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 lens of contemporary science fiction. Through supplemental texts from authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 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.

This course will be a discussion based course that is heavily centered on the weekly readings. In the first half of class, we will have a general interactive lecture, and in the second half of class, we will discuss and analyze specific passages from both the main readings and the supplemental texts. Each week, there will be a discussion post in order to explore a wider range of topics, deepen understanding across the texts, and encourage deeper discussion about the readings. There will also be a short essay and a final project for the class.

If you are interested in this course, fill out the interest form to apply. Classes will run on Mondays from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Classes are located in Dwinelle 182. The deadline to submit the interest form is Wednesday, January 24th. The facilitator will notify you if you have been accepted into the course before the start of class on Monday, January 29th.