Irish Gothic

Ghosts and vampires, lunatics and criminals, human corruption and supernatural punishment: these things have fascinated generations of Irish writers and readers. This seminar will investigate why Ireland produced such a rich tradition of Gothic literature, beginning in the early nineteenth century and continuing right up to the present. We will also explore various critical and theoretical approaches to the genre: political, historical, psychological, sexual, and religious. Writers to be studied include Maria Edgeworth, Sheridan LeFanu, Charles Maturin, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Elizabeth Bowen, and Patrick McCabe.