Fear as Feminist Text: Contemporary Literary Horror

Full Tuition: $300 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.

Instructor: Spratley | 5-weeks | Wednesdays | October 18 - November 15 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM ET | ONLINE

In classic and contemporary horror, women abound as tropes: the final girl, the femme fatale, the hysteric, the innocent. What does it look like for horror to be written and read as a feminist text? What is revealed to us when we hold space for the particular horrors that women and femmes must confront? In this class, we will read and discuss excerpts of three works of contemporary literary horror: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, and Mannequin and Wife by Jen Fawkes. Through these texts, we will consider questions of navigating patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy culture. We’ll explore how the perspectives of women and femmes can help illuminate the dark consequences of life under the thumb of shadowy corporations, controlling husbands, and the oppressive culture of the steno pool. Students will focus on reading excerpts of these texts between classes, with no other preparation required. 

During class, we will reference work by Octavia Butler, Shirley Jackson, and Margaret Atwood, as well as the work of scholars and critics such as Tema Okun, Rebecca Solnit, and others. Optional readings of their work will be provided. 

Classes are recorded to allow for students to participate asynchronously. If you want to take a class but cannot make the class time, sign up for the asynchronous audit option to follow along on your own. Recordings are password protected and will only be available for the duration of the class and two weeks after it ends.

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Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity. 

We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class, and one full scholarship per person per term. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out or you would like to pay tuition on an installment basis, please email us directly, and we will work with you.

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, please email us and we will reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After that point, we are able to offer 50% refunds.