Course description: You probably haven’t heard of Margaret Cavendish, but she is one of the most compelling, unique, and strange writers of the seventeenth century (and maybe ever). Across her body of work—which includes poetry, prose, (auto)biography, plays, scientific theory, and one of the first science fiction novels—she flouted convention, defied expectations, and invented new forms. In particular, her work plays with gender, sexuality, and power, offering often radical critiques and reinterpretations of dominant social systems during a time when their modern forms were being forged. Join this class for a fascinating and idiosyncratic window into a time of huge social and political change that has significant implications for our contemporary understandings of gender, sexuality, race, and imperialism.
Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on a series of short writing assignments culminating in a research essay, as well as their regular participation in class discussions.
Potential texts:
- The Blazing World
- The Convent of Pleasure
- Loves Adventures
- Bell in Campo
- The Sociable Companions
- selections from Cavendish’s poetry, essays, and scientific writing
Course format: The course will be delivered face to face if it is safe to do so in the fall.
This course fulfils the single author and pre-1700 historical breadth requirements.