Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0266 - Gothic Shadows: The Thriller as Genre in Literature and Film

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 several influential forms of the genre, including 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. A third of the course will also focus on how BIPOC writers and filmmakers have used this popular genre for social critique, to address the social and political dimensions of fear, race relations and racism, and the disenfranchisement of Native Americans. Keywords:Literature, film, genre, Gothic, thriller

Time and Narrative Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time