Literary works will be placed in the context of French social and cultural change at a time when the Naturalist, Symbolist, Decadent, Post-Impressionist, Orientalist and Art Nouveau movements were all competing for recognition. Seminar meetings will be conducted in French and all written work will be in French with the exception of discussions and essays based on works read or presented in English. Meetings will feature film, slides and music illustrating French culture at the end of the 19th century. This is a course with a great deal of reading. Students should expect to spend a minimum of nine hours a week on class preparations, particularly reading certain very long novels, and should organize their work and study schedules accordingly.
All work is in French.
Students can expect to write approximately twenty pages of essays during the semester. Seniors may use this course as their Senior Seminar and write their Senior Essay as part of the coursework. They will be expected to complete all coursework except the three longer papers. L'Assommoir, Nana, Therese Raquin. Images From the course can be chosen from the list below.