Though it is widely accepted as a legitimate topic for literature today, the supernatural became an acceptable topic for literary study only very gradually.  This course will trace the development of the supernatural as a literary device and a vehicle for social concerns and cultural tensions from the 18^th c. to the present in a variety of works, including novels and short stories, non-fiction and optional movies. 

Texts

Please use only the editions assigned so we will all be “on the same page” in discussion

Jackson, Shirley.  The Haunting of Hill House.

James, Henry.  The Turn of the Screw.

King, Stephen.  The Shining. 

Stoker, Bram.  Dracula.

Films: All of these films are optional viewing.  There will be forums for discussion during the appropriate weeks but you are not required to view them or discuss them. 

·        Nosferatu (1922, silent; 1990 is also good, but the earlier film was very influential)

·        Any version of Dracula

·        The Haunting (1963) (based on The Haunting of Hill House) (I don’t recommend the 1999 version which barely has a connection to the novel)

·        The Shining (1980)

·        The Innocents (1961) (based on The Turn of the Screw)

Students will access numerous reading assignments in the Pace Library's online reserve site http://library.pace.edu/, (click “Reserves”) and from other online sources.  All documents are .pdf.

You are also assumed to have access to a writing handbook, such as the Little Brown Handbook and a good hardcover dictionary since the quality of your written expression will be important in this course—which is ALL writing!

• ·        Students will complete this class having gained an understanding of how the supernatural functions as a literary device and in what ways it is effective. 

  ·        Students will have begun to make connections between theories of human psychology and influence of depictions of the supernatural on us as readers and viewers. 

  ·        Students will practice close reading and careful writing and will develop and demonstrate these skills in a variety of projects, especially class discussion.

  ·        Students will complete activities that promote improved critical and analytical skills.

  ·        Students will complete a final examination that will test their ability to synthesize the ideas they have encountered during the semester and to express them clearly in standard English.

  Close attention to the use of language enhances critical thinking skills; in a practical sense, the appreciation of the nuances of language enhances the thinking and writing skills one brings to any career. In a less practical (and arguably more significant) sense, the pleasures of language and the enjoyment of literature enrich life in the space that work leaves empty and last long after careers are left behind