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The Early Modern Body

When you'll study it
Semester 1
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 5
Module lead
Callan Davies
Academic year
2024-25

Module overview

In this module, students will explore a wealth of different texts and different discourses, from the literary to the scientific, on humanity and the human body in the early modern period. Starting with a glimpse of ancient and modern visions of the body, we will then discuss classic aspects of the subject from the humours and scientific anatomy to illness, sex, identity and death. As well as thinking about the body, the students will be introduced to a controlled variety of textual genres, e.g., scientific and philosophical treatises, didactic verse, satire, essays, plays, etc. In addition the students will encounter (and be encouraged to challenge) some classic theorists, such as Bakhtin, Elias and Laqueur. In all classes, the students will be pushed to think about how early modern attitudes to the body differ from, and are comparable to, those held today.

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