"Dressing Up" in the Eighteenth Century

Catalog description

In this course, we will delve into the multifaceted role of clothing as both a mask and a mirror, exploring the art of dressing up not only as a form of self-expression but also as a tool for social maneuvering in fiction and non-fiction of the long eighteenth century. How do garments transcend mere fabric to become a language of their own that individuals employ to negotiate status, desire, and agency? What compels someone to use disguise to assume an identity far removed from their own? How do changes to outward appearance spur internal transformations? From wealthy women disguised as sex workers and vice versa, to English Christians using clothing to assimilate with Turkish Muslims, to female husbands pursing wives and masculine careers after donning breeches, to twenty-first century Black women embodying the eighteenth century through dress, we will see how dressing up is at the heart of eighteenth-century interpretations of self and Other. Gaining a grounding in eighteenth-century literature more broadly as we read a variety of genres (including plays, poems, letters, memoirs and periodicals), we will uncover the secrets hidden beneath the seams and discover how dressing up has shaped - and continues to shape - our perceptions of self, relationships, and society. (Note: This Writing-Intensive Seminar in English (WISE) course fulfills WIM for English majors. Non-majors are welcome, space permitting. For enrollment permission contact [email protected].)