FASHION AND FABRIC

Clothing is a part of everyone’s daily life, and what one wears is often​ considered to be an​ expression of individuality. Yet, while a wardrobe may involve deeply personal choices, the​ textiles available to us and the styles we gravitate toward can also reflect our historical moment.​ Like other art forms, fashion is political, and its materials—textiles—have historically been at the heart of global trade. In this course, we will ask: what can literature show us​ about cultural​ and political histories of fashion trends and the textile industry? Just as importantly, how can​ understanding historical context for the textiles, needlecrafts, and garments that appear in the​ pages of a story offer insights into character, setting, and theme? As a class, we will consider some of the ways fashion and the global circulation of textile goods have been​ bound up in​ relationships between nations and empires as well as relationships​ between individuals, society,​ and the environment. Readings are subject to change but may include fiction by Virginia Woolf,​ Ntozake Shange, Elizabeth Gaskell, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, and Elizabeth​ Inchbald. Other readings will draw upon fashion theory and scholarship on textile history by​ scholars such as Lisa Lowe, Hilary Davidson, Monica Miller, Suchitra Choudhury, Amber Butchart, and others. We will also consider costuming as a part of worldbuilding​ and character​ development in film and television examples such as Bridgerton, and we will put our discussions​ of historical text(ile)s into conversation with recent work in fashion activism.