Readers of British Romantic literature are quick to point out authors’ consistent emphasis on nature. William Wordsworth, for example, was obsessed with nature; his sister, Dorothy, filled notebooks and journals with observations of plants, flowers, and weather patterns, often providing William with material for his poetry. Political discourses of the time argued for the “natural rights of man.” Erasmus Darwin’s highly popular scientific-poem, The Loves of the Plants, offered a scandalously sexualized vision of the natural world. The poet John Clare was also an amateur botanist (as were many other writers). Mary Shelley’s apocalyptic novel The Last Man imagined a future world ravaged by ecological catastrophe. But what exactly did the Romantics mean when they used the term “nature”? Did they all mean the same thing? What roles did politics, science, and philosophy play in literary and artistic representations of “nature”? These questions will serve as a frame for the course as we approach the British Romantic movement through the lens of ecocriticism. We will explore what it means to read literature and art in an ecological manner, and we will reflect on how Romantic views of nature and the environment impact ecological and environmental thinking in our contemporary world. Our goal, then, will be not only to read and appreciate Romantic literature but also to understand our own ideas about nature, beauty, politics, and language.
I really want this to be a collaborative, discussion-based course: we're a small group, so this will be a true seminar-style class. We also have diverse interests and backgrounds, so I want us to share our particular thoughts, questions, insights, knowledge, research, and projects in class, and on this site. Above, you'll find links to course materials and all of our individual websites for the Annotated Poem Project. Keep abreast of what your fellow students are working on, and collaborate if possible.
I really want this to be a collaborative, discussion-based course: we're a small group, so this will be a true seminar-style class. We also have diverse interests and backgrounds, so I want us to share our particular thoughts, questions, insights, knowledge, research, and projects in class, and on this site. Above, you'll find links to course materials and all of our individual websites for the Annotated Poem Project. Keep abreast of what your fellow students are working on, and collaborate if possible.