Hedonism, individuality, and virtue: forms of happiness in 18th-century literature

Aims

This course aims to:

• understand the contours of key debates about happiness in the 18th century, exploring them through the lens of literary texts
• recognise how these key debates about happiness were shaped by the history and culture of the period
• consider the influence of 18th-century literary forms on conceptions of happiness and, more generally, to speculate on the relationship between literary forms and forms of life

Course content

Today, happiness is often understood as a species of pleasure or as the fulfilment of subjective desires. These, at least, are the orthodox conceptions among economists, psychologists and policy makers seeking to improve public wellbeing. But it has not always been that way. 

It has been said that the 18th century translated the religious question “how can I be saved?” into the secular “how can I be happy?”’ This course explores how writers in the period grappled with that question and how, in doing so, they responded to the changing forms of life brought about by the rise of commerce and scientific thinking; by a new emphasis on individual freedom and personal expression; and by a declining faith in the summum bonum (the highest good). By attending to a variety of literary responses, those who take this course will come to better understand the historical contours that have shaped modern conceptions of the good life. Particular attention will be devoted to the ways in which, in the 18th century, new emphases on pleasure and individuality challenged the traditional association of happiness with Christian virtue. 

Furthermore, you will be encouraged to reflect upon the ways in which the answers that are given to the question “how can I be happy?” are shaped by the differing forms that such an inquiry can take. To that end, after an introductory lecture on day one, the following four lectures will each be loosely grouped around a specific literary form or forms. A hypothesis to be tested is whether, in the 18th century, there is relationship between literary form and forms of life, whether the analysis of periodicals, life writing, novels, political pamphlets, and Romantic poetry can tell us something about the way in which happiness was thought.

What to expect on this course

The course will be delivered through a series of 5 sessions. Lectures on this course are designed to be interactive and participatory rather than purely didactic. Sessions will combine lecture segments with pauses for discussion, questions, and brief exercises, giving you regular opportunities to test ideas and reflect on the material as it unfolds. Working closely with these texts, you will develop your skills in close reading and in interpreting literary works in relation to their historical contexts and underlying philosophical concerns.

Course sessions

1. Introduction: Happiness in 18th-Century Culture: We will explore how Enlightenment thinkers challenged the classical and Christian conception of happiness as virtue, placing an unprecedented emphasis upon pleasure and individuality. We will also explore how 18th-century print culture reflected these developments.

    

2. Ordinary Lives: Happiness and Life Writing: The second lecture will explore the 18th century’s “affirmation of ordinary life”, that is, its newly discovered interest in the lives of common people. We will also explore how life writing - letters, diaries, and autobiographies - led to a deepening of interiority, as men and women began to spend more time reflecting upon their inner lives and emotions.

    

3. Happy Endings and the 18th-Century Novel: Spoiler alert! This lecture will focus on the happy endings of novels, particularly those that culminate in marriage. 

    

4. Radicals and Conservatives: Happiness in The French Revolution’s Pamphlet Wars: Lecture four will explore how happiness featured in the political debates that crystallised around the French Revolution, exploring works by contributors to the pamphlet wars of the 1790s. 

    

5. Romantic Poetry and the Good Life: In our final lecture, we will explore a range of different ideas about happiness found in Romantic poetry. William Wordsworth and Lord Byron will be contrasted for their differing perspectives on the nature of the good life. 

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to:

• explore the emergence of competing ideas about happiness in 18th-century literature 
• understand the contours of key debates about happiness in the 18th century and to recognise how they were shaped by the history and culture of the period
• consider the influence of 18th-century literary forms on conceptions of happiness and, more generally, to speculate on the relationship between literary forms and forms of life

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course. See Course materials for supplementary reading once registered.