Emotion and American Literature (CVS-0178)

Spring 2024 · CVS 0178 · Tufts University · 3 credits · Undergraduate

The power and pitfalls of literary feeling, drawing upon classic and contemporary science and philosophy of emotion. Focus on debates about literature’s political impact: the role of fiction in eliciting sympathy for marginalized groups or outrage over a particular injustice. Examines the intersection between studies of affect and emotion, gender and sexuality, and race. Begins with Uncle Tom's Cabin as the quintessential “sentimental” novel, then considers the politics and aesthetics of emotions including disgust, cynicism, shame, grief, and rage. Authors may include Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, David Walker, Harriet Jacobs, Herman Melville, and Walt Whitman.

Course codes: CVS-0178, CVS 0178, CVS0178, CVS-178, CVS 178, CVS178, ENG-0139, ENG 0139, ENG0139, ENG-139, ENG 139, ENG139

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