Some of the most violent, intense, emotional and memorable aspects of human nature have been captured within the English class, Gothic & Horror Literature. It causes people to assess their interpretation and thinking surrounding the genre by comparing their everyday lives to the ones that they see presented on the screen or page. David Stockwell, Staples Gothic & Horror teacher, tries to prompt his students to think about the interest in the genre.
“Why are we so interested in this sort of thing? Why do we slow down when there’s a car accident? Why are we fascinated by MMA fighting and violence? Why are we thrilled by being scared?” Stockwell asked.
The course Gothic & Horror Literature teaches insight to novels, narratives and films that express these ideas and explore human nature. Both students and teachers use this class to think about and critique the darker sides to human nature.
While the course has been around longer than Stockwell has been teaching it, it has evolved over the years. He tries to immerse the students in the genre often presenting the students with varied media.
“I got into the habit of trying to start each day with just a short clip from a horror movie or a ghost story,” Stockwell said, “just to sort of get us into the mood of the genre and what we’re doing in the class.”
Whether this means watching cult classics like “The Shining” or “The Blair Witch Project,” reading Charles Dickens’ ghost stories or immersing themselves in Edgar Allen Poe’s poems, the class is meant to explore literature’s most haunting narratives. What began as Stockwell’s personal interest branched out into the class’s curriculum.
“I like classic literature. Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ [from] 1818, it’s one of my favorite novels…I’ve always liked Edgar Allan Poe, the early 1800s, and the more I read, the more I sort of branched out into the ghost stories,” Stockwell said.
Even if students are not enrolled in the class, both Stockwell or Gothic & Horror Literature’s other teacher, Mr. Bauks, welcomes other students to join the class during their free periods or indulge in the genre outside of class.
“Just come talk to us. We can give you a few things to read and some suggestions. Talk to some of the students who have taken the class before, see what they say about it,” Stockwell said. “Come visit a class, if you want to sit in and just sort of check it out.”
