Eng 205.001: Gothic Subjects
Instructor: Brian Olszewski
Wells Hall 112 T-TH 12:40 -2:00
Office: Morrill Hall 107
Office Hours: T and Th 2:30 - 3:30 at the Main Library Cybercafe
Email:
Description: This semester we will study a selection of novels, short stories and films to explore various coordinates of the gothic in British literature. A form of literature that rose to heights of popularity during the late eighteenth century, gothic narratives remain popular today in the form of graphic novels, video games, television shows (Buffy, X-Files, Ghost Whisperer) and films (insert horror film here). As an introduction to gothic literature this course will serve as a broad overview to a number of issues related to or that inform the gothic’s nebulous terrain. Some of the issues that we may explore as we map the contours of the gothic include those of sexuality, technology, class and race.
Course Objectives: While further developing writing, reading and analytical skills, members of the class will:
Identify gothic literature historically and aesthetically
Link the contemporary gothic imagination to its historical antecedents
Explain the psychological and aesthetic appeal of the gothic in literature
Required Texts:
Turn of the Screw, Henry James
Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
Swamp Thing: The Curse, Alan Moore
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
Confessions of an Opium-Eater, Robert De Quincey
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, Angela Carter
Short Stories in PDF format that will be sent to the class
Attendance
Your attendance at every class meeting is required. You are allowed three absences; save these for illness, major religious holidays, funerals, court dates, job interviews, etc. For each additional absence beyondthree, your final grade will be lowered .10. Should a medical or family emergency arise that will require your absence beyond four classes, please notify me as soon as possible. You will be expected to provide documentation from a physician or hospital and to make up missed work. Students who will use one or more of their absences to observe a major religious holiday may make up missed course work only if they make arrangements in advance with me. If a conflict arises between your obligation to attend class and an obligation to the University, it is your responsibility to see me in advance, to hand in all assignments on time, and to make up work missed during your absence. Also note that I do not distinguish between excused/unexcused absences except in special circumstances, especially after the three-limit mark.
Students whose names do not appear on the official class list for this course and section may not attend this section.
Grades
Course grades will be based on the following percentages:
Participation10%
Papers40% (2 x 20%)
Reading Responses25%
Final Exam 25%
Students must complete both papers and the final examination in order to receive a passing grade in the course.
Participation
In-class speaking, in-class activities, and active, responsive listening. Participation is a crucial element in this class. It includes in-class activities and discussions, as well as in-class writings. Simply showing up for class does not by itself constitute participation. You are expected to present your informed ideas as well as to listen and show respect for the others in the classroom.
Participation is mental attendance in the course. You will be graded on how much you contribute to the learning environment of the class. This means that if you do not contribute to class discussions then you will receive an average participation grade at best. Doing crossword puzzles, reading the paper and the lkde also will hinder this portion of your final grade. Behavior that disrespects or hinders the learning process in the class will be penalized, as well.
Repeated tardiness will negatively affect your participation grade. You cannot fully participate in the class if you frequently miss part of class sessions, and you are disrupting the flow of the class as a whole when you come in late. Therefore, even if you actively participate in class discussions when you are in class, your participation grade will suffer if you are chronically late.
Papers
The two papers you write this semester will be 4-5 pages in length and double-spaced. These papers will reflect the intellectual work you have been doing in the course and will require the use of course materials (readings, films, handouts, etc.). Grades, in part, will be based on four equally important criteria: 1) formulation of intellectual problem/response to topic; 2) knowledge of subject; 3) analysis, interpretation and creativity, and 4) clarity of purpose, organization, language, and mechanics. However, the papers you write for this class will not necessarily only be analytical in nature. There will be creative and personal options that will allow you to respond to the texts we read in various ways. I will discuss paper options in greater details when I circulate the first paper prompt.
All Papers are due at the beginning of class on the days they are due. For each day a paper is late, .25 will be deducted from the grade for the paper. Thus a paper due on Thursday that is handed in Tuesday is five days later and will receive a grade 1.0 lower than if it has been handed in on Thursday.
I do not accept e-mailed essays as final drafts, so be forewarned.
