Books that promise their audience the key to a better life have always had undoubtable mass-market appeal, as have fictional texts with less overt yet no less moralizing themes. Since the late Middle Ages, various iterations of what is broadly known as "conduct literature" have perennially proved some of the most popular content among readers and consumers. This course will explore the development of this phenomenon, tracing our collective taste for media that models "the good life" (whether in moral, social, or material terms) from some of the earliest Middle English instructive poems, to Victorian etiquette guides, to mid-twentieth-century magazine columns, to modern-day influencer content. Interweaving explicitly instructional works with selections from poetry and fiction, we will ask: How do we define "conduct literature", and what makes it unique as a genre? What do readers seek within these texts, and what are they offered in return? What can the historical prevalence of this genre tell us about our own culture's reading habits? And do texts of this nature play into traditional patterns of conformity and control? As we explore such questions about literary and cultural values across time, we will also hone our skills in critical reading and research writing. (Note: This Writing-Intensive Seminar in English (WISE) course fulfills WIM for English majors. Non-majors are welcome, space permitting. For enrollment permission contact farrahm@stanford.edu.)
5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Books that promise their audience the key to a better life have always had undoubtable mass-market appeal, as have fictional texts with less overt yet no less moralizing themes. Since the late Middle Ages, various iterations of what is broadly known as "conduct literature" have perennially proved some of the most popular content among readers and consumers. This course will explore the development of this phenomenon, tracing our collective taste for media that models "the good life" (whether in moral, social, or material terms) from some of the earliest Middle English instructive poems, to Victorian etiquette guides, to mid-twentieth-century magazine columns, to modern-day influencer content. Interweaving explicitly instructional works with selections from poetry and fiction, we will ask: How do we define "conduct literature", and what makes it unique as a genre? What do readers seek within these texts, and what are they offered in return? What can the historical prevalence of this genre tell us about our own culture's reading habits? And do texts of this nature play into traditional patterns of conformity and control? As we explore such questions about literary and cultural values across time, we will also hone our skills in critical reading and research writing. (Note: This Writing-Intensive Seminar in English (WISE) course fulfills WIM for English majors. Non-majors are welcome, space permitting. For enrollment permission contact farrahm@stanford.edu.)