Sheffield Gothic presents:
Gothic Reading Group Schedule for
Spring 2017
'Eco-Gothic'
This year Sheffield Gothic delves into dystopia, apocalypse,
natural disasters and sentient plant life, blurs the boundaries between man and
beast, reads the Gothic in Middle Earth and plenty in between.
All sessions take
place from 4pm till 6pm in Jessop West room G.03 unless indicated otherwise.
Snacks and sweets provided, all staff and students welcome!
Beware: dangerous pathways, human/animal transformations, and perhaps the odd Ranger lie ahead!
February 8th: Princess Mononoke (1997)
This semester picks up where the last semester left off: with Studio Ghibli. In our first session we will be screening the amazing Princess Mononoke, and watch out for the accompanying Gothic Ghibli blog discussing this film!
February 22nd: Oryx and Crake
The
first in Atwood’s Maddam trilogy, Oryx and Crake is a masterpiece
of speculative fiction. Told from the post-apocalyptic perspective of ‘Snowman’
in a series of flashbacks as Atwood slowly draws the reader toward the
agonising inevitable conclusion.
March 2nd: Special Gothic Reading Group: Dracula and Victorian Concepts of Sexuality
This special session will be led by Sophie Barber, where we
take a short break from our Eco-Gothic theme to explore Victorians and their
Vampires. The main focus will be Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), but we hope to discuss any and all Victorian Vampires. All welcome (except for vampires that sparkle!)
March 8th: Pig Tales
‘A
novel of lust and transformation’ Darrieussecq’s 1996 text is a bizarre but
gripping tale of a young woman in an increasingly volatile world who
progressively metamorphs into a sow: and discovers she isn’t alone.
March 22nd: ‘Pastoral Gothic’
In
this session we will be discussing the Pastoral and the Gothic in poetry-
particularly that of the Mistress of Udolpho herself, Ann Radcliffe. Poems to
be specified nearer the time and suggestions are welcome.
April 26th: ‘Gothicising Middle Earth’
Nothing
is safe from Sheffield Gothic: join us as we Gothicise J.R.R Tolkein’s Middle
Earth, discussing the beautiful landscapes, the destruction of the forests, the
Ents, and, of course, probably a lot of Aragorn.
May 24: Day of the Triffids
Beware
the Triffids…they grow…know…walk…talk…stalk…and KILL! For this session we’ll be
discussing John Wyndham’s 1951 classic Sci Fi novel, Day of the Triffids.
We’ll be discussing the novel itself in context, but also its affect and impact
on both Sci Fi and EcoGothic at large.
June 7th: Mad Max Fury Road (2015)
Finally, we
will be screening and discussing the most recent addition to the Mad Max franchise,
Mad Max: Fury Road. Oh what a day, what a lovely day!
And as always,every session of the Gothic Reading Group will include #CakeAndDeath.
