Undergraduate Course: Mystery and Horror (ENLI10207)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course looks at mystery and horror fiction in the late 19th century, and the late 20th and early 21st centuries, to see how suspense narratives are encoded in society. We will look at detective stories, espionage fiction, ghost stories, horror fiction, and thrillers, to see how ideologies are both reinforced and challenged by popular fiction. |
| Course description |
The course will consider the emergence and development of the genres, explore the allure of fear, and examine ideas about class and gender in relation to the practices of reading and the circulation of texts. Though primarily focused on literature, the course will be supplemented by optional film screenings and discussions.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | A MINIMUM of 4 college/university level literature courses at grade B or above (should include no more than one introductory level literature course). Related courses such as cross disciplinary, "Freshman Seminars", civilisation or creative writing classes are not considered for admission to this course.
Applicants should also note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. In making admissions decisions preference will be given to students who achieve above the minimum requirement with the typical visiting student admitted to this course
having four or more literature classes at grade A.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 45 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
2000 word coursework essay (30%) submitted mid-semester;
plus 3000 word final essay submitted during exam period (70%). |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- The course introduces students to the study of popular fiction as it both contributes to and is produced by ideology.
- The comparison of generically-linked texts from either end of the twentieth century encourages discussion of the changes in social history of the period.
- The chosen texts guide students into a basic understanding of important theoretical ideas: the unconscious, post-Marxist concepts of ideology, Foucauldian ideas about surveillance and power.
- The course encourages discussion of a wider range of film and general reading and an understanding of students' own cultural environment.
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Reading List
1. Arthur Conan Doyle, The Man with the Twisted Lip, (The Speckled Band); The Hound of the Baskervilles
2. Val McDermid, A Place of Execution.
3. John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps
4. John Le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
5. M.R. James, Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad, Casting the Runes, A Warning to the Curious;
6. Margaret Oliphant, The Secret Chamber, Earthbound, The Open Door, The Library Window (all in The Beleaguered City and Other Tales of the Seen and the Unseen)
7. Alice Thompson, Pharos
8. Bram Stoker, Dracula
9. Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
https://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/english-literature/undergraduate/current/honours |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
Numbers are limited, with priority given to students taking degrees involving English or Scottish Literature and Visiting Students placed by the Admissions Office. Students not in these categories need the written approval of the Head of English Literature before enrolling. In the case of excess applications places will be decided by ballot. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
One Seminar: 2 hour(s) per week for 10 week(s); Plus attendance for one hour a week at Autonomous Learning Group - times to be arranged. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Gerard McKeever
Tel:
Email: Gerard.McKeever@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Kara McCormack
Tel: (0131 6)50 3030
Email: Kara.McCormack@ed.ac.uk |
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