LFU:online

Institut für Amerikastudien Institut für Amerikastudien

Manuela Adrigan Manuela Adrigan

610005

American Literature: Southern Gothic Literature ? A Survey

PS 2

5

wöch.

semestral

Englisch

To outline the genre of Southern Gothic literature while practicing close-reading and the interpretation of literature

In the American South, the past has a firm hold on people. A strong sense of tradition, community, family, and conformity prevails and comforts Southerners. Outsiders suffer isolation and loneliness. These outsiders are the protagonists in Southern Gothic literature. Whether excluded by race, physical appearance, religious beliefs, sexual preference, or supernatural influence Gothic literature is inhabited by a variety of fascinating characters. In the proseminar we will explore Southern Gothic literature as a genre and investigate its specific traits and topics. Outlining the most prominent features of the genre we will look at plays, prose and poetry. We will focus on elements of the macabre and the grotesque, which most clearly present the specificities of the genre. Works that will be discussed include: poetry by Edgar Alan Poe, Tennessee Williams _A Streetcar Named Desire_, Anne Rice _Interview with the Vampire_, Carson McCullers _Ballad of the Sad Café_, Charlaine Harris _Southern Vampire Mysteries_, and Cormac McCarthy _The Road_.

Introduction to the topic, discussion, presentation of papers

Active class participation, term paper (10-15 pages), presentation of papers.

Anmeldevoraussetzung/en im BA: positive Beurteilung der Pflichtmodule 3 und 16 Anmeldevoraussetzung im Lehramtsstudium: VO2: Introduction to American Literary Studies Entspricht im Lehramtsstudium (344): PS2: American Literature
Beginn: 7.3.2012