This interdisciplinary course allows students to connect medieval history with the imagined “medieval” of 18th century Gothic literature. Students will begin by reading and analyzing three seminal Gothic novels: Walpole’s Castle of Otranto, Radcliffe’s Mysteries of Udolpho, and Lewis’ The Monk. At the same time they will visit surviving medieval cities, castles, cathedrals and abbeys in York, Yorkshire and London to learn the history of late medieval England. In class discussion students will be able to explore how 18th century authors reimagined the medieval countryside, architecture, religion, and lifestyle in comparison with historical understanding of the medieval period. Students will have the opportunity to write a research paper on a history or literature topic of their choosing that allows them to further research the course themes.