the features that make a text or film Gothic,
(3) to identify the influences that classic Gothic texts have had on recent literature and film,
(4) to look at ways recent Gothic texts have developed over time, and to analyze human nature,
beliefs, and psychology in horror and terror Gothic texts, and
(5) to look at the social issues and historical context that influenced major Gothic texts.
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OURSE ASSIGNMENT
DESCRIPTIONS:
1. Discussion Participation Assignment (10 points of total grade) - At the beginning of the
semester, students will pick a Friday in the semester and its corresponding topic(s), for which
they will lead a 20-minute class discussion with 2-3 partners. Students will do research on the
topic(s), look at their selected text and critical material, and come up with a few (about 5-7)
questions that will start a conversation with the class and help the class understand those
concepts. All group members must play a part in leading at least one discussion question.
Students will receive their list of topics and relevant material regarding their text and topic a
week in advance of the presentation date to allow time for preparation with the group.
2. Weekly Response Papers (20 points of total grade at 1.33 points each) - A response paper
will be due at the beginning of each week, covering last week's reading material. Response
paper should discuss main ideas, themes, and/or characters covered in the texts and
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discussions. These papers are not summaries of the texts or class discussions. Papers should be
a critical analysis of the text(s) and/or present new ideas and should also draw on critical texts
presented in class. The response papers should be 300 to 500 words long in Times New
Roman 12 pt. font with one-inch margins. Texts should be cited in MLA format.
3. Midterm (20 points of total grade) - Pick two Gothic texts covered in class. Discuss and
compare how each text is a horror Gothic or terror Gothic texts and what components/features
distinguish the texts as terror or horror Gothic text. Draw on the major Gothic themes that
each text had and how each text may be different or similar from the other. The final paper
should be 7 pages in length, in MLA format, and in Times New Roman 12 point font with 1"
margins.
4. Final Paper (20 points of total grade) - Compare two of the texts discussed in class. Be sure
to discuss some of the major Gothic influences, conventions, similarities/dissimilarities, and
social and historical context. The final paper should be 7 pages in length, in MLA format, and
in Times New Roman 12 point font with 1" margins.
5. Final Presentation (20 points of total grade) - The final presentation project is a 7- to 10minute presentation of the ideas discussed in your final paper. Present themes and ideas in
your paper, what texts you chose, why you chose those texts, how they are similar/dissimilar,
and through what analytical "lens" you are using for these texts.
6. Regular Class Participation (10 points of total grade) - Students will be graded on
participation in class discussions. Participation is worth 10 points of the final grade.
Participation in class discussions includes any questions, comments, or contributions to any of
the discussions.
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. (1764).
Radcliffe, Ann. The Mysteries of Udolpho. (1794).
Lewis, Matthew Gregory. The Monk. (1796).
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. (1818).
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. (1897).
James, Henry. Turn of the Screw. (1898).
The films The Haunting (1963) and Psycho (1960) are also required and will be available on
D2L. We will also be watching them in class.
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GRADING:
For each graded item, a score out of 100 will be given:
A = 90 to 100
B = 80 to 89.99
C = 70 to 79.99
D = 60 to 69.99
E/F = 59.99 or below
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COURSE SCHEDULE:
The following is a tentative schedule of classes, class assignments, and homework deadlines:
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TOPIC
CLASS DISCUSSION WEEK OF
Syllabus and Introduction
8/28/13
The Castle of Otranto (1764)
8/30/13
The Castle of Otranto
9/2/13
The Castle of Otranto
9/4/13
The Castle of Otranto
9/6/13
The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) 9/9/13
The Mysteries of Udolpho
9/11/13
The Mysteries of Udolpho
9/13/13
The Mysteries of Udolpho
9/16/13
The Mysteries of Udolpho
9/18/13
The Mysteries of Udolpho
9/20/13
The Mysteries of Udolpho
9/23/13
The Monk (1796)
9/25/13
The Monk
9/27/13
The Monk
9/30/13
The Monk
10/2/13
The Monk
10/4/13
The Monk
10/7/13
Frankenstein (1818)
10/9/13 MIDTERM DUE 10/9
Frankenstein
10/11/13
Frankenstein
10/14/13
Frankenstein
10/16/13
Frankenstein
10/18/13
Dracula (1897)
10/21/13
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TOPIC
CLASS DISCUSSION WEEK OF
Dracula
10/23/13
Dracula
10/25/13
Dracula
10/28/13
Dracula
10/30/13
Dracula
11/1/13
Turn of the Screw (1898)
11/4/13
Turn of the Screw
11/6/13
Turn of the Screw
11/8/13
Psycho (1960)
11/13/13
Psycho
11/15/13
The Haunting (1963)
11/18/13
The Haunting
11/20/13
Presentations
11/22/13
Presentations
11/25/13
Presentations
11/27/13
Presentations
12/2/13
Presentations
12/4/13
Presentations
FINAL PAPER DUE 12/10/12
at 11:00PM in D2L Dropbox
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THE COURSE TEXTS: WHY THEY HAVE BEEN CHOSEN
THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO BY HORACE WALPOLE
Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764) is considered one of the foundational
texts of Gothic literature. Otranto was the first story in which the author himself labelled the
story as Gothic. Not only is this text included for the course because it is the first Gothic novel,
but it is also added to the course because the novel helps address some of the other course
objectives about the beginning features of Gothic literature, as well as social and historical issues
dealing with the aristocracy.
