Hi Class,

 

Great class today!

Remember, when you are confused or lost when reading gothic texts, it may be that the author and narrator WANT you to be lost. We might think of this as just one more reason to note how important liminality is to the gothic (between states of understanding).

For Thursday:

  1. Read the Wikipedia entry for R.L. Stevenson
  2. Read the first chapter of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
  3. Define Romanticism and Victorianism
  4. Ponder the following two questions related to David Stevens’ The Gothic Tradition and write your reflections in your notebook:
    1. If the Enlightenment was a reaction against blind adherence to tradition, was the gothic a reaction against Enlightenment reason and rationalism? Further, was the gothic a desire to return to tradition?
    2. What are the similarities and differences between religious indoctrination and Enlightenment education?

As a side note, I want to point out that Stevens and other critics have raised the idea that the gothic became popular to a combination of forces: free time to read + public education +  book publishing industry and distribution + circulating libraries.

 

Best wishes,

Prof. Scanlan

Ps: Relevant to the Victorian age and Dr. Jekyll: http://www.explainthatstuff.com/timeline.html