Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0226 - Gothic Shadows: The Thriller as Genre in Film and Literature

The course explores the thriller as a popular literary and film genre. An amalgam of intrigue, suspense, and mystery, the thriller evolved from Gothic romance novels and both Victorian adventure tales and 'sensation' (crime) fiction in response to shifting social anxieties. We focus on two influential forms of the genre: Gothic-influenced romantic thrillers dramatizing threats to women and the constraints of the domestic sphere; and espionage stories and related crime thrillers reflecting fears of deception, conspiracy, war, and the pursuit of power and wealth. Thrillers evoke a world of psychological and existential uncertainty, where everyday life is infused by suspicion and paranoia and where haunting and psychological doubles express the complexity of identity. Classic thriller novels and films as well as contemporary reformulations and queering of the genre will be discussed. Readings (besides the novels) include articles in film and genre criticism. Keywords: Literature, Film, Genre, Gothic, Thriller

Students in this course can generally expect to spend 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.