Mar 29, 2024  
2016-2017 Catalogue 
    
2016-2017 Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

ENGL 24027 - Mimic Forms: Imitative Literature in the Eighteenth Century

Course Credit: 1
(CMLT)
In the eighteenth century, it was common for writers to compose literature by imitating or mocking the forms of other works, including ancient as well as recent models. For instance, Pope’s Rape of the Lock adapts conventions of epic poetry; Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels poses as an authentic travelogue; and Fielding’s Shamela parodies Richardson’s epistolary novel Pamela. Are such mimic works inauthentic, derivative, or otherwise inferior to their originals, or might it be possible to understand mimicry as an innovative mode of literary production? In addition to exploring such questions in class discussions and analytical essays, you will also deepen your understanding of imitative literature by composing your own creative piece mimicking the form of another work. [Before 1800] [AH]