In 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary opened. Knows as America’s most historic prison, Eastern State has a lot of history behind the walls built almost 200 years ago. Built in the city of Philadelphia, Eastern State was an ominous attraction, standing itself out from the rest of the general buildings and architecture to those around the area. With its 30-foot high walls, Eastern State was holding many criminals from the surrounding area. This prison was one of the first at trying a “Separate System” where most of the prisoners were sanctioned and celled by themselves. Without others to get in trouble with, they can slowly become better as regular people. Throughout Eastern State being opened, many stories have come out about some of the different accounts within the prison. Many prisoners said living conditions were less than ideal, many of the workers didn’t care and felt they were fine, and a few have been subjected to different forms of punishment. Few prisoners died while within the walls as well, but this was a lot less frequent. The prison saw problems of overcrowding in the 1910s, so they dissolved the separate system and just uses the prison as a normal jail. Sadly, Eastern State closed down. Due to many costly repairs and general overcrowding the jail was closed down and now is a historic site for people to visit. 

 

I have been to Eastern State a few times before, once for a general tour and two times for this haunted house, “Terror Behind the Walls.” Both were fun and I was excited to see Eastern State again. The first thing I noticed when I came to the prison was the walls. Their main purpose was to keep people inside and what better way to do it than 30-foot walls! They reminded me of castle walls and how well-built they are. I took the self-guided audio tour because the first time I went my family got the guided tour. Funny story, Steve Buscemi was one of the narrators! We were first taken to Cell Block 1 and shown some of the cells that prisoners were put in. While they do not look great now, they had all the essentials for those who were staying. Each prisoner got their own cell as part of the separate system. This was also achieved by adding a second level of cells to ensure there was enough room for these people. While most of these blocks were still intact, you can tell they have been here for around 200 years. Everything was old as if you could see the history within Eastern State. Thinking back to the haunted house they run in the Fall, these old and dirty cells and areas are highly efficient in making one uneasy. Throughout this guide, I was feeling a little anxious. I have been here before and generally knew my way around, but digging deeper and knowing some of the stories about Eastern State gave me some more insight. 

After the cell blocks, we were taken to the surveillance hub area. Since prisoners were supposed to keep to themselves in their cells for most of the time, the hub was a great way to see everything that was going on in the different blocks. The system allowed for fewer guards and fewer eyes to watch over the prisoners since this hub area saw a majority of high-risk areas. This room is definitely one of the most important in the whole prison. After the hub, we were taken outside to the yard. Here was an outside area for prisoners to go outside when they were allowed. There was even a baseball field to allow prisoners to play games. The yard also gave us a look into a kitchen area and the morgue. In a past tour, we were shown a specific area where prisoners were taken as a punishment. The area was underground with barely any light. I believe it was solitary confinement but I could be wrong. Prisoners would stay there for very long periods of time, only seeing light every once in a while. Since their eyes were adjusted to the dark when they came out and it was sunny some of the prisoners would burn their retinas and cause blindness. I didn’t find it while I walked around, but I did find more to look through.

The next area I went to and looked around was the death row cells. This block was a lot smaller than the normal blocks since they didn’t intend on keeping many death row prisoners. Eastern State never performed executions but held the prisoners before it was to happen. These cells were in a lot worse condition. Everything was basically a downgrade from what they were in the normal blocks. If the normal areas made me anxious, it felt even more here. I don’t know what it is about the area but I was very anxious. Some of the worst prisoners were held here, and only a few know what, if anything, actually happened here. I left pretty quickly and went to my last stop, Al Capone’s cell. This was the most interesting room to me at Eastern State. Al Capone, famous gangster, served a few months at Eastern State for possession of a concealed weapon. Those who worked at Eastern State were very nice to Capone. His room is filled with nicer luxuries and furniture you cannot find in other cells within Eastern State.

The rules for this trip helped enhance the experience of the trip. The main issue was trying to find Eastern State without a map on my phone. I had a friend with me and while we live 30 minutes away from the Center City area, we didn’t know it that well. Luckily a few signs pointed us in the right direction. I tried to stay off my phone for the whole trip to really take in the prison once again. Eastern State is a place that has withstood time. The prison was once one of the most innovative when it came to penitentiaries in the 1800s, but slowly started to give out. It is now an interesting historical site for those who are curious about the prison system or some PA lore to learn. 

