Pasadena City College
Debra Bronstein
English 25 E: Literature of Horror (Gothic Fiction)
Monday/Wednesday 1:00-2:30 at St. Hilda’s College (classroom tba)
Cell phone: 07974 946818
Email: dlbronstein@pasadena.edu
Office Hours: by appointment only (we’ll meet for tea!)
Required Texts:
Walpole: Castle of Otranto
Beckford: Vathek
Shelley: Frankenstein
Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey
Stoker: Dracula
Web postings (tbd)
Course Description:
The course includes reading and discussion of recurring motifs and archetypes in the Gothic
novel and short stories of horror; analysis of the psychological implications of such types as the
doppelganger, the shadow, the anima. The course traces the Gothic mode from its origin in
superstition and magic through the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries.
Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to....
1. Analyze the psychological motifs in horror fiction.
2. Evaluate the impact of horror and the Gothic on the literature of
today (psychological
novel, SF, detective story, etc.) by comparing
early works to contemporary works, both
in writing and in discussion.
3. Explain how the popular literature of the eighteenth and nineteenth
century relates
to today's novels of horror.
Prerequisite:
Eligibility for English 1A
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
1. Recognize Gothic motifs in horror literature
2. Compare themes and motifs in eighteenth and nineteenth century Gothic novels to twentieth
century
3.Ananlyze the psychological motifs in horror fiction through essays and class discussion
Grading:
Your final grades will be calculated on the basis of your written work and your class
participation. I will grade you on the quality of writing, organization, analytical thought, and
grammar. If your paper does not present a clear thesis statement, follow the assignment, or
include textual references, or if it contains numerous grammatical errors, it will not pass. The
breakdown is as follows:
Participation: 20 points
Explication Papers: 10 points each
Play Response Papers/Field Trip Response Papers: 10 points each
Final Exam: 100 points
Extra Credit: 10 points.
Attendance and Participation:
You are expected to attend all meetings of this course.
Participation:
 By taking an active part in the class, you will be able to help shape the discussion to
match your interests. This course is a chance for you to develop your own ideas and is a
great opportunity to receive instant feedback from your peers and instructor.
 Active participation includes:
Keeping up with reading and in class discussion
Asking and answering questions directly related to the reading and discussion
Working respectfully with your peers in group work (carrying your own weight in the group,
but not dominating or silencing other members)
Reading aloud when called on and performing close textual analysis when called upon.
Coming prepared with questions to ask of the text, your peers, and myself
Late Papers:
No late papers will be accepted. If you miss class, you will not be permitted to turn in your
explication paper later in the week or at the next class session. You will receive a 0 for that
explication paper. If you miss one explication paper, your extra credit assignment can take the
place of that 0. Please be aware that these explication papers add up and a missed one can make
the difference between an A and a B. You are not permitted to miss the final exam. Doing so will
automatically cause you to fail the course.
Classroom Decorum:
Students must give constructive input to the class so that all can learn. This means you must be
focused and engaged with the material during class time. I value a fun and engaging classroom
environment; however, in order to maintain the integrity of the classroom, you must follow these
rules:
No reading of outside material.
Be respectful of other’s opinions.
If you are absent, you should be responsible and get the notes from a friend in class.
Do not leave the room while the class is in session.
Turn off all cell phones and beepers during class.
Class Calendar
Subject to change as we progress through the semester depending on the needs of the class and
activities in Oxford.
Arrival Week:
Saturday: 3/5: Tour of Oxford
Week 1 (counting by instructional time in Oxford)
Mon 3/7: Walking tour through Oxford to explore Gothic and Neo-Gothic architecture
Wed 3/9: Eighteenth and nineteenth-century background to the Gothic movement
These excerpts will be posted on the portal
 Burke: Sublime and the Beautiful (excerpts)
 Aiken: “On the Pleasure Derived from Objects of Terror”
 Ann Radcliffe's "On the Supernatural in Poetry." The New Monthly Magazine
(1826): 145-52.
 reactions of the Romantic poets to Gothic literature
 [ Supernatural Horror in Literature by H.P. Lovecraft (1935). Some insightful
 reflections on the early Gothics by the 20th century master of "Weird Fiction."]
Friday 3/11: London Trip. (Field Trip Response Paper for the Tower of London: 10 points)
Week 2
Mon 3/14
Wed 3/16
Essays on the Gothic Novel (photocopies)
Gothic Poetry (will be posted on the website)
Coleridge: Christabel etc.
Friday 3/18: Stonehenge and Bath trip (Field Trip Response Paper for Bath: on Austen and
Bath: 10 points)
Week 3:
Mon 3/21 Walpole: Castle of Otranto
Wed 3/23 Walpole: Castle of Otranto (explication paper due at the beginning of class: 10
points)
Week 4:
Mon 3/28 Beckford: Vathek
Wed 3/30 Beckford Vathek (explication paper due at the beginning of class: 10 points)
Thursday 3/31: Stratford Trip.
Week 5:
Mon 4/4 Shelley: Frankenstein
Wed 4/6 Shelley: Frankenstein (explication paper due at the beginning of class: 10 points)
Spring Break Friday 4/8- Sunday 4/17 Have fun! 
Week 6:
Mon 4/ 18 Austen: Northanger Abbey
Wed 4/20 Austen: Northanger Abbey (explication paper due at the beginning of class: 10
points)
Week 7:
Mon 4/25: Bank Holiday: No class (Hope you had a great long weekend!)
Wed 4/27: London Trip (We will see Horace Walpole’s house, Strawberry Hill and go on
the Ghost Walking tour through London) Field Trip Response Paper due at the next class
session on Wed of Week 8 (10 points).
Week 8:
Mon 5/2: Bank Holiday for May Day Celebrations! Enjoy the Oxford tradition!
Wed 5/4 Stoker: Dracula
Week 9
Mon 5/9 Stoker: Dracula (Explication paper due at the beginning of class: 10 points)
Wed: 5/11: Final Exam