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ENG 339: Emerson to Dickinson (T. Helwig): The Gothic Tradition

Guiding Questions

When and where did the Gothic tradition emerge, and what are some of its key thematic and/or formal elements?
How did American authors adapt the European Gothic tradition to the American experience during the first half of the nineteenth century?
What is the relationship between rationalism and the supernatural within the (American) Gothic tradition?

Suggested by Dr. Helwig

American Gothic Fiction by Allan Lloyd-Smith
Call Number: Online
Edgar Allan Poe in Context by Kevin J. Hayes (Editor)
Call Number: Online

See chapter 24: The Gothic Movement

Databases for Articles

Literary Reference Source

Reference (Encyclopedias)

The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction by Jerrold E. Hogle (Editor)
Call Number: General Collection: PR830.T3 C36 2002 and ONLINE

Bloom’s Literary Reference Online
Features content from Facts On File’s print literature collection, hundreds of essays examining the lives and works of writers throughout history and the world, and thousands of critical articles. Also contains an archive of more than 46,000 characters; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; almost 170 video segments; and more.