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

Topic

Fabricated Worlds: Sugar, Spice, and Narratives of

Instructors

Jennifer Comerford

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 4-410: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

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 circulation and domestication of foreign objects, how commodity culture and consumption have shaped literature, and how the presence of objects in literature register cultural histories and legacies of colonial exploitation that continue to inform our contemporary moment. We will also interrogate the histories of foodstuffs like sugar, spices, tea, and chocolate, materials like dyes, textiles, and ivory, and more. Beyond reading novels, short stories, and poetry featuring a world of goods (and sometimes told from the perspective of objects like paper and pens), 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 course will focus on developing students' archival research methods through digital collections and visits to archives, and will incorporate immersive, experimental practices (including hands-on workshops where we will recreate select recipes and processes) as a methodology of interpretation.

Class Materials (Required)

A selection of eighteenth-century recipe collections, penmanship books, pamphlets, and cosmetic manuals; object-centered narratives like "The Adventures of a Quire of Paper"; Jane Austen, "Lesley Castle"; Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince; poems and short stories by Mary Leapor and Maria Edgeworth; and selections from Robinson Crusoe. Contemporary selections may include Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Laura Shepherd-Robinson, The Art of a Lie.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for English and Creative Writing students.