Fall 2007

E 322 • Fictions of the Self and Other, 1800-1950 (CANCELLED!)

Course Description

This course has been cancelled!

In this course we will examine representative works from 19th and 20th-century French literature, from Balzac's Realism of the 1830s to Beckett's Theatre of the Absurd of the 1950s. We will consider literature in its relation to history, with special attention both to form and style in the development of narrative, prose poetry and avant-garde theatre. All students will be expected to give one in-class presentation on an aspect of French culture and history related to one of the works we are reading, and this presentation will be turned into a brief (5-7 page) paper. A final paper on a French novel from this period not included on the syllabus will be due the last day of class.

Grading Policy

Class participation 20%
In-class presentation 20%
Short paper 25%
Final paper 35%

Texts

Balzac, Le Père Goriot
Sand, La Petite Fadette
Baudelaire, Le Spleen de Paris
Flaubert, Trois Contes
Proust, Un Amour de Swann
Gide, L'Immoraliste
Sartre, Huis clos
Becket, En attendant Godot

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