Overview
In this unit students will explore the gothic mode in both contemporary culture as well as in the historical sense. Through study of a range of films, literature, artforms, media and journalism as well as critical commentary, students will be given an opportunity to discuss and debate important issues of sexual identity, the relation between nature and culture, and popular pleasure through transgressive style.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: Minimum of 18 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Some of the links to resources did not work, or were no longer available.
All links be reviewed in Moodle as part of the pre-term update.
Feedback from Student evaluation
The assessment topics were too broad.
Assessment topics to be reviewed and rewritten as necessary.
- Discuss the Western Gothic as it has manifested itself across a range of cultural texts including film and literature from its inception in the eighteenth century up to the present.
- Discuss the Gothic's transgressive mode, particularly the way in which this problematises questions of gender and sexuality.
- Demonstrate further development of your analytical and written communication skills.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 25% | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 25% | |||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 25% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 25% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Dracula
(2003)
Authors: Stoker, Bram
Penguin
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780141439846
Binding: Paperback
Gothic: the new critical idiom
(2014)
Authors: Botting, F.
Routledge
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780415831727
Binding: Paperback
Handbook of Gothic literature
(1998)
Authors: Mulvey, L.
Palgrave Macmillan
Houndsmill, Basingstoke Houndsmill, Basingstoke , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780333670699
Binding: Paperback
Perfume: the story of a murder
(2010)
Authors: Suskind, P.
Penguin
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780141041155
Binding: Paperback
The Monk
(1998)
Authors: Lewis, M.
Vintage - Random House
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780140436037
Binding: Paperback
The White Hotel
(1999)
Authors: Thomas, D. M.
Orion Publishing Co.
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780753809259
Binding: Paperback
Three Gothic novels (includes Castle of Otranto, Vathek, and Frankenstein)
Edition: any (1974)
Authors: Walpole, H
Penguin
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780140430363
Binding: Paperback
Wuthering Heights
Edition: any (2009)
Authors: Bronte, E.
Penguin
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780141326696
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates (ISBN 9780330357920) is out of print. However, you can purchase paperback copies from Fishpond, or an ebook version or Kindle Edition from Amazon or other publishers. Copies may also be purchased via Ebay.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom account (Free)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.dodd@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction: Explorations in the Gothic.
In this unit you will examine the essential Gothic themes of horror, death and romance and explore some of the major issues raised by the genre across a number of literary and filmic texts.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 1: Introduction
Mulvey-Roberts:
- Introduction
Events and Submissions/Topic
Botting, Fred 2014, Gothic (The new critical idiom), Routledge.
Mulvey-Roberts, Marie 1998, The Handbook to Gothic Literature, Routledge.
Module/Topic
The Castle of Otranto (1764), Horace Walpole
The earliest accepted Gothic novel, Walpole, a British Earl, was among the very first to incorporate the iconography of Romance woven into a story of horror, tragedy and romantic love.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 2: Gothic origins
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Walpole, Horace'
- 'Death'
Events and Submissions/Topic
A voluntary Zoom session will be scheduled before the due date for Assessment Item 1. Please check the moodle unit site (see 'Assessment' block) for details.
This session will be recorded and available for download soon thereafter.
If you have questions about the assessment item, but cannot attend the Zoom session, please post your questions on the Assignment 1 Discussion forum.
Module/Topic
Vathek (1786), William Beckford
Originally written in French, the narrative tells an elegantly-crafted story of sensuality, pride and violence when the ill-fated Caliph Vathek of Baghdad makes a pact with the Devil.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 3: Gothic forms
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Beckford, William'
- 'Horror'
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Monk (1796), Matthew Lewis
A story of scandalous, erotic obsession and the corruption of power. This novel was roundly condemned as blasphemous and depraved upon its original and anonymous publication.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 4: Gothic writing in the 1790s
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Lewis, Matthew'
- 'Occultism'
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Frankenstein (1818), Mary Shelley
The story of the Modern Prometheus is a tragedy to rival Shakespeare's best. Set during a period of great social change, the narrative follows the rise of scientific hubris and a tragic descent into madness and oblivion.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 5: Romantic transformations
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Shelley, Mary'
- 'Romanticism'
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Wuthering Heights (1874), Emily Bronte
Published the year before Bronte's death, initial reviews for the novel were divided. Not only were its depictions of mental and physical cruelty bleak and confronting, but it openly challenged the social mores of the day.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 6: Homely gothic
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Brontë, Emily'
- 'The Brontës'
Events and Submissions/Topic
A voluntary Zoom session will be scheduled before the due date for Assessment Item 2. Please check the moodle unit site (see 'Assessment' block) for details.
