The Gothic: 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein'

Course Overview

This course will cover two key texts of the Gothic genre: 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein'; well-known giants in classic literature. During this course, students will explore in-depth the origins, development and characteristics of the Gothic genre, and its influence on English literature over time. Starting with Bram Stoker's 'Dracula,' students will explore the text's treatment of monstrosity and how the character of the Count is such an enduring figure in literature. They'll explore gender, and the representations of the Victorian male as strong and educated, versus the weak and vulnerable women of the age. Students will then analyse the importance of different geographical locations and settings, and the perilous journeys between them. The course will then examine 'Frankenstein', Mary Shelley's 1818 classic. Students will dive into the themes of science and discovery and how such topics were of such interest to Victorian readers, both positively and negatively. Again, students will look at how 'Frankenstein' unpacks the role of the Monster, its actions and the human response. Students will debate good and evil in the text, and how representations of such change throughout. The course will progress to a complete comparison of the two texts, analysing side by side the novels' treatments of the key themes examined. During which, students will conduct close language analysis and be taken through the fundamentals of English literature. Students will learn how to plan and write comparisons on English literature, as well as practising their oracy, analytical and debating skills. This course will give a comprehensive overview of how to study two classics in English literature and will demonstrate just why these two classics are so revered, and so widely studied all around the world, centuries after their creation.