Supernatural Fiction: the weird and the eerie

About this course

The course examines the distinct qualities of the weird and the eerie, considering how each mode creates uncertainty, dread or disturbance through encounters with the unknown, absence and unfamiliar environments. Learners read short stories, essays and novellas by writers including Daphne Du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Robert Chambers and H.P. Lovecraft. Teaching combines tutor presentations with close reading, class discussion and small-group analysis of specific issues, alongside consideration of critical theories and the development of supernatural fiction over time.

What you'll learn

• Distinguish between the literary modes of the weird and the eerie.
• Discuss critical theories associated with the weird and the eerie.
• Place examples of supernatural fiction within their broader literary tradition.

Is this course right for you?

The course is open to anyone interested in literature and is aimed at learners who want to explore supernatural fiction through reading, discussion and analysis. It includes whole-class discussion, small-group work and close reading. Previous familiarity with the named authors is not required.

• No previous reading of the named authors is required.
• Participation includes discussion and small-group analysis as well as individual reading.

Before you go

• Electronic versions of most course texts will be supplied by the tutor.
• A reading list will be supplied before the course for learners who wish to buy or borrow print copies.