English 891NW - S-Imagining New Worlds

This course will begin with two basic, yet elusive questions: what is fiction, and what is a "world"? By delving into the history of fiction and different models for theorizing worlds, we will examine the ways in which these questions are inextricably intertwined. In particular, we will explore fiction's potential as an imaginative and speculative art form invested in the creation of new worlds. We will also consider fiction as a knowledge-producing medium that provided alternative ways of knowing and truth-telling that were understood to be distinct from the disciplines of history, science, and philosophy. How has fiction been put to radical uses by expanding the terms of what is possible, by subverting historical knowledge and truth, and by daring to imagine the world otherwise? We will also consider how fictional imagination has lent itself to the projects of colonial "discovery" and British empire, and how its rise has become associated with the birth of modernity. No prior knowledge of early modern literature is required. Readings may include selections from the following: Margaret Cavendish's Blazing World, Henry Neville's The Isle of Pines, Thomas More's Utopia, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Shakespeare's The Tempest, as well as theories of fiction ranging from Plato to Saidiya Hartman. As we explore these imagined worlds, we will seek to excavate fiction's social and civic functions, including its evolving purposes, its moral and ethical investments, and its subversive capacities. We will conclude with a consideration of the relationship between fiction and social justice, inviting connections to be drawn between the emergence of fiction in pre-modern culture and its uses and value in today's world. This course fulfills either the pre-1900 or pre-1800 literature requirement.

Open to Graduate students only.