Walpole's Otranto contains many basic Gothic elements. The story is set in a castle that
has a hollowed lower part with “several intricate cloisters” (Walpole 13). The story also contains
supernatural events in the castle. The appearances of ghosts and objects and the setting in a castle
are both Gothic elements. The In The Literature of Terror: The Gothic Tradition, David Punter
identifies the setting, "Otranto is set approximately in the twelfth century in and around a castle
clearly modelled on Walpole's own Strawberry Hill, and the plot is a joyous compilation of
absurdities, including . . . a panoply of supernatural portents and appearances" (Punter 44). The
atmosphere in the castle also lends itself to other Gothic characteristics, such as dark lighting,
screaming, and eerie, mysterious noises. Also, the story contains an ancient prophecy that
proclaims “that the castle and lordship of Otranto ‘should pass from the present family, whenever
the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it’” (Walpole 7). The story also contains
supernatural events, such as a portrait moving and a giant helmet that crushes Conrad.
The Castle of Otranto displays a lack of power in women when women play the role of
"damsel in distress.” Isabella if forced to runaway from Manfred, and Manfred simply discards
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Hippolita as his wife at a moment’s notice: “Hippolita is no longer my wife. I divorce her from
this hour” (Walpole 13). Manfred does not bother to discuss their marriage with her but simply
decides to end the matter in his pursuit for Isabella as if a wife or a woman is an exchangeable
part of life. Manfred also mistakes Matilda for Isabella and murders his own daughter Matilda,
showing his disregard for women in his choice to kill who he believed to be Isabella.
The novel also brings up a Gothic theme of children inheriting the consequences of the
sins of their parents. The past returns to torment the present in the novel. Otranto's prophecy
demonstrates this theme because the prophecy from many years ago in the novel's time creates
an oversized supernatural helmet that kills Conrad and is the cause of the supernatural events
surrounding the portrait of Manfred's grandfather. Theodore also discovers that he is the friar
Jerome's son, which changes his social standing, while the novel reveals a knight to be Isabella's
father. Matilda dies because of her father’s desire and anger for Isabella. It is also the previous
lack of male children that drives Manfred to chase after Isabella. At the end of the novel,
Theodore and Isabella have to move on from the consequences of the entire plot of the novel
after living through Manfred’s mistakes and repercussions, such as Matilda’s death.
The Castle of Otranto also fulfills the course objectives in that it deals with human
nature. Manfred, for example, repents only after he himself has inadvertently stabbed and lost his
only daughter. The novel seems to imply that it is human nature to experience regret for one's
actions after a significant loss, as Manfred has undergone. Otranto seems to discuss the human
nature of desire as well since it is lust and desire for another male heir that compels Manfred to
chase Isabella to the point of killing Theodore. Otranto suggests that human nature's desires can
be very powerful and dangerous. Labeling the novel as Gothic gives some clues about human
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nature, too. In New England's Gothic Literature, Faye Ringel mentions:
The word 'Gothic' in its usual eighteenth century sense conveyed disapproval,
since medieval taste in life and art was considered to be as barbarous and
uncivilized as the Goths and the Vandals. Walpole and his followers deliberately
reversed that meaning, but even in their favorable light, 'Gothic' was still linked
with darkness, mystery, an ignorance, was backward-looking and pessimistic
rather than optimistic about the human condition (Ringel 4).
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The subtitle, a Gothic story, coupled with the novel's grim ending seem to imply that human
nature itself is grim and, as Ringel suggests, dark.
The Castle of Otranto also helps fulfill the course objectives in that the novel addresses
important social and historical issues of the time regarding the aristocracy. According to Punter
in The Literature of Terror, Walpole used these techniques because he "believes in the power of
terror to awaken and sustain interest" (Punter 45). He wished to keep people's interest in order to
discuss feudalism and the aristocracy. Punter continues:
Otranto is serious about history. For whatever its shortcomings and infelicities, it
does give evidence of an eighteenth century view of feudalism and the
aristocracy, and in doing so originates what was to become perhaps the most
prevalent theme in Gothic fiction: the revisiting of the sins of the fathers upon
their children. When this is placed in a contemporaneous setting, it is a simple
theme; but it becomes altogether more complex when the very location of crime
and disorder is thrust back into the past (46).
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This social issue is evident in The Castle of Otranto in that Manfred, the prince of the castle,
with a fortune has considerable power over women, like Isabella, and peasants or the underclass,
like Theodore, either of whom he is willing to kill to accomplish his goals. Not only does
Manfred have much power over other lower-class characters, but he is also very concerned about
others replacing him or taking his power. The ancient prophecy hints at a possible replacement,
Otranto “should pass from the present family,” which could also suggest the replacement of the
aristocracy because Manfred’s title of prince is powerful because it is upper class (Walpole 7).
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The novel later reveals Theodore, the former peasant as the true Prince of Otranto when the ghost
proclaims it. Hippolita, Manfred’s wife, announces to Manfred their fall from the powerful
aristocratic positions of Prince and Princess they once had: “In Theodore we view the true Prince
of Otranto . . . our doom is pronounced! . . . can we but dedicate the few deplorable hours we
have to live, in deprecating the further wrath of heaven? Heaven ejects us” (Walpole 84). The
novel suggests that in replacing Manfred as prince, Theodore, representing the lower class, also
replaces the upper class, illustrating a clash between social classes and power. With this
interpretation, Otranto suggests that there might be social concerns about the fall of the
aristocracy and the lower classes climbing the social ladder.
THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO BY ANN RADCLIFFE
Ann Radcliffe's novel The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) is important as a part of Gothic
literature because of its many qualities that fulfill the student objectives outlined in the course
syllabus. Udolpho shows some of the characteristics of Gothic literature in a different manner
than in previous texts, and Udolpho also addresses female roles in a way that builds and
surpasses the way The Castle of Otranto treats the status of women. The novel deals with ideas
of social class, as well. For these reasons, The Mysteries of Udolpho is a text that needs to be
included in a course on Gothic literature.
The Mysteries of Udolpho is an interesting novel to add to the Gothic course curriculum
because of its treatment of the supernatural. This novel contains supernatural events that are later
accounted for in the story or explained through the character’s longing. For example, Emily
believes to hear the voice of Valancourt when she thinks of him and sees a vision of her deceased
father when remembering him as well: “She thought she saw her father approaching her with a
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benign contenance; then, smiling mournfully and pointing upwards, his lips moved, but, instead
of words, she heard sweet music . . .” (Radcliffe 116). Terry Castle comments on this use of the
supernatural: “These passages epitomize a phenomenon in Radcliffe we might call the
supernaturalization of everyday life. Old-fashioned ghosts . . . have disappeared from the
fictional world, but a new kind of apparition takes their place. To be a Radcliffean hero or
heroine . . . means just this: to be ‘haunted,’ to find oneself obsessed by spectral images of those
one loves” (Castle 234). In this manner, the characters focus on the past to the point of creating
ghosts or apparitions. Therefore, the supernatural in The Mysteries of Udolpho is distinct from
other uses of ghosts and the supernatural in Gothic literature in that the haunting of these ghosts
are almost pleasant. This use of ghosts and apparitions seems to be used as a way of loving the
past, instead of being scared by it, as in The Castle of Otranto.
The Mysteries of Udolpho also deals with female roles in society and presents challenges
to the previous female role of a sentimentalist and submissive nature. Emily St. Aubert in the
novel challenges this female role when she asserts herself against Montoni’s wishes to marry her
off to Morano: “If you have condescended to be my agent, it is an honor I did not solicit. I
myself have constantly assured Count Morano, and you also, sir, that I never can accept the
honor he offers me, and I now repeat the declaration” (Radcliffe 262). She decides who she
marries and is not submissive to Montoni’s commands for her life. The novel also ends with
Emily in control and ownership of the property that Montoni had wanted. The property could
have been seen part of the male role’s responsibility, especially because in a submissive
relationship, Emily’s properties would be passed on to her husband when married, leaving Emily
dependent on her husband. Since Emily is the one who ends up with the property and marries
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Valancourt, Udolpho suggests that the female role can handle the responsibility and that women
should not be pegged as submissive to men. Emily’s assertiveness eliminates the typical damselin-distress character that is seen often in The Castle of Otranto's Isabella, Hippolita, and Matilda.
This change in a female character suggests a change in gender roles in Gothic literature. Poovey
also discusses how sentimentalism affected female roles in Udolpho in both positive and
negative ways when she mentions how sentimentalism continued the idea of a “paternalistic”,
male-dominated society while at the same time sentimentalism also helps continue the “illusion
that the harmonious world some poets already viewed with nostalgia was not, in fact, yet lost”
because of feminine characteristics (Poovey 309, 310). As a result of these views on the female
role, Emily can be seen as lacking sentimentalism when she asserts herself; however,
remembering her father and Valancourt in a loving manner makes her seem more sentimental.
The Monk by Matthew Lewis
Matthew Lewis's The Monk (1796) is one of the most scandalous novels in Gothic
literature, and because of its fame, in addition to the qualities of horror that it adds to the Gothic
and the social commentary on the church, this novel has been added to the course curriculum.
The novel is distinct from Radcliffe's in that the dream-like quality in the text is replaced with a
nightmarish quality. Lewis helps add to the definition of the horror Gothic, where terrible events
actually occur and are not only feared. In the course of this novel, readers are exposed to
inappropriate sexual conduct within the church, rape, extreme violence, lust, and anger.
The Monk fulfills the course objectives because the novel illustrates some of the social,
religious, and historical context that inspired this work. The Monk suggests hypocrisy within the
church through the character Father Ambrosio. Ambrosio is regarded as one of the most holy
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figures in the church, and many parishioners look up to him and come to listen to his sermons.
However, Father Ambrosio’s actual character does not resemble in the least the image that the
parishioners maintain of him. A young boy named Rosario is revealed to be a young woman
named Matilda, who attempts and succeeds in seducing Father Ambrosio: “Who then can
wonder, if He yielded to the temptation? Drunk with desire, He pressed his lips to those which
sought them . . .” (Lewis 83). Not only does this part of the plot reveal hypocrisy between Father
Ambrosio’s faithful preachings and his sexual adventures with the Matilda/Rosario character, but
this part of the plot also suggests issues of homosexuality in general through the change of sex
that Rosario/Matilda undergoes. Since Rosario/Matilda is later revealed to be a supernatural
character, the actual sex of Rosario/Matilda is finally in question, which, in turn, creates doubt
about the kind of sexual relations Ambrosio has. Ambrosio goes on to commit multiple sins of
murder, rape, incest, and making contracts with the devil, which only further illustrate his
hypocrisy.
The second plot line also satirizes the hypocrisy within the Catholic church, specifically a
convent. A pregnant nun, Agnes, is tortured for being pregnant by the convent’s prioress. This
scene contradicts the idea that nuns are nice, sweet, and holy because the prioress does not
forgive Agnes and instead locks her up in a dungeon giving her the bare minimum for survival.
