This seminar will focus on the flourishing of arts and science from the 1880s to 1930s, exploring different aspects of fin-de-siècle culture in Western Europe (including Britain) and North America.
We will take an interdisciplinary approach to a particular historical moment, looking at some of the key developments that shaped the modern world.
We will trace the history of science and art in parallel, paying particular attention to the relationship or connections between them – and how they changed experiences or understandings of modernity. Seminar topics will include: (1) the rise of new technologies like the microscope, telegraph, photography, and cinema; (2) new scientific discoveries like X-rays and evolution; (3) fears of degeneration and eugenics; (4) dreaming of better futures in utopian fiction; (5) modern art movements like futurism and surrealism; (6) spiritualism and secularisation; and (7) literary modernism and modern theatre.
Over the course of seven sessions, we will come to a deeper understanding of developments in arts and science during this period, and will consider how these influenced views of society, politics, the universe, and the self around the turn of the 20th century.
Key questions we will ask are: What does the culture of late-19th- and early-20th-century Western Europe and North America tell us about the birth of the modern world? How can we relate developments in technology, science, and art during this period with experiences of modern life? What different tools or methods can historians use to understand the past? And finally, what does a study of the arts and sciences together reveal about the particular zeitgeist or spirit of modernity?
Learning outcomes
- To understand developments and/or inventions in Western art and science c.1880 to 1930;
- To examine the key themes of this period, and identify some of the main features within each theme;
- To assess how the relationship between arts and sciences shaped the modern world.