This session will be recorded and available for download soon thereafter.
If you have questions about the assessment item, but cannot attend the Zoom session, please post your questions on the Assignment 2 Discussion forum.
Module/Topic
Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker
Stoker was not the inventor of the vampyre, but he was the first to bring the notion of the undead into modern fictional narratives. A classic novel of the Gothic genre.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 7: Gothic returns in the 1890s
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Stoker, Bram'
- 'Female gothic'
- 'Vampire'
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The White Hotel (1981), D.M. Thomas
Three narratives or movements examining the erotic fantasies of Lisa Erdman, an opera singer. The narratives overlap to form a chilling and horrific witnessing of the Holocaust in WWII. Short-listed for the Booker Prize.
Chapter
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'The sublime'
- 'The supernatural'
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Perfume (1985), Patrick Suskind
Originally published in German, this episodic narrative of the main character examines how the sense of smell can be taken to extremes, as well as the extremes of murder and moral antipathy that such divergence from a perceived 'normal' may cause.
Chapter
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'German gothic'
- 'Terror'
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Zombie (1995), Joyce Carol Oates
This text looks at the extreme and the gruesome in modern America, offering a diaristic experience of a young serial killer determined to acquire a zombie.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 8: Phamtomodernisms
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Gothic body'
- 'The grotesque'
Events and Submissions/Topic
A voluntary Zoom session will be scheduled before the due date for Assessment Item 3. Please check the moodle unit site (see 'Assessment' block) for details.
This session will be recorded and available for download soon thereafter.
If you have questions about the assessment item, but cannot attend the Zoom session, please post your questions on the Assignment 3 Discussion forum.
Module/Topic
The Unholy (1998) and The Club (1993)
The Gothic edifices in The Club and The Unholy serve as both a setting and a symbolic signifier. Labyrinths, dungeons, burial vaults and confined spaces illustrate the realm of the unconscious.
Chapter
Botting:
- Chapter 9: Consuming monsters
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Monstrosity'
- 'Gothic film'
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Night Train to Venice (1993)
Intrigue, darkness and sexual repression follow the central character in this film where iconic images of the Gothic abound, as do the Jungian archetypes of good and evil.
Chapter
Mulvey-Roberts:
- 'Gothic drama'
- 'The uncanny [Unheimlich]
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
NOTE: Late assignments submitted without an approved extension request may receive a grade but no feedback.
1 Written Assessment
Short Paper: 1500 -1800 words - 25 marks.
Using the structure provided on the unit website (see Week 4 Topic Section). write a short paper on one (1) of the following topics:
In The Castle of Otranto (1764), Walpole blends characteristics of 'ancient' and 'modern' romance. Discuss.
OR
William Beckford's Vathek (1786) explores the price of desire and the cost of pleasure. Discuss.
OR
Matthew Lewis' The Monk (1796) invites readers to believe and not believe in the supernatural. Discuss.
OR
Consult with your lecturer to create your own essay topic on any of the above texts.
Note: The specified word limit for this item (1500 - 1800 words) does not include the reference list. Also, there is a 10%+/- allowable variance over or under the stipulated word count.
Week 5 Monday (6 Aug 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 7 Monday (27 Aug 2018)
The following assessment criteria will be used for this assessment task:
- Does your short paper have a clearly articulated thesis (point of view) that can be considered as an answer to the question and the specific issue/s related to the chosen novel and its critical and theoretical location/s regards the gothic that the question raises?