The entire novel likely contains an example of each of the seven deadly sins that Catholicism
advocates against, and for these reasons, the book is a dark satire of Catholicism that reflects the
religious tension between Protestantism and Catholicism at the time Lewis wrote the novel.
In The Literature of Terror, Punter outlines the narrative structure with multiple plots
found within this novel, which makes it distinct from Radcliffe's work: "The Monk is two stories
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in one, and although there seems little narrative connection between them, their co-presence
allows Lewis scope for the dramatic alternations which give the book a pace and energy quite
foreign to the languorous, opiated mood of Radcliffe" (Punter 60). Not only do the plot lines give
the story a more dramatic pace, but the two plot lines in The Monk also help establish the feeling
that these events are not a one-time occurrence, but the evil and horrific events of hypocrisy are
prevalent throughout the church and occur in more than one occasion with a different set of
characters. The Monk also deviates from Udolpho in terms of how it explains the supernatural. This
important distinction between the two novels in their treatment of supernatural enables Gothic
literature to consider the origins of the supernatural in a way different than those which Radcliffe
emphasizes. In Udolpho, the novel later explains the supernatural events that occur to startle or
to affect a character in some manner, such as when Emily hears the music in Udolpho. In The
Monk, the supernatural occurs because characters in the story summon the supernatural. Matilda
calls upon the devil, the supernatural, for Ambrosio: “I have succeeded . . . though with more
difficulty than I expected. Lucifer, whom I summoned to my assistance . . .” (Lewis 253). The
supernatural that is summoned makes the characters responsible for their actions. If they had not
called upon the supernatural, characters, such as Ambrosio, can seem to be innocent victims of
an unfamiliar force. Lewis’s treatment of the supernatural suggests that he condemns his
characters for their actions and holds them responsible for the gruesome repercussions. Lewis
could also be suggesting that the church at the time was not held responsible for its actions and
as a result, is seen as a clean, holy place that it is not. The supernatural has an effect on how the
reader views the characters and their actions, and the supernatural also contributes to the
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hypocrisy that Lewis describes. With The Monk, Lewis contributes to the Gothic the use of the
supernatural as a means to hold characters responsible for their sins.
Since the characters’ actions can explain the supernatural, the supernatural seems to be
very real, at least in the world of the text. Punter continues to discuss the supernatural: “In
Udolpho, the boundaries of reality and fantasy were blurred and softened: Lewis, taking the anti
realist process a step further, begins the essentially Gothic construction of a world of mutually
self-validating fictions which are textually more 'real' than reality itself" (Punter 62). Because the
supernatural seems real in the world of the text, the supernatural in The Monk contributes to the
novel as a horror story instead of one of terror. The novel is a horror story not only because of the
rape, incest, and murder that occurs, but it is also a horror story because the supernatural is
summoned and establishes the characters as culpable for their actions, which is just as horrifying
if true. In a way, the act of summoning the supernatural evil is much more horrific than the
supernatural evil itself because the character who summons the evil chose to do so willingly and
also consciously chose to follow through with the evil. The supernatural in The Monk does more
than merely suggest and imply that society’s role models can be corrupt; instead, the supernatural
in this novel exposes society’s role models as responsible for any misconduct. Because Lewis
helps establish the supernatural as a medium to hold characters accountable for their horrific
actions, this novel is also considered for the course on Gothic literature.
FRANKENSTEIN BY MARY SHELLEY
Mary Shelley’s well-known Frankenstein (1818) is also part of the course curriculum.
Frankenstein has influenced many novels and films, as well as Gothic literature. The novel
introduces the unconscious as a new aspect of the Gothic that can cause fear just as much as the
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supernatural. Frankenstein also accomplishes the goals set out in the course objectives because
of the Gothic conventions it uses, what it seems to suggest about human nature, and what it
suggests about the social and historical context of the time.
Frankenstein adds to Gothic literature a different aspect than the other texts included in
the course. Frankenstein considers that the unconscious also plays a part in revealing the
terrifying parts of human nature. The unconscious plays a part in Frankenstein’s dream and
goals. Frankenstein mentions his dream multiple times in the novel: “I had worked hard for
nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body” (Shelley 51).
Frankenstein’s dream, his search for the elixir or the secret of life, can be analyzed to reveal his
hidden desire to bring his mother back to life and to have her as a woman. As a result,
Frankenstein focuses his attention on creating life. Jerrold Hogle explains this analysis further:
“For most Freudian critics, Victor’s pursuit of life’s deepest secret by digging up body-parts in
Mother Earth therefore stems, like his inconsistent pursuit of Elizabeth, from an unconscious
desire for and a resistance to a reunion with the body of his deceased mother - the very feminine
origin he has tried to avoid by producing a ‘child’ without a woman or sexual
intercourse” (Hogle 5). With this analysis, the idea of the unconscious makes its way into the
Gothic, establishing that the unconscious, too, can reveal much about human nature, decisions,
and flaws.
The novel also suggests that the creature repulses Frankenstein, his creator, because he
becomes literally the living embodiment of Frankenstein’s repressed desire to re-merge with his
mother. This desire is familiar to Frankenstein and at the same time disgusting, and this
combination of familiarity and disgust is the feeling which Freud terms as the “uncanny.” Hogle
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mentions the uncanny and its relation to Frankenstein’s creature:
“It is in this way, after all, that Frankenstein’s creature is a form of “the uncanny”
as Freud defines that feeling of profound revulsion and deja vu in his 1919 essay
of that name. What Victor comes to call his ‘daemon’ (Shelley 94) is so abhorrent
in its grotesque unfamiliarity, according to “The Uncanny,” because what it
harbors is the deeply familiar, his creators own repressed and most infantile
drives” (Hogle 6).
