Spectrums of Embodiment in Nineteenth-century Literature and Culture (Panel)
One interpretation of the NeMLA 2024 theme of Surplus centers on embodiment, and the transatlantic long nineteenth century was arguably a key historical moment for envisioning material embodiment in terms of surplus, or lack thereof. Representation of both individual and corporate embodiment often turned to material resources like food to express approval or disapproval for various bodies’ relationships to each other. As David J. Hutson argues, during the nineteenth century “body weight was allowed to hold multiple symbolic positions, with thinness and fatness understood as both positive and negative” (2017).