Moby-Dick, Then & Now: Masculinity, Populism, Democracy & Autocracy

Catalog description

This course reads Herman Melville's classic novel, _Moby-Dick_ (1851) in its own literary, historical, and cultural contexts—and from the perspective of our time. Along with considering the novel's engagement with and treatment of slavery, white supremacy, imperialism, masculinity, queer and other sexualities, democracy, demagoguery, and populism, we will also consider it from the critical perspectives provided by environmental and legal humanities. We will proceed through the novel in a deliberate fashion, working chapter-by-chapter, while also drawing on an interdisciplinary range of critical perspectives to read the work.