ENG 200LMonsters of the Deep

Catalog

ENG 200L Monsters of the Deep - Beyond our beaches, the ocean lays as a vast and near impenetrable mystery. Even now in the 21st century, only a small fraction of our oceans have been explored. Two hundred years ago, our knowledge of the ocean was even more limited, but our relationship with it was undergoing a historic change. Between the rise of the steamship, booming industry, and the prevalence of international travel for immigration, commerce, and pleasure, people were on and about the sea like never before. However, the dark watery abyss still remained a dangerous location, and one that rejected and challenged the attempts of scientists to learn more about it. The ocean has been (and still is) a site uniquely primed for stories of horror, especially those featuring the terrible things that may lurk below. This course will examine texts from the 19th century to present day featuring tales of frightening creatures of the deep sea in order question the significance of this watery setting. From Twenty Thousand Leagues to The Call of Cthulhu to Jaws, this course will grapple the jaws, claws, and tentacles of the monsters of the deep.