For my legend trip, I chose to investigate the paranormal history of the Eastern State Penitentiary located in Philadelphia. I decided on this legend because I am intrigued not just by the supernatural undertones that a place as old as the Eastern State Penitentiary has, but the real life historical ramifications of such a storied building and how these ramifications paint a wider picture of our treatment of criminals past and present. As a student of history, it is hard to look past the ripples this institution left on this country’s criminal institutions. Since it was the first to be built in the country, it has a storied past and a plethora of inmates with unique stories. The story in particular that really caught my attention in regards to the penitentiary was the story of Al Capone. While he was there early in his career of crime, he lived in a tastefully appointed

 

cell when considering he was a convict in a maximum security prison.Despite fairing in much better living conditions than that of his fellow inmates, Mr. Capone reported being haunted by ghosts during his time at the Penitentiary. During the time of his incarceration, it was speculated that Mr Capone had orchestrated his arrest and incarceration to avoid the erupting gang violence that took the streets of Chicago in the 1920’s. Despite escaping the real life danger that awaited him in Chicago, Al Capone was unsettled by the ghost that he encountered. This was intriguing because Capone is a man that has earned his place in American history for being one of the most polarizing and menacing criminals in organized crime.  Despite this resume, it’s fascinating to see how frightened a man of his power was by the ominous halls of Eastern State. The first book I used to gather context about the Eastern State Penitentiary is Eastern State Penitentiary A History written by Paul Kahan. The book gives a detailed retelling of the establishment of this facility and inception of correctional facilities across the state of Pennsylvania. The early mandate of penal buildings in Pennsylvania was enacted with the goal of creating humane rehabilitation facilities that mirrored the values of Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn. However, it wasn’t too long after the establishment of the early correctional facilities that they started to shift towards the correctional system and guidelines of their British counterparts. This shift in ideals towards prisons lead to the many gruesome stories that have materialized out of the Eastern State Penitentiary. For example, prior to the takeover of British law, only .6 executions were had for every 100,000 colonists. After this change, that number increased to as high as 1.4 colonists. As a result, the large-scale need and maintenance of penitentiaries became less of a priority to officials of the time. The next book, Seminary of Virtue: The Ideology and Practice of Inmate Reform at Eastern State Penitentiary; 1829-1971, speaks on the environment that inmates found themselves in during the tenure of the correctional facility. In this book, also written by Paul Kahan, we are given further insight about the motivations and methods from individuals who worked at or with the Eastern State Penitentiary. In addition, the book offers stories that took place in the penitentiary and others in the state  throughout various parts of their history. Most compelling to me was a mention in the fifth chapter, that an uprising or prison riot had taken place in 1953 at the Western State Penitentiary and it had ripple effects on Eastern State. Specifically, after these riots had made headlines with the inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the White House and the birth of Lucille Ball’s daughter, Eastern State had made the decision to return to its ideological roots of a criminal rehabilitation focused facility. As a result, this gave inmates more of an active role in their own rehabilitation. Unfortunately, these changes would not yield the results that officials were hoping for, as the facility was finally forced to close at the end of 1970. According to the book, this was largely in part due to the racial tensions that existed amongst individuals of different ethnic backgrounds at this time in history and scary incompetence from the workers at the prison who allegedly were not trained well enough to maintain the image and function of the penitentiary. Today, the building stands preserved as a historic site in the city of  Philadelphia. It is a constant reminder to everyone about the horrors that went on within its walls, but also the work that still needs to be done in addressing criminal reform and overall incarceration in this country today. The circumstances leading to its closure were particularly interesting to me because in summary, the book is saying that while the Eastern State tried to improve and innovate at all corners, it ultimately led to the prisons closing. The mention of the reeducation therapy gives ground to the stories of haunted ghosts that scatter across the facility because of the general paranoia that would come from such experiments. In such a place full of trauma and hardship, it is common for the mind to associate with the unknown and the supernatural. There are scientific correlations to events similar to this that have happened all throughout the world. One example is the Fukushima reactor meltdown aftermath. The people of Fukushima were reporting ghost sightings at an alarming rate since many of the town’s loved ones were deceased or missing. This uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones caused great romanticization as none of the ghost sightings were proven. While these correlations only prove the increase of these supernormal activities being reported due to traumatic circumstances, they bring to light the very real possibilities of where the mind can go when it is under stress. Despite the question of are ghosts real, it is indisputable that with or without ghosts, these inmates experienced horrific things throughout the tenure of this facility.The mentioned incompetency of the workers suggests that the inmates were more than likely severely traumatized by attempts to “reeducate” them.

