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Overview

This module will focus on short fiction as a form that lends itself to the chilling atmosphere of the ghost story. Through reading and discussing a range of classic and contemporary ghost stories, students will learn how to create suspense, develop intriguing characters, and use imagery to create a haunting atmosphere. Theoretical framings of the ghost story, from Freud's concept of the uncanny to Mark Fisher's distinction between the weird and the eerie will help to place the enduring appeal of the ghost tale in a critical context that addresses contemporary concerns.

This module will explore creative responses to the supernatural and strange in short fiction, drawing on a range of writings which span Defoe’s ‘The Apparition of Mrs Veal’ and the short stories of M R James through to Daisy Johnson’s 2021 collection Fen, Danny Robin’s recent BBC Battersea Poltergeist (2021) and The Witch Farm (2022) podcast series. Students will explore the creative possibilities and restrictions of the short form and examine why writers continue to return to this particular literary vehicle to explore the supernatural and strange. Theoretical framings of the ghost story, from Freud's concept of the uncanny to Mark Fisher's distinction between the weird and the eerie will help to place the enduring appeal of the ghost tale in a critical context that addresses contemporary concerns. Students will consider how these modes may find new expression through contemporary concerns such as AI or the climate crisis. Through seminars and workshops students will experiment with different approaches to writing what unnerves and scares us today.

Topics studied may include:

Why do we like to be frightened?

What does the vehicle of the short form offer the writer of the supernatural and the strange?

What frightens us today and why?

The uncanny

The weird and the eerie

Liminal space

Generating a sense of fear

Adult readers

YA readers

Atmosphere

Setting

Characterisation

Drawing on personal experience

History of the supernatural and strange in short fiction

Contemporary concerns in the supernatural and strange: AI, Climate Crisis, gender, class and race.

Assessment Strategy

A Excellent: Typically, work graded A- to A** (or 70 to 100) will show many of the following qualities: • Excellent levels of originality, vision and depth; striking and thorough engagement with ideas. • Excellent understanding and control of form. • Impressive linguistic control and/or innovation. • Sophisticated understanding of the creative process and assured control of decisions made in writing.

Good: Typically, work graded B- to B+ (or 60 to 69) will show many of the following qualities: • Demonstration of a degree of vitality and originality. • Very good understanding of generic conventions; sound use of structures and forms. • Resourceful use of language. • Sound understanding of the creative process and thoughtful control of decisions made in writing.

Satisfactory: Typically, work graded C- to C+ (or 50 to 59) will show many of the following qualities: • Some attempt at serious exploration of ideas. • Some link between themes and form. Good attempt to engage with form, but this may not be entirely sustained. • Use of language technically proficient, but not always focused. • Some awareness of the creative process and of decisions made in writing. • Good work, but its strengths need to be more fully sustained.

Threshold: Typically, work graded D- to D+ (or 40-49) will show many of the following qualities: • Limited engagement with ideas. • Link between themes and form not always clear. • Limited sense of formal conventions. Inconsistent with regard to linguistic technicalities. • Limited awareness of redrafting and editing process.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyse a range of contemporary supernatural and strange short fiction in the context of a writerly practice.

• Critique ways in which supernatural and strange short fiction responds to and reflects contemporary fears and concerns, including its intersections with technological advancement, climate anxiety, race, class and gender.

• Demonstrate an understanding of how the short form offers flexibility a for experimentation and subversion of traditional approaches.

• Synthesise creative, critical and theoretical approaches to supernatural and strange short fiction and describe their significance for writing practice.

• The ability to explain and reflect on creative processes and practices, and to develop new writing strategies as a result of critical self-reflection