ENGL 6255 - Theorizing Fiction in the Early Modern World

Spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

J. Mann.

What kind of thing is a fiction? How do imaginary creations exist in relation to the “real” world? What are the points of contact between actual and imaginary experiences? Is fiction immaterial (an idea) or material (words on a page)? What kinds of knowledge can a fiction produce? Are fictions nothing but lies? This seminar investigates such philosophical problems in the context of pre-modern theories of fiction: what it is, how it works, and why it matters. We will survey drama, poetry, romance, utopia, travel narrative, philosophical prose, and the familiar essay. We will also explore how various technical discourses define “fiction,” including poetics, natural philosophy, natural history, faculty psychology, ethnography, mechanical philosophy, and legal theory.