Facts and Fictions: Reading for Truth in the Age of Enlightenment

How did people understand each other, and the world, before the age of mass travel and instant communication? What made--and continues to make--something true? What truths, and lies, do "fictional" tales tell us? In this course, we'll ponder these questions by turning to the literature of the Enlightenment (c. 1660-1820): that historical period which witnessed a series of gradual but seismic advancements in political and moral philosophy, the natural sciences, and modern systems of knowledge. Not coincidentally, this period also witnessed the emergence of the novel: an innovative mode of storytelling that reworked existing genres of fact into new forms of fiction, all while staking equal claims to the truths of the world. As we read a wide range of novels, essays, scientific treatises, and other contemporary sources, we'll examine how authors confronted these developments, and how their ever-evolving world shaped the ways and reasons we read today. Notable authors for this course will likely include Aphra Behn, Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Olaudah Equiano, Mary Shelley, and their contemporaries. Course requirements will include regular attendance and participation (both written and oral), and the completion of a final critical-creative research project. No prior knowledge of the period or its literature is expected, and all are welcome to attend.