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Frankenstein’s grotesque desire for his mother embodied in the creature is not the only
message the novel sends to its readers. The novel also reveals issues of feminism. The novel
deals with feminism because Frankenstein created life without a woman. Before Frankenstein’s
creature, women were the sole creators of life through pregnancy and birthing. Eliminating
women as a necessary part in creating life gives men more power since they would no longer
need women for the existence of their progeny. Hogle also describes this feminist issue: “Victor
in his usurpation of ‘making a baby’ may be striving to ‘kill’ the feminine powers, from
Elizabeth’s to Caroline’s, that threaten male supremacy . . .” (Hogle 4). Frankenstein seems to
have a desire to create life in order to obtain more power over women.
Frankenstein also displays issues of race and the social strata. Frankenstein’s creature is
fashioned from many different body parts that originate from different host bodies. The creature
can then symbolize society as it is made up of people from different races and cultures.
Frankenstein’s creature also disgusts Frankenstein, a white male, because he may not want to
share power among different races in society. In a society where the white male has more
privilege and power, Frankenstein’s revulsion may arise from the idea that society may take his
white privileged male power. Victor Frankenstein may also detest the creature because the
creature also represents the relationship between the working and middle classes. Frankenstein is
fortunate in that he is in the middle class and he attempts to climb the social ladder even higher
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by becoming the first to discover the secret of life and death. He is separating himself the most
he can from the lowest socio-economic class, the working class, which is again embodied in the
creature. In separating themselves from the lower class and creating a middle class, the middle
class generated the working class, a class that is viewed as despicable and lowly. For these
reasons, Frankenstein may also back away in fear and disgust from the creature, or the working
class, that he, a member of the middle class, formed.
Lastly, in addition to these social and cultural issues that Frankenstein portrays, Shelley’s
Frankenstein also deals with the topic of education. Education becomes a theme in Frankenstein
when readers consider the creature’s treatment and the possible alternative had Frankenstein been
responsible for the creature. Botting discusses the educated creature as not monstrous:
It is important to register the simple fact of Shelley’s decision to make the
Monster the most eloquent creature in the novel . . . far from expressing himself in
grunts and gestures, [the creature] speaks and reasons with the highest eloquence,
logic, and persuasiveness. As a verbal creation, he is the very opposite of the
monstrous . . . All of the Monster’s interlocutors - including, finally, the reader must come to terms with this contradiction between the verbal and the visual
(Botting 83).
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The creature becomes self-educated, but because the creature is also physically hideous, he
cannot use his education and interact with others. It seems important to note that the creature
initially does not have a horrible mindset from which people should turn away. The family he
spies on is merely horrified by his appearance, not any of his actions, motives, or language.
Frankenstein seems to imply that if Frankenstein or the family in the cottage had looked past the
creature’s deformed exterior, they would have found a sensible creature. It seems that if the
creature had been nurtured, the story might not have ended in the dramatic and deadly manner
that it did. Because Frankenstein did not take responsibility for the creature’s education and
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reactions, he is held responsible for creating the creature without raising him or considering the
repercussions of giving him life. Shelley may be suggesting that the more horrid aspect in a
person is not someone’s unfavorable appearance, but an irresponsible mind. Because of this issue
of education, appearance, race, social class, and the unconscious, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is
included in the course curriculum as an important novel in Gothic fiction.
DRACULA
BY
BRAM STOKER
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) is also vital for this course’s curriculum. Dracula satisfies
the course objectives because of the social and historical issues it addresses and its Gothic
conventions. Like some of the novels already mentioned, Dracula deals with issues of wealth,
class, sex, and culture. Some interpretations of Dracula focus on the involvement of money in
the story.
Looking at money in the story influences the meaning of the story. In Gothic Literature,
Smith asserts that the vampire hunters help circulate money while the Count “hoards” the wealth
(Smith 111). Smith elaborates: “By looking at how money is represented we can see how the use
or misuse of money is related to class clashes between the middle classes and the historically
(and economically) redundant Count” (Smith 111). This example expresses the novel’s concern
over the economy and over which class has more control of money and the economy.
Dracula, like Frankenstein, also deals with the uncanny, or the familiar yet horrifying
feeling of disgust. In addition to the interpretation of Dracula in an economical light, Smith adds
to the interpretations of Dracula and its view on human nature with his use of Freud and his
essay titled “The Uncanny.” Dracula has uncanny qualities in its story because the Count can
represent a familiar version of the self that is corrupted. Smith explains this Freudian concept in
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Dracula further: “For Freud, uncanniness is typified by a return of the dead and the full title of
Stoker’s novel is Dracula; or the Dead Undead. As in the uncanny, one anxiety is that the dead
are not really dead but merely demonic, degenerate versions of ourselves” (Smith 114). The
Count provides a reflection for others to see the sins, faults, or anything else that they might see
as horrifying and recognize it or, even worse, identify with it. This process elicits the feeling of
the uncanny. Dracula not only deals with the uncanny that may be seen, but the novel also has a
different Freudian reading.
