RLFR 312T(F) (formerly COMP 312) Francographic Islands (W)*
Utopia, paradise, shipwreck, abandonment, exile, death. From Shakespeare's The Tempest to CBS's Survivor, Western fascination and obsession with the island as place of discovery, beauty and imprisonment stretches across the centuries. In this class, we will read French literary and imagined islands alongside islands constructed by Francophone Caribbean, Indian Ocean and non-Western writers in French. What happens when the island starts writing back? How do writers respond to reifications of their world? What does the island symbolize in personal and national imaginations? And how does the island become an agent in discussions of gender, race, modernity and history? Readings will include works by Paul Gauguin, Pierre Loti, Jules Verne, Aimé Césaire, Michel Tournier, Ananda Devi, Maryse Condé and Edouard Glissant.
Format: tutorial conducted in French-a challenging but deeply satisfying and rewarding linguistic experience. Requirements: weekly tutorial papers and oral responses.
Prerequisites: open to anyone who has taken a literature class at Williams in French. Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10). Preference given to French Majors and those working towards a certificate in French.
Tutorial meetings to be arranged. PIEPRZAK