While on my visit to the facility, I was captivated by the architecture of the building and just how bleak it must have been to be incarcerated in a similar place. The way all of the buildings and structures cascaded over people made me feel like I would be discouraged to attempt an escape in such a fortified place if I were an inmate. In the center of all of the cell halls, there is a tower that watches over each hall constantly. This made me wonder how those who attempted to escape did so. The walls at the perimeter of the facility stood tall over everything as well. Despite this discouraging and  well  fortified architecture, many people went to different lengths to escape. From digging under the  facility, to throwing clothesline ropes over the walls, it was clear they felt the trials and tribulations of escaping were far less dangerous than those within the walls of the Eastern State Penitentiary.

Legend Trip Deliverable

The day we left for Altoona was rainy and depressing. There was a thick fog covering the road, little did we know this would pale in comparison to the fog of mount Wopsonock. Our mission was to find the mysterious Lady in White which has traumatized motorists of Altoona for over 30 years. A ghostly figure in white appears late at night. Some hapless motorists unlucky enough to encounter the specter report seeing her suddenly appearing behind them in their back seat. The legend of the Lady in White on Mount Wopsy is a central part of central Pennsylvania lore. For the residents of Altoona, the Lady in White is a fun and chilling texture to an otherwise unassuming place.

The legend of the lady white originates from an alleged accident that occurred on Buchkorn Mountain. An unnamed woman traveling with her boyfriend. The girl and boyfriend were being chased by the unapproving father. The poor girl died in the accident and was survived by her boyfriend. To this day, in Altoona, motorists traveling along Skyline Drive at the base of Buckhorn Mountain might encounter a lonely woman in a billowing white dress. The woman walking alongside the rode unperturbed by the traffic around her. Suddenly, as the ghostly woman nears the precipitous stretch of rode nicknamed devil’s elbow for its penchant to cause cars accidents, she vanishes. This same road is rumored to be where the deadly accident took place all those years ago.

Our research started back in early March. My partner, Amanda Fanale, and I became somewhat obsessed with legend after reading the Big Book of Pennsylvania Ghost Stories. Although there are many versions of a ghostly woman trying to get a lift, (not to mention, it’s not even the only version that takes place in Pennsylvania) this particular book would provide for us the standard story about the lady in white. We would use this work for the bulk of our map research.

Our mission was to investigate the fabled mountain and maybe even catch a glimpse of the Lady in White. I am a highly skeptical person, especially when it comes to ghosts and the supernatural. For this however, I was quite excited. The idea of hunting for ghost sounded like a fun adventure, and the research that went into it made it feel somewhat legitimate. Plus, it would be nice to leave campus for a while.

Our target was the base of Mount Wopsy. Skyline Drive is the hotspot for sighting the Lady in White. This road is prone to many car accidents on account of its twisting windiness, and the thick blanket of fog that covers the mountain. All factors that my partner and I would unfortunately have to face head-on. We set out for Altoona on March 25, at approximately 12 O’clock in the afternoon. This day was particularly rainy and miserable and only became more so as we got closer to Altoona. Without meaning disparaging anyone’s home, I will say that Altoona is remarkably unremarkable. I should know about unremarkable places as I am from Pittsburgh. It is a place of lush greenery coming into direct contact with crumbling coal-town infrastructure. One gets the notion that many legends of creepy happenings are rooted here-it’s the perfect setting for such stories.

I was in charge of driving, while my partner served as navigator, reading out directions to me. We entered Altoona from the east and drove straight through the town, making our way to Wopsy. The drive toward the mountain gradually became more and more windy, and the forest encroached closer and closer to the road. The fog thickened; I increased the windshield wipers’ tempo to accommodate the increased moisture. We made it to wopsy.

 The roads were slick, and the wind was brutal. Visibility was low-I was relying on my instruments to navigate. The spaces between trees grew narrower the further we drove up the mountain. Eventually there was no more sight of Altoona, just trees, pavement, fog and eventually just fog. The fog completely enveloped us. We could not see 50 yards down the road. It was only white. You can see how the area became known for so many accidents. My partner was extremely nervous. With every twist and turn of the car she seemed to grab the overhead handle tighter and tighter. She was against us even going on Skyline Drive because of the perceived danger. And she was even more against going around Devil’s Elbow. However, our scanning for the Lady in White was not producing results. The atmosphere was very creepy and disorienting.

