Writing the Natural World: from Creation Myths to Catastrophe
ENGLISH CLNW
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
How do we document volcanoes, whale-song, winds, tempests? How do we write with and about the “natural world” and the place that humans occupy in it, in a moment where everything seems to be changing so rapidly. And how do we reimagine beginnings in a moment when end-of-world narratives seem so predominant?
In this workshop we will be reading authors like Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger, Lucretius, Virgil, Hesiod, and Ovid, who documented or imagined volcanic eruptions, astronomical phenomena, tempestuous storms, fallen cities, plagues, catastrophes; but also, new beginnings. As part of our research, we will likewise be listening to recordings from my own archives, of things such as volcanic eruptions, wind storms, whale-song, and glacier rumbles.
Class Notes
Admission by application only. For information on specific application requirements and instructions, please see the full course listing on the English Department website.
DEADLINE: For all Spring 2027 workshops, applications will open by Wednesday, October 21 and are due via Submittable by 11:59pm on Saturday, November 7. Students will be notified of admissions decisions by 5:00pm ET on Tuesday, November 10. Workshops will meet the first week of classes.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
