Dr. Casey Cothran, Professor of English at Winthrop, believes stories of mystery and horror address the human struggle to make sense of the fragmentary past, the uncertain present, and the unknowable future. As readers follow the adventures of questing detectives (or of people running from mysterious acts of violence), they are provided with mysteries, gaps, dislocations? and finally with answers to many of their questions. As a consequence of this narrative structure, one which first obscures and then clarifies, these storytelling genres demand a special sort of thinking, pushing readers to consider both that which is unknown and that which is unknowable. Dr. Cothran will take the first 45 minutes to discuss this phenomenon, then will answer any questions during the last 15 minutes.