Studies in 18th-Century Literature (340-0-20)

Topic

Fabricated Worlds: Sugar, Spice, and Narratives of

Instructors

Jennifer Comerford

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 215: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

What does it take to make chocolate by hand from an early recipe or write in English roundhand with ink and quill? And what do we make of the fact that "pumpkin spice" was actually a popular seasoning blend over 200 years ago? Where did these ingredients and materials come from and who labored to procure them? This is a course about objects in stories and the stories objects tell. Some topics we will explore include: the domestication of foreign objects, how commodity culture has shaped literature, and how the presence of objects in literature register cultural histories and legacies of colonial exploitation. We will also interrogate the material histories of foodstuffs like sugar, spice, and tea, resources like mahogany, ivory, and cotton, and more. Beyond reading novels and short stories featuring a world of goods, we will examine decidedly "unliterary" texts like recipe books, cosmetic handbooks, and craft manuals with literary eyes to consider embodied practices of making as narrative forms. This class also incorporates immersive, experimental practices (including hands-on workshops and archive visits) as a methodology of interpretation.

Class Materials (Required)

Possible readings include Jane Austen, "Lesley Castle," Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince, and George Eliot, Brother Jacob, Jean Toomer, Cane, Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as well as selections from recipe books and other manuals.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for English students.