The novel’s second Freudian reading is about Lucy’s blood transfusions which can be
interpreted in various ways, according to Smith in Gothic Literature. One way that the blood
transfusions can be interpreted is as a sex act. Smith suggests that the blood transfusions from the
men literally give her life through their blood, in a similar way that semen would give life into a
woman. The men even seem to become jealous at times when somebody else would donate their
blood. Smith mentions that “the blood transfusions seem to take on an erotic quality because they
refer to ownership of Lucy’s body (and its fluids). The transfusions read in Freudian terms imply
a symbolic relationship between blood and semen, in which the former appears as a disguised
version of the latter” (Smith 115). The blood transfusions are viewed almost as contracts between
the two people. One of these views is shown when Van Helsing mentions Holmwood’s feelings
about his transfusion to Lucy: Said he not that the transfusion of his blood to her veins had made
her truly his bride?” (Stoker 184). Holmwood seems to establish a bond between Lucy and
himself through his transfusion. This interpretations suggests that blood in this novel, and in
Gothic literature, can signify the giving of life and making a commitment.
Blood is also important in a different interpretation of the blood transfusions Lucy has.
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The order of the donated blood transfusions seems to give an order to the nationality of each man
who donated their blood. In this reading, the reader must note the nationalities of each blood
donor and see how the the donors become less European, specifically less British. Stephen D.
Arata comments that the blood transfusions are in order by class and significance. Arata
mentions that the donations of blood are less British every time Lucy receives a donation, which
seems to imply a threat to the British culture (Smith 116). Dracula also gives other possible
interpretations for nationality that refers to colonialism. Arata also mentions that the Count’s
desire to have more money and property is similar to British imperialism (Smith 116). This
interpretation would reveal that the British are taking the life out of other countries or places
(Smith 116). While the killing of the Count can represent the violence in British colonialism,
Dracula is chosen as part of the course curriculum for the multiple interpretations that the story
can have that give light to the cultural viewpoints on money, sex, race, the uncanny, and
nationalism, as well as historical events.
“TURN OF THE SCREW” BY HENRY JAMES
This short novella by Henry James is about a governess attempting to protect the children
under her care while discovering secrets held within the property. This work has multiple Gothic
conventions. The story is dark and mysterious with narration and dialogue that is elusive, leaving
the reader with doubts as to whether the horror is what is imagined or something else entirely.
Some readers view the novella with a psychological lens, as well, which reveals qualities about
human nature and personality. Feelings of darkness also exist throughout the novel. In Bodies of
Horror, Morgan describes the feeling of darkness within the novella:
“Only the artistic invention characterizing the horror tradition centralizes it
[darkness] for our feeling and contemplation. It might be argued that horror’s
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primary illusion is that of our being undercut - the plunge to the nadir, the fall into
abjection, the experience of the center, our equilibrium, failing to hold. The
governess in James’s ‘The Turn of the Screw,’ for instance, refers to her ‘plunge
into the hideousness obscure’ (122) and elsewhere to the ‘depths of consternation
that . . . opened beneath my feet’ (112)” (Morgan 70).
James seems to use this plunge into the darkness to symbolize a plunge into psychological
disorder, a state of unknown surroundings, or a state of unknown supernatural surroundings. This
dark atmosphere and the plunging into the darkness develops a long-standing Gothic convention.
Not all readings are psychological, however, but some are read “The Turn of the Screw”
with a different view of the type of horror that occurs in the novella. For example, Morgan
continues to discuss the governess: “The governess encounters the embodied registration of her
psychic dislocation, and her characterization of her distress would seem to underscore the
inadequacy of merely psychologistic analyses of horror. She is not merely puzzled; she feels
herself falling” (Morgan 202). Morgan suggests that the governess’s response gives the reader
the suggestion that the governess is encountering actual forces of evil at the Bly property instead
of a mere psychological confusion. This interpretation and the psychological interpretation
Interpreting the governess’s fall is another task the reader has to take on. Bodies of
Horror suggests that the fall represents the character falling into degradation: “Darker versions
of degradation ritual are manifested prominently in horror, even in the more refined kind
associated with Henry James. The governess in ‘The Turn of the Screw,’ after her frightening
encounter with Flora and Miss Jessel by the lake, in which she has experienced her ‘situation
horribly crumble,’ falls prone upon the rank earth and experiences ‘an odorousness dampness
and roughness’ (111)” (Morgan 77). Because the governess falls onto the ground which is rough,
damp and with an odor, this reading implies that the fall was degrading and the governess is
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experiencing a new degraded side.
Another interesting Gothic convention seems to be that a character travels from far away
to visit or live in a new location for a job or some reason of their own and discover that
something in the house or its owners is amiss. This situation is the case in Dracula, “The Turn of
the Screw,” and to a small degree Udolpho, as well. The newcomer has a job upon coming to the
new residence, which is to figure out what is wrong or different, what their role is in the
situation, save others from impending doom, and to fix the evil or supernatural situation as soon
as possible, if at all possible. Morgan elaborates on the newcomer’s process, as well:
“Archetypally enough, it falls to the visitor to determine the nature of his host’s malady and to
restore him to wellness. In Henry James’s “The Turn of the Screw,” it is two children who are
unwell and whose estate is beleaguered; the arriving governess attempts heroically to get to the
bottom of the malevolent influence, the occult siege that embraces the Bly property, and to
rescue the children” (Morgan 160). For being a newcomer, the governess has a lot of
responsibility on her shoulders, but her newness to the situation is exactly what makes her
perfect for the situation. For the other characters, she can remain objective and unbiased. For the
readers, she can enable the readers to experience it at the same time she does, creating more
horror at the discovery than if the readers had already expected evil to happen.
