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In this seminar, we are going to explore the genre of the “penny dreadful”: macabre, sensationalist and thrilling serialised narratives that captivated the imagination of Victorian England. Aimed at the working classes and considered by critics to be pernicious literary trash, these cheaply and quickly produced publications delivered lurid tales of murder, dark romance, and supernatural horror to an incredibly large readership, easily outselling the likes of Thackeray and Dickens.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of this genre, we will survey the origins of the penny dreadful in Gothic fiction and the crime broadside, and we will discuss the impact of dreadfuls on certain aspects of contemporary popular culture and (post)modern storytelling. Apart from being extremely entertaining, dreadfuls and their treatment of highwaymen, monsters, and homicidal women will also provide unique insights into Victorian attitudes and anxieties.
Prepare to be enthralled by the likes of Ada, the Betrayed, Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf, and Varney, the Vampyre!
Please note that this course involves a relatively heavy reading load. A reader will be made available before the beginning of the semester. |
