ENG 285 - Topics in Seventeenth-Century Literature

For English majors, this course satisfies the D-1 requirement. May be repeatable for credit, depending on topic.

SPECIAL TOPIC FOR S’2023: Milk and Honey: Charting Early Modern Utopias

What is utopia and whom does it serve? Utopia has been understood as a fantasy or ideal beyond the reach of place and time, thus free from the weight of reality. Perhaps the word conjures images of freedom and safety, harmony and abundance. But in these notions of a Promised Land rich with “milk and honey”, who and what gets displaced, disciplined, or destroyed in the pursuit of such a promise? What kinds of national, self, and racial identities interplay with notions of geography and fantasy? This advanced seminar explores the possibilities and parameters of utopia as represented in 17th Century British literature and the broader Atlantic world. We will discuss texts by well and lesser-known writers in the wide British literary tradition, including writers of prose, drama, poetry, religion, science, and travel. Shaping our discussions and essays will be historical contexts and contemporary scholarship in critical race, gender, disability, and queer studies. Class discussions may be complemented by excursions to the archives here at Clark and in the area, such as the American Antiquarian Society, Boston Public Library, and the Worcester Art Museum. 

For S’23, undergraduate enrollment is limited to Jr’s and Sr’s.

 

Anticipated Terms Offered: Periodically