- Have key terms been clearly defined in a scholarly manner and is the central thesis of the short paper supported with clear arguments supported by relevant evidence from the text(s)?
- Has secondary criticism (at least 3 credible, scholarly sources) been used to support the arguments and does the essay show an understanding of the relevant critical theory regards the gothic that is being called upon?
- Has care been taken with presentation, grammar, expression and spelling (i.e., has the essay been carefully edited)?
- Have all sources been properly acknowledged both in-text and in the reference list using the Harvard Author-date system (i.e., ideas, paraphrases as well as quotations)?
- Discuss the Western Gothic as it has manifested itself across a range of cultural texts including film and literature from its inception in the eighteenth century up to the present.
- Discuss the Gothic's transgressive mode, particularly the way in which this problematises questions of gender and sexuality.
- Demonstrate further development of your analytical and written communication skills.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Written Assessment
Research Paper: 1500 -1800 words - 25 marks
Using the structure provided on the unit website (see Week 7 Topic Section), prepare a formal research paper on one (1) of the following topics:
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) has been the particular focus of some feminist critics given the novel features a number of common themes in the female Gothic tradition: the female body, female sexuality, and unease and concern surrounding reproduction and the birth process. Explore the representation of the female body in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and compare and contrast this representation using one film version of the novel as a reference.
OR
Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1874), with its central theme of a thwarted romance between adoptive brother and sister, skirts very close to incest, and there is a kind of generational curse inspired by this forbidden love that affects subsequent generations. Discuss the concept of forbidden love and the generational curse with reference to the novel and two (2) other gothic texts of your choice (you may choose either a film and another text, or two other novels, or, two films).
OR
Marie Mulvey-Roberts (2016, p. 94) argues that Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) is a 'medical novel, dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of illness, doctors and patients'. Explore this claim with reference to the novel as well as using two films to examine the 'medical' trope and the medicalisation of human bodies and sexuality.
OR
Choose a Gothic film from any era (e.g. Wuthering Heights (1939), The Shining (1980), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Let Me In (2010), The Rite (2011), etc.) which focuses on distinguishing between 'terror' and 'horror'. What unique distinctions between 'terror' and 'horror' emerge in your chosen film(s) and for what purposes?
OR
You may opt to create your own research topic on any of the above texts subject to the lecturer's approval.
Note: The specified word limit for this item (1500 - 1800 words) does not include the reference list. Also, there is a 10%+/- allowable variance over or under the stipulated word count.
Week 9 Wednesday (12 Sept 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 11 Wednesday (26 Sept 2018)
The following assessment criteria will be used for this assessment task:
- Does your essay have a clearly articulated thesis (point of view) that can be considered as a research topic critically examining the specific concern relating to the chosen novel/author/text and its critical and theoretical location/s regards the Gothic that the question/s raised?
- Have key terms been clearly defined in a scholarly manner and is the central thesis of the research paper supported with clear arguments supported by relevant evidence from the text(s)?
- Has secondary criticism (at least 4 credible, scholarly sources) been used to support the arguments and does the research paper show an understanding of the relevant critical theory regards the Gothic that is being called upon?
- Has care been taken with presentation, grammar, expression and spelling (i.e., has the essay been carefully edited)?
- Have all sources been properly acknowledged both in-text and in the reference list using the Harvard Author-date system (i.e., ideas, paraphrases as well as quotations)?
- Discuss the Western Gothic as it has manifested itself across a range of cultural texts including film and literature from its inception in the eighteenth century up to the present.
- Discuss the Gothic's transgressive mode, particularly the way in which this problematises questions of gender and sexuality.
- Demonstrate further development of your analytical and written communication skills.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Written Assessment
Analytical Essay - 2000-2500 words - 50 marks
Using the structure provided on the unit website (see Week 10 Topic Section), write an analytical essay on one (1) of the following topics:
Select at least two substantial journal articles; one from 1960 - 1985 and one from 1986 - 2016. Analyse these critical articles closely with specific reference to their constructions of the 'monstrous'. Analyse how the construction of the monstrous/monstrosity discussed in the critical article/s may affect the reading of one of the set texts for the unit. (Note: You cannot use set texts, novels, or journal articles already used in a previous assessment item.)