Henry James’s writing in “The Turn of the Screw” is elusive and inconclusive. While the
text can suggest something, none of the evil is said outright or even experienced directly, other
than through the governess. Bodies of Horror defines James’s writing style a little more: “There
is a great deal of Jamesian evasion and verbal roundaboutness as regards the evil and defilement
that prevail at the Bly estate; it is talked around, hinted at, suggested - creating a hovering sense
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of anxiety” (Morgan 172). This writing style also creates anxiety with regard to the sexual
suggestions the text makes about the children with the former maid and valet. The writing can be
definitely suggesting something sexual or something commonplace, as Morgan illustrates here:
“Certainly sexual implications are more than allowed for by the phrasing employed here . . . The
dialogue bobs and weaves and teases - perhaps violation of class distinction is being referred
to” (Morgan 173). When sexual matters are implied in the text, interpretations on them suggest
the corruption of the individual.
The text does suggest a sort of sexual corruption in the children. Mrs. Grose reveals that
the maid and the valet each had their way with the children, also implying that the maid had
encounters with Flora while the valet had encounters with Miles. Homosexuality, especially at
the time of the publication of this novella, could be associated with corruption. Morgan further
delves into the context of “The Turn of the Screw”: “Corruption might . . . be the word Victorians
would apply to initiating other boys into homosexuality at a public school, arguably the implied
offense that merited Miles’s expulsion” (Morgan 173). The idea that humanity can be corrupt in
more than one way suggests something about human nature and how the Gothic is able to depict
every kind of human fallacy, even the most horrifying.
The Haunting
The Haunting (1963) is a film based on Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting of Hill
House, and it is important to add this film to the course's curriculum for Gothic literature. The
Haunting is crucial to the course curriculum because it presents new conventions of Gothic
literature. The Haunting also adds to Gothic literature because it discusses female roles in a
distinct way from The Mysteries of Udolpho.
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This film's use of the supernatural helps challenge a former female role, where a woman
is submissive and subservient in nature. In The Haunting, Eleanor leaves her house after many
years of caring for her elderly mother. Now that she does not have the responsibility of caring for
her mother, Eleanor must develop a new role and identity. Eleanor gladly leaves her house,
seemingly in search of herself. Although she seems to free herself from being cloistered up in a
house taking care of someone, Eleanor is taken in by the house and, more horrifyingly, the house
seems to want her back. Eleanor constantly mentions how the house wishes her to stay forever,
which compels her to go up the spiral stairs on what seemed like a suicidal mission, to wander
around the house, to be scared of the house upon arriving, and to finally take over the car and
crash back into the property instead of leaving Hill House.
The supernatural in The Haunting is distinct from the use of the supernatural in the other
novels in that what haunts Hill House is not a ghost, but the house itself. In the end, Eleanor
believes the house wants her. Another new element seen in The Haunting is that Eleanor does not
think for herself but the thoughts come to her, presumably from the house. This idea does not
change from the novel to the film. Morgan describes the external thinking that warns Eleanor to
leave upon her arrival, which happens both in the novel and the film: “What Eleanor Vance is
‘thinking’ within Hill House is often presented as perhaps being thought to her by some genus
loci: ‘She shivered and thought, the words coming freely into her mind, Hill House is vile, it is
diseased; get away from here at once’ ( . . . Jackson, Hill House 33)” (Morgan 190). With this
interpretation in mind, the novel and the film both seem to suggest that the horror of the story is
not being able to think for one's self, as Eleanor is unable to do when the house's thoughts invade
her mind with warnings to leave and, later on, desires to stay forever.
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Another interesting aspect of The Haunting and its novel by Jackson is how much of the
supernatural is Eleanor's psychological doing and how much is actually supernatural. Morgan
also comments on this topic: “Nor in The Haunting are we sure where to locate Hill House in the
place-person continuum 'To what extent may the “derangement of Hill House” be blamed on the
derangement of the people who were, are, and probably will be in it? . . . Is there something
wrong with that spiral staircase in the library or just the clumsy people who try to climb it? . . .
(Ligotti, Nightmare xiv)” (Morgan 192). The film seems to attribute the house's supernatural
events to the house itself more than Eleanor because Theo is also frightened by the house at one
point when she is with Eleanor. The house as the cause of the supernatural events could suggest
that Eleanor's role is thrust onto her in the same manner that the house's thoughts invade her
mind. The film seems to suggest that society, or some other external entity, is responsible for
women's limited, submissive, and subservient roles. Therefore, The Haunting adds to Gothic
literature because of its use of the supernatural in the haunted house as a means to describe
gender roles in society.
The Haunting also adds to the Gothic in that the surroundings in Hill House are very
ornate and with disturbing designs. In the film, Eleanor spends the better part of a scene lost in
thought in the grooves of the wallpaper. This detail in the setting gives a mysterious and complex
feel to the story. The ornate detail in the surroundings add to the mystery in the film because
Eleanor loses herself in the details of the house. She is often staring rather closely to some parts
of the house, this wallpaper included.
Because of its use of the supernatural to address female roles in society and because of its
use of detail to create a mysterious feel, The Haunting contributes to the Gothic and deserves to
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be on the course curriculum for Gothic literature.
Psycho
Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is also included for the Gothic literature course because it
takes a different spin on the unconscious and how the unconscious is used to emphasizes the
horrifyingly evil parts of human nature. Psycho also uses the body differently than Frankenstein
does, showing the body’s vulnerability. Psycho also deals with an estate that is far away from the
rest of civilization, which emphasizes how dependent people are on each other for their survival.
