The Long Eighteenth Century

Catalog description

Angela Davis wrote that "freedom is a constant struggle": how do the freedom struggles of the long eighteenth century continue into the present? How were "modern" categories of race and gender forged and navigated in the long eighteenth century? In this course, we will study literature and culture between roughly 1660 and 1820, an era in which historical phenomena such as European empires, the Rights of Woman, and slavery and abolition coincided with changes in print and media culture to produce profound cultural changes that are still with us. Through reading, discussion, and graded assignments including short essays and oral presentations, we will examine the interanimating relationship of literature and history in moments of crisis. Examples of primary readings include Aphra Behn's Ooronoko, selections from Milton's Paradise Lost, Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Mary Prince's The History of Mary Prince, and William Wordsworth's "To Toussaint L'Ouverture." Secondary readings will draw from a variety of critical traditions such as post- and de-colonial studies, Black studies, post-structuralism, and material culture studies. Prerequisites: 76-101 or 76-102 or ( 76-107 and 76-106 ) or ( 76-108 and 76-106 ) or ( 76-108 and 76-107 )