This course provides students with a grounding in some of the major theoretical approaches in literary studies. It does this through detailed study of a single text, Frankenstein (1818), as well as a selection of film interpretations. The story of Mary Shelley’s eloquent monster, his suffering and his thirst for revenge, has been interpreted in many diverse and conflicting ways. Is it about a young mother’s anguish over the trauma of childbirth? Is it a Romantic or proto-feminist cautionary tale about rationalist masculine science and its desire to master nature? Is it a colonial fable about slavery and racism, or a political fable about the working class? Is it an uncanny expression of unconscious psychic conflicts? Or is it a prescient fable of the advent of AI, and the possibility of humans being mastered by their own creations? Students will consider Frankenstein and Frankenstein films through a range of theoretical lenses: historicism; feminist, gender and queer theory; structuralism, post-structuralism and deconstruction; Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis; Marxism and postcolonialism; disability studies and posthumanism.
This course is strongly recommended to students considering undertaking an Honours year.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and value of a range of theoretical approaches to interpreting literary texts;
- apply the techniques of a specific theoretical framework to the analysis of a literary text; and
- demonstrate how theoretical approaches can deepen appreciation of a text and address questions of ongoing relevance.
Indicative Assessment
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Critical exercise (1500 words) (25) [LO 1,2]
- Essay draft (1500 words) (25) [LO 1,2,3]
- Final essay (3000 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818 text; Norton Critical Edition recommended)
Assumed Knowledge
Assumed knowledge: 12 units of ENGL. It is recommended students have completed ENGL1100 and ENGL1200.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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