Psycho uses the unconscious in a different way than Frankenstein in that the unconscious
becomes an entirely new character within another person, who remains unaware. The film is not
only horrific because of Marion’s murder, but it is increasingly horrific after the psychiatrist’s
explanation for Norman Bates’s behavior. The psychiatrist explains that when Norman killed his
mother’s boyfriend and his mother in a jealous rage that stemmed from his strong attachment to
his mother. The unconscious is also evident here in that he develop a romantic, jealous sentiment
towards his mother’s boyfriend, which displays an attachment to his mother that may have been
too close for a mother-son relationship. The unconscious also makes this story more horrifying
because the psychiatrist mentions that Norman missed his mother so much that he developed an
additional split personality that identically resembles the personality of his mother. Despite his
jealousy or perhaps after the jealous rage ended, Norman missed his mother so much that his
unconscious developed another personality in order to keep the illusion that she still lived alive.
Norman, himself, however, remains unaware that his mother is really just a projection of his own
unconscious’s making. The unconscious in this story adds to the Gothic the ability of the victim
and the perpetrator to be contained in one body, through one mind that is split and not completely
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aware while another part of the mind is, on a deeper level, simultaneously aware. Because of this
new way that the unconscious can affect the story and Gothic literature in general, Psycho has
been added among the course texts.
This film also exposes the vulnerability of the body in more than one way. Physically,
Marion’s body in the shower leaves an impression upon viewers, as Morgan explains: “It is
understandable that the shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho, one wherein a naked body, the
image of exposure to harm, is materialized, violated, and radically unmade, occupies such a
predominant place in contemporary popular cultural memory” (Morgan 73). The naked body
reveals how physically vulnerable Marion is, and when the murder is committed, the naked body
also emphasizes how horrifying and brutal the murder is because the vulnerability previously
shown had been used to help the murderer out. In this interpretation, the body and its
vulnerabilities add to Gothic literature because they can emphasize the brutality of evil human
acts, such as murder.
The body also remains vulnerable to the unconscious in a way that can add to the Gothic.
Norman’s unconscious seems to take control over his body, and perhaps, any of his actual
thoughts and desires, whatever they may be. Norman’s unconscious split personality reveals a
possible side of human nature that no one may want to see, which makes this film horrific, as
well. By seeing Norman’s unconscious characterized through his “Mother” persona, people may
become aware how they may not be in as much control of their own thoughts and behaviors as
they would like. The unconscious reveals a lack of control that is personally invasive a human.
The unconscious, therefore adds to the Gothic, the vulnerability and lack of control that people
may have over their very own thoughts and actions.
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Finally, the remoteness of Bates Motel adds to the film because it emphasizes how
dependent people are on each other and the rest of civilization in times of need. When Marion
screams in the shower, the remoteness of the hotel highlights how horrifying her situation
because the viewer knows that no one will hear her and come to her rescue. If Marion, instead,
had been in an apartment in New York City, the chances of someone hearing her cries and
coming to her aid would be higher, but the film does not gives the viewers that illusion for which
to hope in the end. Psycho is also included in the course curriculum because of how it uses a
remote location to highlight the vulnerability of a person who is alone and the terrible situation
the characters find themselves in.
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Works Cited
Botting, Fred. Frankenstein. London: MacMillan, 1995.
Clery E. J. and Robert Miles, eds. Gothic Documents: A sourcebook 1700-1820. Manchester:
Manchester University Press, 2000. Print.
Aikin, John and Anna Laetitia Aikin. "On the Pleasure Derived from Objects of Terror;
with Sir Bertrand, A Fragment." Clery and Miles. 127-132.
Drake, Nathan. "On Objects of Terror." Clery and Miles. 160-163.
Radcliffe, Ann. "On the Supernatural in Poetry." Clery and Miles. 163-172.
Castle, Terry. “The Spectralization of the Other in The Mysteries of Udolpho.” The New
Eighteenth Century: Theory, Politics, English Literature. Ed. Felicity Nussbaum and
Laura Brown. New York: Methven, 1987. 231-257. Print.
Hogle, Jerrold E., ed. Frankenstein’s Dream: A Romantic Circles Praxis Volume. College Park:
University of Maryland, 2003. Online.
Hitchcock, Alfred, dir. Psycho. Screenplay Joseph Stephano from novel by Robert Black.
Hollywood: Paramount/Universal, 1960.
James, Henry. “The Turn of the Screw.” 1898. Project Gutenberg. Online. http://
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/209.
Lewis, Matthew Gregory. The Monk. Book Pubber, 1 July 1996. Ebook.
Morgan, Jack. The Biology of Horror: Gothic Film and Literature. Carbondale: Southern Illinois
University Press, 2002. Print.
Poovey, Mary. “Ideology and The Mysteries of Udolpho.” Criticism. Detroit: Wayne State
University Press, 1979. 307-331. Print
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Punter, David. The Literature of Terror: A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the Present
Day. London: Longman, 1996. Print.
Radcliffe, Ann. The Mysteries of Udolpho. The Floating Press, 1 May 2009. Ebook.
Radcliffe, Ann. “On the Supernatural in Poetry.” New York Monthly Magazine volume 16, no 1.
(1826). p. 145-152. Online. http://www.litgothic.com/Texts/radcliffe_sup.pdf
Ringel, Faye. New England’s Gothic Literature: History and Folklore of the Supernatural From
the Seventeenth Through the Twentieth Centuries. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press,
1995. Print.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. BookByte, 3 Feb 2011. Ebook.
Smith, Andrew. Gothic Literature. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. Print.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. BookByte Digital, 29 Mar 2011. Ebook
Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. 1764. Ebook.
Wise, Robert, dir. The Haunting. Screenplay Nelson Gidding from novel by Shirley Jackson.
UK: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1963.