Welcome to the course website for E 314L: Cult Classics (Fall 2015) .

In between reading books, watching films, playing video games, browsing Reddit, and writing papers, students of the course will also be contributing various pieces of fiction and textual analyses to this blog. Given the primary texts in question (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves, and 2K Games’ BioShock to name a few), the topics of these posts will frequently thrive on the occult and the uncanny, the familiar and the Other; the definition of “cult classic” itself remains flexible and open to destabilization. For some, maybe none of the works we look at signify”cult” status, but for others, these texts might be entirely unknown. The changing perception of “mainstream” interests isn’t nearly as pertinent as the unique communities, cultures, and influences that develop around these texts.

“Textual Analyses” contains non-fiction insight (in blog and paper form) related to course readings. “Further Reading” has links to academic and/or peer reviewed sources that provide context to our readings. All other tabs showcase works (short fiction/poetry) that were also inspired by class texts, accompanied by brief statements in which the authors elaborate on their creative goals. “Project (Oc)Cult” is a series of collaborative, multimodal fiction building on the texts we’ve studied. I’m particularly proud of what my students have accomplished here so I encourage you to explore the project itself or the pedagogical overview of the goals behind it.

Please enjoy what we have to offer, and do let us know your thoughts. Constructive criticism is always welcome.