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School of Letters Department of Humanities Literature Course English Linguistics & Literature Major Major (Credit 2) Intended Year: Intended School: |
American Literature (Seminar VI)
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Numbering Code: LET-HUM2588E Course Code: 2026 FallTerm weekly Thu3 Ito Classroom E/J科目 (日本語, English) |
| Course Overview |
Shirley Jackson occupies a unique position in twentieth-century American literature. Known for short stories such as "The Lottery" and novels including We Have Always Lived in the Castle, she demonstrated exceptional skill in depicting the anxiety and terror that lurk beneath the surface of everyday life. Among her works, The Haunting of Hill House, published in 1959, stands as one of the finest achievements in American Gothic fiction and has exerted a profound influence on subsequent writers, Stephen King among them. In this seminar, students will undertake a close reading of The Haunting of Hill House over the course of one semester, carefully examining Jackson's meticulous prose technique and narrative structure. The course has two main objectives. The first is to read the text with rigorous attention to detail, closely examining such matters as narrative method, symbolic expression, and the effects of ambiguity. Jackson's prose, while seemingly straightforward on the surface, is replete with devices that subtly unsettle the reader's perception. By reading with care and precision, students will experience firsthand how richly rewarding the close reading of a literary work can be. The second objective is to attempt a reading from the perspective of feminist criticism. The isolation and loss of selfhood experienced by the protagonist, Eleanor Vance, and the image of a woman confined within the space of a house are deeply intertwined with questions of gender in 1950s American society. Drawing on the work of contemporary feminists, the course will explore how this novel depicts the oppression of women and the struggle for female agency, seeking new interpretive possibilities at the intersection of Gothic literature and feminist criticism. |
| Last updated | : 2026/3/15 (08:28) |