The Gothic

Over the last decade, an increasing number of handbooks and critical studies have been published on the Gothic. In 2010-2015, Routledge published more than 40 studies centered on the genre; in the last five years, 183 titles have been added to this list. Although the increasing interest in hitherto marginalized Gothic works is in itself a remarkable cultural phenomenon, most of the published handbooks focus on the English-speaking world, leaving out manifold cultural and linguistic traditions with rich contributions to the genre.
This Unit seeks to conduct research on the Gothic from a transnational, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective. We see the genre as comprising multifold traditions whose contributions to LGBTQIA+ studies, cultural theory, political economy, bio-ethics, and techno-science, remain underexplored. By looking at the world from the peripheralized standpoints of the “monstrous,” the abject, the uncanny, and the tumultuous, the Gothic offers unique though often overlooked critical insights into modern societies.
 
In order to approach the wide variety of Gothic pieces and their specific critical approaches to modernity, our group activities are divided into two sections:
1.1 Research & Discussion Group: monthly meetings comprising reading discussions, graduate students’ presentations, and guest faculty talks.
1.2 Gothic Encyclopedia Task Force: quarterly meetings oriented to the development of a multicultural and multilingual scholarly encyclopedia of the Gothic.
 
For more information, please contact rwain [at] stanford.edu (rwain[at]stanford[dot]edu), cynthia.vialle-giancotti [at] stanford.edu (cynthia[dot]vialle-giancotti[at]stanford[dot]edu), or crfsoler [at] stanford.edu (crfsoler[at]stanford[dot]edu).
 
If you would like to follow our upcoming events and be informed of the other activities of the group, please contact Cynthia Vialle-Giancotti (cinziag [at] stanford.edu (cinziag[at]stanford[dot]edu)) to be added to our gothic mailing list: thegothic [at] stanford.edu (thegothic[at]stanford[dot]edu).

COGNATE COURSE (you can now enroll in the group for 1 unit!):

ENGLISH 1G: The Gothic: Transcultural, Multilingual, and Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Genre
This course is a research platform for the interdisciplinary and cross-cultural study of the Gothic literary and cinematic genres. We consider the Gothic to have rich traditions whose contributions to Queer and LGBTQ+ studies, cultural theory, political economy, bio-ethics, and techno-science, remain under-explored. By looking at the world from the peripheralized standpoints of the ¿monstrous,¿ the abject, the dark, the uncanny, and the tumultuous, the Gothic offers unique though often overlooked critical insights into modern societies. Students enrolled in this course will participate in research activities and reading discussions oriented towards crafting interdisciplinary Gothic syllabi for the future and a cross-cultural Encyclopedia of the Gothic.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr | Units: 1 | Repeatable for credit