We finally made the decision to traverse Skyline Drive. Visibility was almost nonexistent, and we had to go slow. We decided to get a vantage point of the mountain and surrounding area. “Lover’s Leap,” as it’s called by locals is the overlook for Buckhorn Mountain. Normally, there would be a nice view of Altoona and the mountain, but the fog prevented such luxury. Amanda and I got out of the car to look around. It was essentially a roundabout, an abandoned radio station, and a railing without a view. It was somewhat surreal to be standing on the edge of a cliff but not able to see anything in front of you. We couldn’t see Altoona, and we especially couldn’t see the Lady in White.

We descended the mountain through Devil’s elbow. It was quite a precipitous drive, but some of the danger was muted in face of the disappointment we were feeling from not seeing the Lady in White. We both felt relieved getting off the mountain and out of the fog. We decided to stop and eat at a restaurant called the Knickerbocker. We tried asking around about the Lady in white. Our waitress had a faint memory of one of her friends having an encounter with her. Other than that, she had never seen it herself.

We left Altoona, thinking that maybe the real ghost were the friends we made along the way.

I visited the Eastern State Penitentiary located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia as my haunted location.  Eastern State is the oldest penitentiary in the United States, and one of the most haunted.  According to Paul Kahan who wrote Eastern State Penitentiary: A History, the prison’s imposing neogothic façade has been frightening locals since 1829 when construction was completed, and the first prisoner was admitted.

The prison was built two miles outside the city of Philadelphia, but as the city expanded it engulfed the prison and brought civilians and prisoners into alarmingly close quarters; especially with all the escape attempts that occurred (some successful!).  The prison was unique because it utilized the “Pennsylvania System” of confinement (also known as the “Separate System”).  In this system, prisoners were always kept in separate cells and isolated from all human contact.  This was intended to help them find their “inner light” and realize the error of their ways.  This system placed an extreme toll on the human psyche and drove prisoners insane according to Kahan.  Over time the prison evolved from one holding horse thieves to housing rapists and murderers, particularly at the start of the twentieth century.  The reason the prison is a haunted location is both due to the prevalence of prisoner deaths (leading to the presence of spirits) but also due to the strong emotional connection of the prisoners to the prison, for both positive and negative reasons.  According to interview records collected by Thomas McElwee, prisoners were often punished for bad behavior with torture methods including ball gags and straight-jackets which lead to the death of multiple prisoners and permanent psychological damage in others.  Even though the prison abandoned the separate system 1913, death, fighting, and torture continued with prison riots, failed escape attempts, and overcrowding.  These problems persisted until 1971 when the prison was shut down.  This means that between 1829 and 1971, thousands of prisoners passed through the cells of Eastern State and left imprints on the prison that could lead to significant haunting.

Read More

One of my objectives for this course is to make the point that the unique confluence of place, history, and imagination comprising a legend trip amounts to an aesthetic encounter with the weird and the eerie that is available to us as a direct experience. Rather than confine itself to the frame of the written word, safely walled off in the realm of the unreal, the experience walking a haunted site as a flaneur pierces this boundary of unreality. The legend one chases may still be only a story, but it might not be; and anyway you can touch the ground where it is said to have taken place. That matters.

In this project you will investigate a legend or tradition local to the greater Pennsylvania region. This investigation will begin by consulting written legends, will proceed by performing library and map research, and will culminate in a legend trip that you will plan and execute in order to “ground truth” the legend you researched. You will then write a report of your experience and make a presentation to the class during our final examination block.

You will perform the first step solo, but after that you may—and are encouraged to—complete the project in groups of up to four people. (Make sure at least one person in the group has or can access a car.)

Goal

The goal of the legend trip is to try to make a pilgrimage to the site (or a site) associated with your legend. For example, if you sought the headless ghost of sinking creek, you’d want to try to locate the route the ghost supposedly walks (or walked). If you were looking for a specific haunted road, you would want to drive that road. The type of experience your ground truthing comprises will depend on your legend.

Above all, I want you to have the experience of adventure and of seeking. I myself only have a success rate of about one in three for ground truthing, so if you did everything right and can’t find what you’re looking for, you’ve still succeeded. The process of engaging with story and place is what matters.

