Horror Fiction

Course Overview

Do you like scary stories? Do you enjoy being creeped out by nefarious characters and eerie settings? If so, you are in the right place…welcome to Horror Fiction! In this class we explore the genre of Supernatural Horror, reading and watching many examples of the gothic, the macabre, and the downright frightening. We begin with a brief overview of the history of horror fiction before moving on to a wide selection of short stories, poems, novellas, and films that reflect the last 200 years of the genre in Western culture. We end the semester with a creative project that allows students to take a stab (pun intended) at creating their own horror fiction! Our guiding questions are: Why do we enjoy being scared? What scares us? What do scary stories have to teach us? Objectives for this course include: evaluating the underlying psychology behind the human desire to seek out fear-inducing situations and entertainment; identifying elements of the horror genre while considering where “horror” falls within the wider concept of “speculative fiction”; classifying some of the important sub-genres that make up the body of horror fiction; charting the history of the genre from ancient folktales to contemporary fiction and film; recognize the work of famous authors and filmmakers associated with horror; analyzing horror texts through the literary lenses of character, setting, tone, symbolism, conflict, and theme (and also consider mise-en-scène when analyzing films); creating a work of short horror fiction, drawing upon the techniques studied throughout the semester; and discussing texts with peers in ways that reflect thoughtful engagement—both in writing (on online forums) and in person (during live sessions).