76-332 "X-Files" of the Seventeenth Century M

76-332 "X-Files" of the Seventeenth Century TR 10:30-11:50am

Professor Michael Witmore

EBA: 300 level period course or elective CW & PW: 300 level English elective that counts toward the literature requirement.

Ghosts, monsters, prodigies, demons, and other strange phenomena: many of these so called "preternatural" occurrences were becoming the object of overlapping (and sometimes conflicting) forms of explanation during the seventeenth century. Whereas some of these phenomena could be explained philosophically — with reference to natural causes — others belonged to religious debate or seemed exclusively to exist in the imagination. Using a broad range of texts, we will examine the widespread interest in the preternatural in seventeenth century culture, exploring the political, religious, and aesthetic consequences of this fascination. Texts for the class will include images of natural "marvels" and "monstrosities," collections of "curiosities," plays by William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, utopian fiction by Margaret Cavendish, seventeenth century pamphlets, philosophical texts by Francis Bacon, Robert Hooke’s images from the microscope, readings in Renaissance and classical poetics, and various religious texts. Students can expect the reading for this class to be both demanding and interesting.

The following texts are required reading for the class unless otherwise noted. I have listed the places where I have found the least expensive edition of the assigned texts. You may purchase these texts from any source, but I prefer that you stick with the specified editions.

Rosamond Purcell, Special Cases (Chronicle Books)

http://www.buy.com/books/product.asp?sku=30172227

Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic (Oxford Univ. Press)

http://www.buy.com/books/product.asp?sku=30024890

Arthur Kinney, Rogues, Vagabonds and Sturdy Beggars (Univ. of Mass. Press)

http://www.buy.com/books/product.asp?sku=30429600

Francis Bacon, Novum Organum, trans. Urbach (Open Court Press)

http://www.buy.com/books/product.asp?sku=30175012

Robert Hooke, Micrographia (Octavo Press, CD-Rom) (Not required)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1891788027/qid=935458922/sr=1-2/002-4323355-7461217

Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World and Other Writings (Penguin Books)

http://www.buy.com/books/product.asp?sku=30017338