Studies in Literature and Film (386-0-20)

Topic

Victorian Monsters on Page and Screen (Post 1830)

Instructors

Elizabeth Mary Winter

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-420: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

From vampires and goblins to mad scientists and reanimated corpses, the monsters that stalked the pages of Victorian fiction continue to haunt our screens today. What do these monsters reveal about the subconscious fears and forbidden desires embedded in Victorian culture? Does Frankenstein's monster offer commentary on colonial rebellion? And how does Dracula's bloodlust reflect anxieties about queer sexuality? In this course we'll examine how writers used supernatural tales and monstrous creations to grapple with the industrial, scientific and colonial revolutions sweeping the British Empire. Turning to these same monsters' modern reincarnations in the second half of the course, we will also ask what their persistence into twenty-first century media has to say about our culture today. What shifting concerns about gender, class, race and science explain these monsters' enduring appeal - or altered appearances? Along the way, we'll think about adaptation, genre, and why these nineteenth-century figures remain the blueprint for many of today's blockbusters.

Evaluation Method

In a creative midterm assignment, students will design their own monsters, producing both a visual representation and a critical essay explaining its theoretical underpinnings and its engagement with a particular historical context.

Class Materials (Required)

"Jabberwocky" (1872), "Goblin Market" (1862), and Frankenstein (1818) and Dracula (1897). Modern reworkings of these monsters may include The Bride! (2026), The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) and Sinners (2026).

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for English and Creative Writing students.