Welcome to the Postmodern Gothic. This course was designed to discuss the vagueries of Postmodernism in the Gothic milieu. The projects that were assigned allowed students to explore their creativity while learning more about the fascinations of the subject. There was discourse in:

• Science Fiction

• Fantasy

• Monstruosity

• Cyborgism

• Discrimination (gender, race, sexual identity, species)

• Physical nature

• Religious pursuits

The projects I decided to do were more literal than visual. Even for my second project where I chose to display some of my photography, there were discussions that related to literary themes.

Project 1:

My first project was a short story entitled Stream. It discusses the relationships a slightly disfigured boy has with his abusive father and his loving girlfriend. I tried to convey the lack of self-esteem this boy suffers from due to the torrential familial setting he was exposed to during and after his stay with his father. Because of this he grew up to be very supressive and volatile. Ultimately I wanted the reader to understand the significance of accepting someone's differences.

Project 2:

My photo series discussed the intrigue of movement versus stasis. I argued that they are both the same because even if an object remains inert it still has movement to it one way or another. There are critics that find static photography boring because of that idea, yet I contend that these photos are all the more beautiful because you need to search deeply in order to find their beauty and physical nature. My series displayed a range of these movements as per our discussioin in class.

Project 3:

My final project was another short story called A Song About Squirrels. It discusses the frustration children feel from their paarents when they have semblances of an active imagination. There's an inherent stigma associated with children with imaginary friends and many times parents are inclined to have their children see a therapist of some sort to ameliorate any hints at a mental disorder. When many of the times it is a healthy part of a child's development. But because we as a society have stigmatized any deviation in our social hegemony, many children suffer the consequences of imaginary restrictions. This story explores said themes.