ENGL 21018 - Sex and Gender in the Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature

Course Credit: 1
(CMLT, WGSS)
Consider the following scenarios from Restoration and eighteenth-century literature: a man pretends to be impotent so that he can sleep with other men’s wives; two lovers (male and female) compete for the affections of the same male servant; a reformed prostitute writes letters describing her experiences with male and female partners. To interpret such literary representations accurately, we need to recognize that conceptions of sex, gender, and related topics in the Restoration and eighteenth century differed considerably from modern conceptions. For instance, did you know that scholars such as Michel Foucault have dated the concept of sexual orientation to the nineteenth century? How might this realization-that “gay,” “straight,” and “bi” are relatively modern categories-impact interpretations of the literary scenarios described above? In this course, we will consider such questions as we read a variety of literature from the Restoration and eighteenth century alongside modern scholarship about gender and sexuality. As we develop historically aware interpretations of Restoration and eighteenth-century literature, we will improve our understanding of sex and gender in both the eighteenth century and the modern period. Featured literary authors will include William Wycherley; John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester; Henry Fielding; Charlotte Clarke; and John Cleland. Featured scholars will include Michel Foucault, Eve Sedgwick, Judith Butler, and Martha Nussbaum. [Before 1800] [AH]