ENGL 381Early Modern Bodies

This course draws on a variety of literary, religious, and medical texts to explore the ways that bodies were understood and represented in early modern England. Students will learn to situate contemporary cultural narratives about bodies, including race, gender, illness, and aging, within a historical context. They will build skills in analyzing the features and functions of narrative and representation, from close reading to thinking about how stories about bodies are shaped, shared, and passed down.