17317

WiSe 16/17: PS-Surveying English Literatures II: 18th-Century Nature Writing

Lenka Filipova

Comments

While texts from the 18th century have been previously ignored by environmental literary critics, recent scholarships has begun to show that they consistently express profound concern for the non-human world even as they, at the same time, often celebrate its mastery. Nature writing from the 18th century can be characterised by contradictory attitudes to nature: a double gesture of both submission to and mastery over the non-human, whereby the non-human world is presented as both an appealing sanctuary and an object of conquest. These attitudes can be linked to 21st century approach to the natural world, in both the positive and negative sense. At the same time, the 18th century saw the emergence of the dualism of ‘human’ and ‘non-human’ proposed by the Enlightenment/Cartesian scientific discourse, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and continuing colonial expansion, all of which constitute an environmental legacy which continues to shape the modern world. The emergence of the Anthropocene in the 18th century, an age in which humans are considered an active geological agent whose activities have a significant global impact on Earth’s ecosystems, creates an important connection between the 18th and 21st century environmental concerns. While examining some of the canonical as well as lesser-known works of poetry, novels and the hybrid genre of travel writing, we will situate works of 18th nature writing in historical and literary contexts, including the boom of the travelogue, the vogue for georgic and pastoral poetry, the aesthetics of the sublime and the picturesque, the rise of natural history and science, and colonial expansion. Meanwhile, our reading of 18th century texts through an environmental lens will highlight those aspects of Enlightenment thought which are particularly relevant for the struggles and contradictions of contemporary environmental thinking. Assignments: active participation in class discussions and activities, two response papers, final paper. close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Wed, 18:00 - 20:00 16 Class schedule

Wed, 2016-10-19 18:00 - 20:00

Lecturers:
Lenka Filipova