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Academic Year 2005/2006

The French Enlightenment and Its Discontents
FREN 301 SP

To what extent was the Enlightenment universal? Who were the dissenting voices in 18th-century French literature and thought? What is the anti-Enlightenment? During the first half of the semester, we will identify the basic tenets of les Lumières: the belief in humankind's perfectibility, the certitude that knowledge leads to progress, and the conviction that the human condition was somehow universal. In the second half of this course, we will catalog the fissures in such an all-encompassing program, e.g., discourses on race, class, and the status of women in 18th-century France. This survey will ultimately lead us to the study of a series of writers who disavowed Enlightenment philosophy by preaching debauchery and/or nihilistic views of the human condition.

MAJOR READINGS

Buffon, L'HISTOIRE NATURELLE (selections)
Voltaire, ZADIG
-- "Dictionnaire Philosophique"
Beaumarchais, LE MARIAGE DE FIGARO
Retif de la Bretonne, LA PAYSANNE PERVERTIE
Olympe de Gouges, LE DANGER DES PREJUGES
-- "Pamphlets Revolutionnaires"
LaClos, LIAISONS DANGEUREUSES
La Mettrie, L'HOMME MACHINE (selections)
Sade, LA PHILOSOPHIE DANS LE BOUDOIR

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Three short papers and re-writes, oral presentations, final take home essay.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

While any student who has completed FREN 215 (with a minimum grade of B) or has placed out of FREN 125 through the placement test may sign up for this course, it is an advanced course intended for students who have already taken two courses in French beyond 215 or already studied abroad in a French-speaking country.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006

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