Readings:

Course Reader (see description for authors)

Course Description:

Love can be intensely personal but the forms of its literary expression — and even of its experience – can be socially codified. There are ideologies of love. Love can find itself in conflict with other values. And of course love can be happy or unhappy — or both at the same time. A love story can be a pretext for saying something else altogether. Love can be idealized or demystified. We will explore these possibilities through the study of texts from various genres ( prose narrative, theatre and poetry) from the middle ages to the 20th century.

Readings will include some of the following: Yvain ou le Chevalier du lion, poetry by Louise Labé, Lamartine and Baudelaire, drama by Corneille ( Le Cid) and Racine (Phèdre), prose by Mme de Lafayette, Chateaubriand, Balzac, Duras and Proust,

Prerequisites:

Students must have either previously completed French 102 or its equivalent, or be concurrently enrolled in French 102. For additional placement information please see Placement Guidelines.

Additional information:

Satisfies L & S breadth requirement in Arts and Literature. This course is designated as “W” (writing intensive) in the French major.

Section times and locations in the Schedule of Classes