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Academic Year 2003/2004

The Many Voices of Albert Camus
FREN 392 SP

"La fin supreme de l'art est alors de confondre les juges, de supprimer toute accusation et de tout justifier..." ("L'Artiste en prison")
"Tous sont justifiables, personne n'est juste" ("Sur l'avenir de la tragedie")
"Le grand courage c'est encore de tenir les yeux ouverts sur la lumiere comme sur la mort" (L'ENVERS ET L'ENDROIT)

This course will introduce students to the works of Albert Camus and to some of the pressing issues of his time, in particular, the French Resistance in World War II, Stalinism, and the Algerian War of Independence. Born and raised in Algeria, he moved to Paris at the beginning of World War II and participated in the Resistance movement from early on. In addition to being a Nobel-prize winning novelist, Camus also wrote as a playwright, essayist, columnist, and philosopher. Rather than limiting ourselves to one approach, we will combine political, biographical and formalist readings of his works. Particular consideration will be given to the formal and narratological innovations of Camus's novels and short stories, and to the portrayal of French colonialism in Algeria in both his fiction and journalistic writing.

MAJOR READINGS

Fiction/Autofiction
L'ETRANGER
LA PESTE
LA CHUTE
L'EXIL ET LE ROYAUME
LE PREMIER HOMME

Political Writing
LETTRES A UN AMI ALLEMAND
CHRONIQUES ALGERIENNES

Time permitting, we will also look at some of Camus's plays (for example, "Caligula"), some of his more personal essays (L'ENVERS ET L'ENDROIT, NOCES, and DISCOURS DE SUEDE), passages from his writing journal CARNETS, and parts of his philosophical works, LE MYTHE DE SISYPHE and L'HOMME REVOLTE. We will also make reference to Olivier Todd's recent biography of Camus and Benjamin Stora's L'HISTOIRE DE LA GUERRE D'ALGERIE (1954-1962)

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Regular attendance and informed participation in class discussions are required.

Several papers (4-6 pp. in French), one presentation.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

The course will be conducted entirely in French.

This is an upper-level course intended for students who have completed two French courses numbered between 220 and 299, or who have studied abroad in a French-speaking country for at least a semester.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA FREN    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2004

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