Eighteenth-Century American Literature: Gender and Empire

The eighteenth century was an era of revolution in the Atlantic World: the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Haitian Revolution all occurred in the closing years of the century. In this class we will survey 18th-century American literature in light of the tumultuous changes wrought by revolution, viewing the literature and culture of the period through the shifting lenses of empire and nationhood. We will focus, in particular, on the relation of gender and race to empire and nationhood and will read across a range of genres, from slave narratives, to captivity narratives, to poetry, novels, and plays of the period.