EN4372 Labour, Leisure and Luxury in British and Transatlantic Literature of the Eighteenth Century

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Module description

Radical changes in economic life occurred in the eighteenth century, with the establishment of modern banking systems, the 'rationalisation' of agricultural production, the consolidation of global trading networks, the transformation of colonies into monocultural centres of production, and the trade in enslaved people that made the entire system possible. Poems, plays, novels and essays of this period engaged with these developments, sometimes idealising and sometimes criticising them. The literary form of these texts is always relevant, evoking a georgic idyll or an alternative community, finding images to condemn the cruelty of slavery or using the couplet to portray benevolent stewardship of the land. Literary texts also reflect on their own place in the economy, and on the economic position of their producers and consumers. Studying this module, students will see the role literature plays in establishing and contesting the economy of the developing transatlantic world.

Intended learning outcomes

• Demonstrate familiarity with the broad parameters of economic thinking in the eighteenth century;
• Understand literary texts' engagement with aspects of economic thought and practice;
• Display knowledge of the contribution made by generic and stylistic features to the argument of a text;
• Demonstrate an awareness of the relationship between specific economic institutions or practices (e.g. slavery, enclosure) and the form and argument of particular literary texts.