Enrollment is restricted by university regulations. Group study in a field that shall not coincide with that of any regular course and shall be specific enough to enable students to write essays based upon their studies.

Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Curious about exploring the genre of science fiction? Want to immerse yourself in an unapologetically queer narrative? Join us in reading Gideon the Ninth and its sequel, Harrow the Ninth. Come fall in love with our titular snarky sword lesbian and her sworn enemy turned reluctant ally in this daring debut, featuring a cast of flawed, fleshed-out female characters, high stakes, and a little bit of murder. In this class, we will be analyzing narrative voice and literary style through the combined lens of contemporary science fiction and gothic horror. Through supplemental texts from authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Daphne du Maurier, and Mary Shelley, we will discuss the influences of gothic romanticism in Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth. The referential nature of these texts allows us to survey literature from across the English canon. We will be considering different and alternative modes of narration, particularly in terms of narrative voice, free and direct discourse, and also second person narration. We will be discussing the lesbian gaze in literature and coupling that to themes of devotion, grief, and the tragedy of immortality.

For enrollment, please contact the student facilitator to receive an enrollment permission code:

Elaine Guo elaineguo@berkeley.edu

Please ensure you only enrolled in the allowed units:

Unit Range 1-2 Units

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