Readings:
Readings will consist mostly of short prose works by authors such as Balzac, Zola, Maupassant, Villiers de l’Isle Adam, Gautier and Nodier, but will also include some poems by Victor Hugo, Baudelaire, and perhaps others.

Course Description:
The 19th century is famous for the realist novel. But is was also the period of the fantastic tale. A number of authors wrote in both modes. We will examine how writers try to persuade us that the fictions they present are real? How do they invite us to grant a compelling (and sometimes creepy) “reality” to what we know cannot be true?

Do these two kinds of writing require us to read in different ways? Do new technologies such as photography have an impact on one or the other – or both? Is it possible to write at the edge of this difference?

Prerequisites:
French 102 or equivalent or consent of instructor.

Additional information:
Satisfies L & S breadth requirement in Arts and Literature

Section times and locations in the Schedule of Classes