The Cash Nexus: Economy and Literature

At a time when human existence is grounded with unprecedented conviction in a rigid set of utilitarian principles and materialistic values, the relationship between literature and various modes of economic exchange presents itself as a richly rewarding field of research. The texts we will focus on offer rare insights into the ways monetary factors affect personal identity, interpersonal relationships, and social life in general. These works reflect a diachronic tension between human interactions and financial transactions that will be the basis of our critical engagement with a series of issues and questions that are more pertinent today than ever before.