OR
A predominant characteristic of the Gothic is a stress on fear. Lyn Pykett (1989) has argued that women writers of Gothic fiction represent the fear of women while simultaneously representing their fantasies of the escape from the feared. Select any one of the unit's set texts by a female writer and compare/contrast it with a film version of the same text. Or, select any one of the unit's set texts by a female writer and compare/contrast it with a different set text by a male writer. Whatever option you choose, identify and discuss the emphasis on fear and critically examine what aspects of the escape from the feared emerge most predominantly in each text and for what purpose? (Note: You cannot use set texts, novels, films, or journal articles already used in a previous assessment item.)
OR
Is there such a thing as a ‘real’ Goth? More and more critical scholarship (Goodlad & Bibby 2007; Healey & Fraser 2017) argues that since its emergence in late 1970s Britain, the anatomy of gothic subculture is a remarkably self-reinventing movement that continuously taps into and departures from the mainstream culture. Choose two set texts studied in this unit to examine the ways in which a set of codified aesthetic rules traceable to Gothic fiction continues to define and influence the style/fashion/ideology of one ‘Goth’ subculture—e.g., ‘Trad-goths’, ‘Romantic goths’, ‘Victorian goths’, ‘Nu goths’, ‘Steampunk’, ‘Pastel goths’, ‘Cyber-goths’, ‘Perky goths’, ‘Corp goths’, etc. What aesthetic aspects of the Gothic does this subculture appropriate from Gothic fiction and for what ideological purpose? What aspects of the Gothic does this subculture rejected and for what ends? (Note: You cannot use set texts, novels, films, or journal articles already used in a previous assessment item.)
OR
To what extent do Gothic narratives stress the concept of the ‘sublime’? Using one theoretical definition of the ‘sublime’, select any two of the unit's set texts, or, one set text and a film version of the same text, to compare/contrast the operation of the ‘sublime’. How do these texts exhibit and emphasise the concept of the ‘sublime’? (Note: You cannot use set texts, novels, films, or journal articles already used in a previous assessment item.)
OR
Write a short story in the Gothic genre and accompany it with a brief justification essay of the specific literary elements and techniques of the Gothic your story incorporates (e.g., themes, tone, characterisation, rising action, suspense, setting, point of view, figurative language, foreshadowing, simile, metaphor, metonym, etc.). If you choose this option, your story should be approximately 1800 words and your justification essay (supported with at least six [6 peer-reviewed, scholarly sources) in the region of 700 words. Please see the Week 10 Topic Section for a Tip Sheet
Note: The specified word limit for this item (2000 - 2500 words) does not include the reference list. Also, there is a 10%+/- allowable variance over or under the stipulated word count.
Week 12 Thursday (4 Oct 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Thursday (18 Oct 2018)
The following assessment criteria will be used for this assessment task:
- Does your essay have a clearly articulated thesis (point of view) that can be considered as a research topic critically examining the specific concern relating to the chosen novel/author/text and its critical and theoretical location/s regards the gothic that the question/s raised?
- Have key terms been clearly defined in a scholarly manner and is the central thesis of the research paper supported with clear arguments supported by relevant evidence from the text(s)?
- Has secondary criticism (at least 6 credible scholarly sources) been used to support the arguments and does the research paper show an understanding of the relevant critical theory regards the gothic that is being called upon?
- Has care been taken with presentation, grammar, expression and spelling (i.e., has the essay been carefully edited)?
- Have all sources been properly acknowledged both in-text and in the reference list using the Harvard Author-date system (i.e., ideas, paraphrases as well as quotations)?
- Discuss the Western Gothic as it has manifested itself across a range of cultural texts including film and literature from its inception in the eighteenth century up to the present.
- Discuss the Gothic's transgressive mode, particularly the way in which this problematises questions of gender and sexuality.
- Demonstrate further development of your analytical and written communication skills.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