Project Steps and Deliverables Overview

Due dates for deliverables will be announced. Completing all deliverables of this project is required to pass the course, regardless of your final point total.

1. (Solo) Choose a legend, tradition, or subject from one of the local legend books on Course Reserve, the links in the Library Resources Canvas module, or something we read in class. Alternatively, if you have or find an appropriate legend or tradition from a different book, please bring it to me for approval. (If you have a genuine oral legend, that can work too, but talk to me.)

Deliverable: You will post to a Canvas discussion about the legend you chose.

2. From here you will form groups based on interest. Basically, in the previous step you advertised your legend; in this step you will either try to attract group members to chase the legend you chose or you will decide to sign on with another group. If nobody signs on to your group and you’re dedicated to your legend, you can proceed solo.

Deliverable: You’ll have an opportunity to register your groups with me. I will then place you in Canvas groups.

3. You will conduct legend research to find several other sources that discuss the legend or tradition you chose. (Or sources that add context.) If you are doing this phase of the project solo, please find two additional sources. If you are doing it in a group, add one extra source for each member of the group including yourself. (Ex.: group of two = four total sources, group of three = five total sources, etc.) If you cannot find any sources, come talk to me and I will help you get started or help you set up an appointment with a research librarian. You must conduct this research using physical materials available through our library system. You may use the library databases to search for sources, but at least half the sources you choose must be physical sources. If your source is an article from a periodical, to count as a physical source you must get your hands on a physical copy of that issue. (Interlibrary Loan is okay!) Ask me for help if you have trouble.

Deliverable: You (or your group) will turn in an assignment on Canvas consisting of a short comparative report of what your various sources tell you about your legend or tradition. (1 – 2 pages if solo; if in a group add one additional page per group member)

4. You (as a group) will conduct map research in preparation for “ground truthing” your legend.

Deliverable: You will turn in a physical packet containing your group’s maps, any written directions you’ve made, and any other miscellaneous notes about locating your legend. If your packet would contain handwritten materials in a special notebook, it’s okay to photocopy them for this deliverable rather than giving me your entire notebook. I should be able to look at your packet and have a good idea of where you plan to go looking.

Note: I’ll need to have time to look at your packet and return it before you leave for your trip. If your group sets a date, don’t turn your packet in at the last minute. I can prioritize, but I cannot scramble.

5. You (as a group) will go on a legend trip to see if you can find where your legend supposedly took place.

Note: If you are doing your project solo, I want you to bring a friend with you. I don’t want you to do this step alone, even if you don’t do it with anyone from the class.

Deliverable: You (as a group) will make a presentation to the class about the legend you investigated and the adventure you went on while trying to ground truth it. I will have more details about this step later in the semester.

Deliverable: You (as individuals) will complete a written project to post on a class website. (Either a journal account of the investigation and your legend trip experience or a piece of original fiction inspired by your legend or some aspect of it.) I will have more details about this step later in the semester.

Your Map Research

General Rules

1. Use printed material as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to check physical materials out from the library. If the map you need exists only in digital form, at some point you’ll need to print the section you need. I can show you how to do this.
2. You may not use any general digital search tools. (Google, Bing, etc.)
3. You may (and are encouraged) to use research tools and databases linked to in Canvas, the library website, or any such tools and databases directly linked to by those tools.
4. You are even more encouraged to ask a librarian to help you find print materials to examine. Ask me if you aren’t sure which librarian to consult.

Part One: Analyze the Details of Your Legend for Location Details

Record all pertinent details that might help you figure out where to look. (You’re looking for identifiable landmarks. That may include names of roads, towns, creeks, etc.) Having multiple versions or sources about your legend can be helpful if details are vague or contradictory.

The details you record might be easy to understand and trace, such as the county, township, borough, or road; or they might be something like “approximately three miles north of the old Smith family farm, to the left of the creek near Stag Rock is where it happened.”

You’re solving a puzzle, so think like a detective. How would you find out what these details refer to? (Ask me if you get stuck; I will help you set up an appointment with a librarian.)

