Description: In this lecture, Dr. Maisha Wester (University of Sheffield) introduces the ideas of the gothic and the grotesque, focusing in particular on: (i) some of the key tropes of Gothic literature, and the extent to which these tropes can be (and have been) mobilized for anti-blackness; (ii) some of the key social, cultural and political anxieties expressed and explored in Gothic literature, and the extent to which these anxieties relate to issues of race; (iii) the concept of the grotesque as a category that blurs the boundary between two apparently separate domains, e.g. living/dead, man/machine, etc.; and (iv) the grotesque in architecture and art, and the blurring of the boundary between centre and margin. Length: 9:01 Source: MASSOLIT. Date: 2022.
Sections: Introduction, Gothic tropes, Gothic color scheme, Gothic theme anxieties, Interlude, The grotesque
Description: In this video, Dr. Jak Peake defines the gothic and discusses how contemporary gothic characters compare to gothic characters in 18th century British literature. Also, Jak explores examples of the gothic in novels such as Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre'. Length: 35:36. Source: University of Essex. Date: 2013.
Sections: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Key Features, The Origin of the Word Gothic, The Visigoths, Horace Walpole, American Gothic, Film Noir, Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter, The Novel Wide Sargasso Sea, The Name of the Monster
Description: Professor John Bowen discusses key motifs in Gothic novels, including the uncanny, the sublime and the supernatural. Filmed at Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham. Length: 8:51. Source: The British Library. Date: 2014
Description: A vampire slaying kit, a manuscript of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', and a letter thought to be written by Jack The Ripper are some of the artifacts in a ghostly exhibition exploring 250 years of gothic literature. In the 1760s, British writer Horace Walpole inadvertently named the gothic genre and it still exists today, inspiring films like the 'Twilight' vampire series. Length: 5:29. Source: AP Archive. Date: 2015.
