What do we value? The pursuit of profit, surges in wealth and the suspect principles of the financier have intrigued authors since the 19th century. How do language, narrative style, structure and literary production transform with shifts in the marketplace? Through a careful investigation of literature, film and illustration, we will discuss how art imagines and redefines social and economic relations. We will supplement the literary works with historical documents or articles that shed light on the economic climate at the time of publication. We might consider how the imagined space of the novel presents the mystery of the financial market, which seems shrouded in a haze. We might also ponder how authors imagine worlds where money has no practical use and nothing has any purchasing power. Over the course of the term, students will write short analytical pieces and complete a creative independent project of their own design.