Accessibility statement

Fashion & Material Culture in Eighteenth-Century Literature - CES00015M

« Back to module search

  • Department: Centre for 18th Century Studies
  • Module co-ordinator: Prof. Chloe Wigston Smith
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24

Module summary

In 1711, Joseph Addison declared, in Spectator no. 69, that the ‘single Dress of a Woman of Quality is often the Product of an hundred Climates’. This module examines the cultural and literary contexts of fashion and material culture within a global eighteenth century. The eighteenth century was a period of considerable growth for Britain’s textile industries, fashion culture, and its global trade in commodities—and each of these areas was inextricably linked to the nation’s involvement in saltwater slavery and
colonialism. From the tea table’s sugar and tea leaves to the cotton on mechanized looms in Manchester and mahogany furniture in drawing and dining rooms, fashion and material culture were made from and shaped by ‘an hundred Climates’. We’ll keep this global picture in mind, and the sources of wealth that fueled the purchasing power of Britons, as we consider the products that made up the dress of the ‘Woman of Quality’ but also the appearance and possessions of those on the margins of, and those far from, the ‘quality’.

In addition to negotiating relations and identities between home and abroad, fashion and material culture operated as vehicles through which to contemplate, worry about and even resist major concerns about the self and others. Then as now, fashion and the material world were vital aspects of culture and central to perceptions of national identity, gender, class and social mobility. Eighteenth-century fashion and material culture were also undeniably modern, subject to changing trends and perceived as holding the ability to transform their subjects. Across the period and across genres, fashion and material objects, particularly imported goods, drew the interest and ire of cultural commentators and moralists, as well as attracted the imagination of artists and authors. We’ll examine the crosscurrents between print culture and fashion, between the page and material culture, in order to trace the ways in which fashion and material culture constituted central nodes of how eighteenth-century Britons engaged with the world and with each other.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2023-24

Module aims

The aim of this module is to explore textual, visual and cultural representations of fashion across several genres in the eighteenth century.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with eighteenth century authors' engagement with the topic of fashion and the questions it raised about identity, gender, self-presentation, nationalism, class and empire.
  2. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with how and why several genres addressed the cultural meanings of fashion
  3. Evaluate key debates within the relevant critical fields dealing with historical ideas about identity, aesthetics and gender and how they connect with the contemporary moment
  4. Produce independent arguments and ideas which demonstrate an advanced proficiency in critical thinking, close reading, contextual analysis, research, and writing skills

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay 4-4,500 words		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

None

Module feedback

You will receive feedback on all assessed work within the University deadline, and will often receive it more quickly. The purpose of feedback is to inform your future work; it is designed to help you to improve your work, and the Department also offers you help in learning from your feedback. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further you can discuss it with your module tutor, the MA Convenor or your supervisor, during their Open Office Hours

Indicative reading

  • Samuel Richardson, Pamela (Oxford, ed. Thomas Keymer, Alice Wakely)
  • Francis Coventry, The History of Pompey the Little (Broadview, ed. Nicholas Hudson)
  • Maria Edgeworth, Belinda (Oxford, ed. Linda Bree)

It is recommended that you try to read these novels (where possible) before the start of term, as they are the longest texts.

In addition to these novels, likely module readings will include selections from or electronic versions of the following:

  • Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, The Tatler and The Spectator
  • Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Turkish Embassy Letters
  • Dressing-room poems by a variety of authors
  • Mary Leapor, ‘Crumble Hall’
  • The Lady’s Magazine
  • Essays and poems from Mary Robinson and Anna Laetitia Barbauld


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.