English 319SR - Lit. and Science, 1516-1674

This seminar traces intersections between literary art and scientific knowledge at the dawn of modernity, when the difference between "art" and "science" was anything but clear. We will read prominent works of English Renaissance literature (Shakespeare, Donne, Milton) alongside various scientific and philosophical writings (Lucretius, Bacon, Descartes) as well as major milestones of the Scientific Revolution (Vesalius, Copernicus, Galileo). In so doing, we will ponder what connects aesthetic and empirical forms of truth. Topics will include magic and the occult, alchemy, astronomy, anatomy and medicine, atoms and theories of matter, the scientific method, natural history, and technology.

This course is open to Juniors and Seniors.; Prereq: 4 credits in Renaissance studies.