Teaching the Gothic

It is staggering to think about the growing number of resources those of us who teach the Gothic now have available for our students. Between Zittaw and Valancourt numerous rare texts are now at our finger tips. I started Zittaw Press with the simple goal of making these rare available to students and scholars alike, but now that I am teaching graduate courses on the Gothic though, I am faced with the daunting question of what Gothic novels to utilize in the classroom. The choice is fundamentally between the canonical and the trade, between Radcliffe and Lewis and the mirad of newly published minor (albeit important) novels. So far I have opted for the middle ground with a careful blend of the canonical and the minor (including bluebooks) in an effort to give the students a balanced overview of the genre. Students have overall really enjoyed both Radcliffe and Lewis. The Monk has generally been the favourite with all the sensationalism and horror, not to mention the sex; Radcliffe is equally enjoyed, but the sex usually intrigues the students more. Chosing the right minor novel has been more difficult. Last year I taught two courses on the Gothic and used William Henry Ireland's Gondez the Monk each semester, but with two very different reactions. The first semester I had the students read Radcliffe, Lewis and then Ireland followed by bluebooks and short Gothic tales. The students generally loved both Radcliffe and Lewis, but when it came to Gondez they found the language difficult and the inset tales too labourious. They liked the novel, but could understand why it was considered a minor text. The bluebook and short tales of terror they thoroughly loved, but they were continually haunted by the difficulty of Gondez, which I admit surprised me. The second semester I taught the same novels, but changed the order. I taught short tales of terror and bluebooks first, Gondez second, followed by Lewis and Radcliffe, the simple change was amazing. The short tale and bluebooks were extremely popular as usual, so I was looking forward to Gondez with renewed hope in my students. I was not disappointed in my hopes. The students did in fact immensely enjoy Gondez. They found the historical note intriguing, the sexual politics engaging, it was a hit this time. They likewise found Lewis and Radcliffe fascinating and accessible. They were not haunted by Gondez, but found that it was a stepping stone from the short tales of terror to the canonical. I think I will try some new minor texts this coming semester, but as the list of forgotten Gothic grows the choice is becoming more difficult.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.