Fashion & Material Culture in Eighteenth-Century Literature - CES00015M

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Module summary

In 1711, Joseph Addison declared, in Spectator no. 69, that the ‘single Dress of a Woman ofQuality is often the Product of an hundred Climates’. This module examines the cultural and literary contexts of fashion and material culture within aglobal eighteenth century. The eighteenth century was a period of considerable growth forBritain’s textile industries, fashion culture, and its global trade in commodities—and each ofthese 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 inManchester and mahogany furniture in drawing and dining rooms, fashion and material culturewere 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 theproducts that made up the dress of the ‘Woman of Quality’ but also the appearance andpossessions of those on the margins of, and those far from, the ‘quality’.

In addition to negotiating relations and identities between home and abroad, fashion andmaterial culture operated as vehicles through which to contemplate, worry about and even resistmajor concerns about the self and others. Then as now, fashion and the material world were vitalaspects of culture and central to perceptions of national identity, gender, class and socialmobility. Eighteenth-century fashion and material culture were also undeniably modern, subjectto changing trends and perceived as holding the ability to transform their subjects. Across theperiod and across genres, fashion and material objects, particularly imported goods, drew theinterest and ire of cultural commentators and moralists, as well as attracted the imagination ofartists and authors. We’ll examine the crosscurrents between print culture and fashion, betweenthe page and material culture, in order to trace the ways in which fashion and material cultureconstituted 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' engagementwith 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

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

You will receivefeedbackon all assessed work within the University deadline, and will often receive it more quickly. The purpose offeedbackis 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 yourfeedback. If you do not understand yourfeedbackor 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 isrecommended that you try to read these novels (where possible) before the start of term, as theyare the longest texts.

In addition to these novels, likely module readings will include selections from or electronicversions 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