Part Two: Map Your Legend

1. Use the Pennsylvania roadmap I gave you to locate the general area you think contains your destination or the area you plan to search. Your goal here is to figure out how to get to your search area by car. Make sure to mark it for easy reference.
2. Determine if you need a smaller scale map to find what you’re looking for. If you do, examine the appropriate county map. There are resources listed in Canvas to help you find one.
3. If you still need more detail, locate the appropriate Township, Borough, or City map.
4. Consider consulting other maps (commercial hiking maps, topographical maps, atlases, historical maps, etc.), particularly if you anticipate a need to do some hiking. A roadmap probably won’t be enough if that’s the case.

The Legend Trip

General Rules

1. You may not use cellphones or digital devices except to make phone calls to numbers you have memorized, already have stored in your contacts, or can reference from written material you brought with you (or can find in the world by asking someone). This rule especially pertains to digital mapping software!
2. You are, however, allowed (encouraged!) to take pictures.
3. You may bring any amount of printed material you desire. Printouts of digital material is okay, as are photocopies of materials you consulted in person but don’t want/weren’t allowed to take with you.
4. You are encouraged to stop to ask for directions. Automotive stores, for some reason, tend to work well.
5. It is an expected part of the process that you will get lost, drive (or walk) in circles, and be forced to rely on educated guesses as you explore. Embrace it. You may not be able to find what you were looking for. That’s okay too. Remember to take advantage of rule #4.
6. You are encouraged to have at least one meal at a tiny, mom-and-pop type establishment. Ask the proprietor or the employees if they’ve ever heard about your legend if they aren’t too busy to talk. (I once had the proprietor sit down with me and get out his wife’s account of the ghost in their bar. You never know how someone might react!)
7. Tell someone where you’re going. If you get lost in the woods or have an automobile accident, you’ll be glad you did. Don’t become a legend!
8. Be prepared. You may get wet, you’ll want to have food and water, and you should probably bring a flashlight.
9. Invite a friend to come with you. This sort of thing is more fun when shared. Just make sure your friend agrees to the rules in advance.

This website documents the course I taught in the spring of 2023: English 131: Weird Literature.

Overview

Re-enchantment is Resistance     —Hookland

This course surveys the long tradition of literature that depicts the intrusion of supernatural forces into the world of the everyday. This course explores a range of horror writing, investigating formal and thematic issues raised by individual texts and considering possible connections between them. Together we will encounter Gothic landscapes and folkloric horrors, dabble in psychogeography, and learn how to name and describe just what it is about this literature that affects readers the way it does. You will also investigate a supernatural legend of your choosing and then plan and execute a legend trip to ground-truth it. Bring friends. Soundchronicity reports desired.

The semester concludes not with a final, but with a Lovecraftian Film Festival. Guests welcome.

Required Texts

Rees, Marshland. ISBN: 978-0-9571693-9-5 or 978-0-9927655-0-7 (for this title only, digital is okay)

James (M. R.), Collected Ghost Stories. ISBN: 9780199674893 (Recommended)

White, Supernatural Lore of Pennsylvania. ISBN: 9781626194984 (Recommended)

Brhel & Sullivan, Places We Fear to Tread. ISBN: 979-8686259751 (Recommended)

Walpole, Castle of Otranto. ISBN: 9780198704447

Radcliffe, Sicilian Romance. ISBN: 9780199537396

Schwartz & Gammell, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. ISBN: 9780062682826 (has the right art)

Blair, Gothic Short Stories. ISBN: 9781840224252 (Recommended)

Lewis, The New Gothic. ISBN: 9781908983053

James (Henry), Ghost Stories of Henry James. ISBN: 9781840220704 (Recommended)

Jackson, Haunting of Hill House. ISBN: 9780143129370

Matheson, Hell House. ISBN: 9780312868857

Zimmers, Blackfern Girls. ISBN: 978-1721689651

Reading Schedule

Items listed as contextual/supplemental readings (e.g., 27 Feb. lists Southwell’s essay “Hookland: Folklore, Landscape Punk and Psychogeography”) are optional but highly recommended. These readings are intended to help you think about not only the individual texts we are reading, but the tradition of weird literature as a whole.

