As the professor handed out the syllabus, she smirked a little, and gazed up at us for a moment. “I know you’ve signed up for a Horror in Literature course but I should warn you that some of these texts are, in fact, quite scary.” She kept a straight face. “I wouldn’t recommend reading many of these books in the late hours of the evening, or when you are alone.” Again, I stared at her even gaze, trying to decipher whether or not she was telling a joke.
No, it appeared she was serious.
I studied the syllabus and wasn’t surprised by the choices. They were all very typical: Dracula, The House on Haunted Hill, The Tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, etc.
The professor continued: “I know this might sound funny to you, but I’m not joking. Some of these books are quite terrifying.”
Well, now she officially had my attention.
The students in the class room smiled and looked around at one another with a knowing glint in their eyes. Most of us were in our twenties or thirties, so this warning was somewhat amusing for most of us. It’s not like we were about to watch Saw, or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We didn’t require such an elaborate pep talk.
The professor, who was likely in her fifties, remained on this subject a few moments longer: “While reading some of these books on my own time, I’ve often experienced some moments of absolute horror. I just wanted to tell you in advance, just in case.” Just in case of what? Were students going to drop the course because the content was too scary? That was very unlikely.
If you’ve ever been a student, you know that most of your reading gets done at 3 o’clock in the morning, so avoiding night time study sessions was virtually impossible. Many evenings were passed in the company of Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson.
I was totally underwhelmed by most of the books, especially The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, which was probably the most obscenely boring book I had read in ages. Dracula didn’t fare any better. Hours were passed rolling my eyes and grumbling with irritation. Don’t even get me started on Frankenstein. True Confessions, though, topped my list for most painful university reading experience.
However, when it came time to crack open The Monk by Matthew Lewis, I could not ignore the sheet of goose bumps that accompanied each reading session. The Monk is the story of a monk, a supposed “Man of God,” who makes a deal with the devil to allow him access to a woman he desires. The devil paves the way for the monk to attack and rape this young girl. Aside from this initial brutality, the true horror becomes clear when the devil arrives to collect his side of the bargain.
Can you imagine what that might entail?
Even though I took this course over five years ago, every time I’m asked about horror books, The Monk is the first title that comes to mind.
Give it a try. You’ve been warned.
Seriously.
I really liked Private Memoirs and Confessions. It’s a very important novel in Scottish literature too.
Oh well, we can’t always like the smae things, nor should we. Sounds like a good class.
Glad to hear The Monk is good. I’ve long been tempted by that one.
How’s the cold turkey coming along?
I’m sorry.
SEveral of my friends love Private Memoirs… I just can’t get into it. But, you’re right, we can’t all like the same novels. To be fair, I did give it a second try, though. I had to read it again for Grad school. Still… not my cup of tea.
Cold turkey is coming along. Haven’t bought any books. Haven’t stepped into a bookstore more than once all month. So far so good. *fingers crossed*
You piqued my interest in ‘The Monk’ I found it at at Project Gutenberg! Thanks! Loved your Scene of the blog stint!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Good luck with The Monk.