Ann Radcliffe
BA Seminar / University of Zürich / Autumn Term 2010 / Tuesday: 12:15–13:45
In the 'Eye of the Power' (1980) Michel Foucault refers to Ann Radcliffe (1764—1823) as the author who like no other could convey the cultural turn occurring during her lifetime in her writings. Bearing Foucault's appraisal in mind, we will explore the life and works of Ann Radcliffe, who is considered to be 'the mother of gothic fiction' and was one of the best-selling English authors at the turn of the 19th century. We will do close readings of several of her novels in conjunction with both her predecessors and her contemporaries. Finally we will also look at her legacy in the contemporary film and TV culture.
21/09 (1) Introduction
28/09 (2) Screening: Rebecca (A. Hitchcock, 1940)
5/10 (3) Screening: Suspiria (D. Argento, 1977)
12/10 (4) Gothic chronotopes.
19/10 (5) Gothic sights.
26/10 (6) Gothic times.
2/11 (7) Gothic voices.
9/11 (8) Gothic family.
16/11 (9) Gothic heroines.
23/11 (10) Gothic heroines (cont.)
30/11 (11) Gothic heroes.
7/12 (12) Gothic villains.
14/12 (13) Death, terror and violence.
21/12 (14) Happy endings.
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Text and Films
Ann Radcliffe:
– A Sicilian Romance (Oxford World's Classic Edition)
– The Romance of the Forest (Oxford World's Classic Edition)
– The Mysteries of Udolfo (Oxford World's Classic Edition)
– The Italian (Oxford World's Classic Edition)
Please have your copies of four Radcliffe’s novels with you each session starting from the 26th of October.
Rebecca (A. Hitchcock, 1940)
Suspiria (D. Argento, 1977)
Excepts and/or chapters from following primary texts will also be discussed during the class:
Ann Radcliffe: The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne.
Horace Walpole: The Castle of Otranto.
Matthew G. Lewis: The Monk.
Charles Maturin: Melmoth the Wanderer.
Marquis de Sade: Justine.
E.T.A. Hoffmann: Das Fräulein von Scuderi (eng.: Mademoiselle de Scuderi)
Thomas Harris: Hannibal
Online source for gothic fiction: http://www.litgothic.com/index_fl.html
Additional and theoretical texts will be distributed at the beginning of the term.