Reading Responses
These assignments require you to discuss the importance of some formal aspect, theme or passage from a text that we read this semester. I may prompt you to consider a specific issue in some responses, but there will be times that you will have to come up with your own topic to explore. Reading responses are similar to mini-themes and should be one-page in length, although you may use smaller fonts and smaller margins if needed. I will handout a primer for reading responses and discuss them at length before the first one is due.
Late reading responses will not be accepted. Turn them in on time.
Final Exam
The final will be cumulative and will possibly contain quote identifications, short-answer questions and an essay question.
Academic Integrity
In accordance with MSU’s policies on “Protection of Scholarship and Grades” and “Integrity of Scholarship and Grades,” students in Eng 205 are expected to honor principles of truth and honesty in their academic work. Academic honesty entails, among other things, that students will not plagiarize. This means (1) students will not submit someone else’s work as their own (e.g., they will not submit another student’s paper or video etc., nor will they hand in a paper copied from the web or another published source). Academic honesty also means students (2) will not knowingly permit another student to copy and submit their work as that student’s own and (3) will not use unacknowledged quotations or paraphrases as part of their work. As provided by university policy, such academic dishonesty or plagiarism may be penalized by a failing grade on the assignment or for the course. Failure in a course as a result of academic dishonesty will also result in written notification to the student’s academic dean of the circumstances. Additional discussion of cheating or academic dishonesty is available on the Ombudsman’s webpage: <
Resources for Students
The Writing Center offers students opportunity meet with one-on-one with a consultant while they are engaged in the process of writing class papers and other documents. It also offers consulting on digital writing projects and Grammar Hotline. The Writing Center is located in 300 Bessey Hall. For information about appointments and satellite locations, see
The ESL Writing Lab will assist students with all aspects of their work in ENG 232, including understanding of course readings to be used in writing papers, planning and revising papers, and proofreading, see for more information and instructions on making appointments.
The Learning Resource Center, located in 120 Bessey Hall, offers academic support seminars and workshops, consults with students about study and learning styles and time management, and provides one-on-one tutoring in such areas as critical reading. For a more detailed description of LRC services and hours, see
Note to Students with Disabilities
It is Michigan State University’s policy to not discriminate against qualified students with documented disabilities in its educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for accommodations in this course, contact your instructor and the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities. The RCDP is located in 120 Bessey Hall. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (voice). Instructors should be notified as early in the semester as possible.
Reading Schedule
(Subject to alterations as needed)
Gothic Terrains
Week I
T 1/08TH 1/10
Intro/SyllabusIntro to the Gothic
Week II
T 1/15TH 1/17
Turn of the ScrewTurn of the Screw
Reading Response I Due
Week III
T 1/22TH 1/24
Film ScreeningFilm Screening and Discussion
Week IV
T 1/29 GothicRomanceTH 1/31
RebeccaRebecca
Reading Response II Due
Week V
T 2/5Monsters/MonstrositiesTH 2/7
Swamp ThingSwamp Thing
Week VI
T 2/12TH 2/14
FrankensteinFrankenstein
Reading Response III Due
Week VII
T 2/19TH 2/21
Film: AlienDiscussion of Alien
Paper I Due
Week VII
T 2/26TH 2/28
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Reading Response IV Due
Week VIII
T 3/4TH 3/6
Spring Break No Classes
Week IX
T 3/11Chemical GothicTH/13
Confessions Confessions
Reading Response V Due
Week X
T 3/18TH 3/20
“Eve of St. Agnes”“Wireless”
(PDF File)“The Ride of Morrowbie Jukes”
(PDF Files)
Reading Response VI Due
Gothic Visions and Revisions
Week XI
T 3/25TH 3/25
Dorian GrayDorian Gray
Reading Response VII Due
Week XII
T 4/1TH 4/3
“The Bell in the Fog”“The Portrait”
(PDF File)(PDF File)
Reading Response VIII Due
Week XIII
T 4/8TH 4/10
The Bloody ChamberThe Bloody Chamber
Bonus Reading Response Due
Week XIV
T 4/15TH 4/17
Film: Mary ReillyDiscuss Mary Reilly
Week XV
T 4/22TH 4/24
ReviewNo Class
SIRS/Wrap up
Paper II Due
Week XVI
Final Exam: Tuesday, 4/29 12:45 - 2:45