The University of Vermont
A
Residential TAP Program. Open only to incoming first-year students in the
College of Arts and Sciences.
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about Residential TAP Courses.
Few people appreciate the fact that American literature,
cinema, and the pictorial arts have for many generations been influenced by
elements of horror art. What is there about American culture that has
encouraged the tale of terror to flourish? Perhaps the genre represents
the "other side" of American material prosperity and the capitalist's
irrefutable optimism towards the future. Perhaps it is a simple reminder
that the new American Adam is really not so different from his European
ancestors: we all are fallen beings.
This seminar will examine some of the social and historical
contexts for understanding the American tale of terror as it has appeared in a
variety of forms, beginning with early Puritan narratives and their influence
on several of our greatest horror writers from the 19th century: Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson, and Edgar Poe. The seminar will culminate
with an examination of 20th century fiction by Thomas Harris, Joyce Carol Oates,
Joe Citro, and Stephen King. In addition, the class will view at least
two or three films representative of the genre.
Requirements will include oral reports and summary
write-ups, in-class writing, participation in class discussions, and two formal
papers. Each of the films connected
with this class will be shown at L/L, and students will join the faculty
director for dinner before the screening. In addition, novelist Joe Citro
will visit the program to address the class during the week that we will be
reading his fiction.
The American
Horror Story
Required Course Information |
|
|
Fall Semester |
ENG 005C (90389), 3 credits, Prof. Tony Magistrale |
Spring
Semester
|
Spring semester activities will be announced during the fall semester. |
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