RLFR 109(F) Introduction to French Literature: Objects of Desire
Desire, though its object(s) may change, is a fundamental part of the human experience. Not surprisingly, authors throughout the ages have examined desire through various lenses and to various ends, raising such questions as: does self-consciousness provoke or prevent desire? Is desire tantamount to objectification? How are property and desire related? Does desire inspire or destroy? Is it possible to free oneself of desire? Is writing itself a manifestation of desire? In exploring the ways in which authors have addressed these and other questions, this course will introduce students to a diverse range of works of the French literary tradition, from bawdy medieval tales that pair erotic desire and rhetorical ability to the noble desire for poetic immortality of the Renaissance to the equation of desire with démesure in the seventeenth century to the philosophical rumination on the possibilities of freeing oneself from desire of the Enlightenment to the eclectic array of tangible and ephemeral objects of desire that characterize the modern period. Conducted in French.
Format: lecture/seminar. Requirements: four short papers, one oral test by appointment, active participation, which may include one or more short exposés, to be assigned over the course of the semester.
Prerequisites: French 104 or 105 or by placement test or by permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 20 (expected: 20). Preference will be given to French majors and those with compelling justification for admission.
Hour: HATTON