ENGL 440 A: Special Studies in Literature

Both a means of self-expression and an ideology that enslaves, fashion is also arguably the mark of the modern. It's been that way for quite a while. This course focuses on a constellation of English and European sartorial culture starting around the mid-nineteenth century through the contemporary moment--with a few dips into America, accessories, and the present moment. The word "fashion" in this context means both clothing and style, and while a major motif of the course is the consumption of female fashion, we will also explore the flâneur/flâneuse; the dandy and his/her/their queerer incarnations; theories of ornament; and anti-fashion---all whilst forms of embodiment float in the background. Readings will focus on the literary (Rhys, Bowen, Machado), but encompass as well the historical, the theoretical, and the sociological(ish).