Day	Assigned Texts	Suggested Contextual/ Supplemental Reading
M, 1/9	Opening discussion
W, 1/11	Rees, Marshland, Chs. 1 – 4
F, 1/13	Rees, Marshland, Chs. 5 – 8
M, 1/16 HOLIDAY (No class)
W, 1/18	Rees, Marshland, Chs. 9 – 16
F, 1/20	Rees, Marshland, Chs. 17 – 20
M, 1/23	Rees, Marshland, Chs. 21 – 24	Rees’s Bibliography (316 – 25)
W, 1,25	M. R. James, “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come for You”
F, 1/27	Fisher, On Vanishing Land (Canvas)	Southwell, “Hookland: Folklore, Landscape Punk and Psychogeography” (Canvas)
M, 1/30	Bertoni, “The Lost Children of the Alleghenies” (in White, SNLoP)
W, 2/1	Frazier, “The Headless Ghost of Sinking Creek” (in PFGT) and O’Neil, “The Anatomy of a Legend Trip” (in White, SNLoP)	Familiarize yourself with your Pennsylvania Travel & Tourism Map
F, 2/3	Ulam, “Bussell’s Bog” and Cull, “The Bone Man of Sanatorium Lake” (both in Brhel & Sullivan)
M, 2/6	M. R. James, “The View from a Hill”	Macfarlane, “The Eeriness of the English Countryside” (Canvas)
W, 2/8	M. R. James, “The Mezzotint”
F, 2/10	Janes, “Zug” (Canvas)	Dunning, “Can You Hear the Hum?” (Canvas) “Zug Island,” Wikipedia (Canvas)
M, 2/13	Wellman, “O Ugly Bird!” and “One Other” (Canvas)	Monster Talk, “Appalachian Monsters” (Canvas)
W, 2/15	Wellman, “The Desrick on Yandro” and “Vandy, Vandy (Canvas)	Appodlachia, “The Stereotypes Episode” (Canvas)
F, 2/17	Walpole, Castle of Otranto, “Preface to the First Edition” (but not second), Ch. 1	Blair (Gothic Short Stories), “Introduction” and “Selected Bibliography”
M, 2/20	Walpole, Castle of Otranto, Chs. 2 – 3
W, 2/22	Walpole, Castle of Otranto, Chs. 4 – 5	Walpole’s “Preface to the Second Edition”
F, 2/24	Radcliffe, Sicilian Romance, Chs. 1 – 5
M, 2/27	Radcliffe, Sicilian Romance, Chs. 6 – 12
W, 3/1	Radcliffe, Sicilian Romance, Chs. 13 – 16	Editor’s “Select Bibliography” (xxxi – ii)
F, 3/3	Schwartz, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark	Schwartz’s “Notes,” “Sources,” and “Bibliography”
M, 3/6 – F, 3/10 SPRING BREAK	Consider going on your legend trip!
M, 3/13	Stowe, “Ghost in the Mill” and “Ghost in the Cap’n Brown House” (Canvas)
W, 3/13	Gaskell, “The Old Nurse’s Story” (Gothic Short Stories)
F, 3/17	Maturin, “The Parricide’s Tale” (Gothic Short Stories or Pseudopod episode 800)
M, 3/20	Chambers and Bullington, “Dive in Me” (in The New Gothic or Pseudopod episode 715)
W, 3/22	Campbell, “Reading the Signs” (in The New Gothic)
F, 3/24	Kakmi, “The Boy at the Gate” (in The New Gothic)
M, 3/27	Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” (Canvas)
W, 3/29	Poe, “Morella” (Canvas)
F, 3/31	Lovecraft, “The Tomb” (Canvas)
M, 4/3	Henry James, Turn of the Screw, Chs. 1 – 12
W, 4/5	Henry James, Turn of the Screw, Chs. 13 – 24
F, 4/7	Machen, “The White People” (Canvas)
M, 4/10	Jackson, Haunting of Hill House, Chs. I – III
W, 4/12	Jackson, Haunting of Hill House, Chs. IV – VI
F, 4/14	Jackson, Haunting of Hill House, Chs. VII – IX	Editor’s “Introduction” and “Further Reading” (xiii – xxxi)
M, 4/17	Matheson, Hell House, Dec. 18, 1970 – Dec. 22, 1970
W, 4/19	Matheson, Hell House, Dec. 23, 1970
F, 4/21	Matheson, Hell House, Dec. 24, 1970
M, 4/24	Zimmers, “The Undertakers” and “The Skeptic” (in Blackfern Girls)
W, 4/26	Legend Trip Presentations, Day 1
F, 4/28	Legend Trip Presentations, Day 2
M, 5/1 – F, 5/5 FINALS (Weird Cinema Festival)