Nature and the Self
This section of Literature Core pairs the human self with its various conceptions of “Nature.” As per BC guidelines, this class is aimed toward developing close reading skills and an appreciation for literature across a variety of historical periods and literary forms. Although we will be focusing on literary texts, you will be able to export the analytical and close reading skills to your major field of study.
We will explore the relationship between Nature and the Self, asking how an author or society’s definition of “Nature” correlates with their identity, morals, norms, and acts of imaginative creation. What is “Nature,” and how is it different from Culture? From Civilization? What is our relation to Nature? How have authors and thinkers across time used Nature as a metaphor for their internal or external conditions?