If Shakespeare famously affirmed that “all the world’s a stage,” how can literature allow us to study what is behind the theatrical mask of social behavior? Since the 1956 publication of Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, sociological analysis has acknowledged theatrical imagery’s utility in portraying the complexities of human interactions in society. Yet, using theatrical performance as a metaphor to describe interpersonal dynamics has been prevalent for centuries, extending as far back as Plato’s depiction of the theatrum mundi in his Allegory of the Cave.

This course will focus on the intersection of theatrical imagery with depictions of bodily disguise, social dissimulation, moral hypocrisy, and philosophical (and physical) libertinage in a selection of texts written in early modern France and England. We will examine authors’ reliance on such features in their portrayals of social interactions to assess (and sometimes question) hidden ‘truths’ regarding how humans ought to behave in ideal harmonious communities. Though emphasis will be placed on the literary analysis of the works studied, the texts we read also will be situated historically in relation to the socio-cultural norms of the contemporary society which they portray and/or in which they emerged. 

In our reading and analysis, we will explore the following themes and questions: How does the theatrical metaphor of societal behavior impact both our understanding and enjoyment of a play or novel? How does the imagery of theater underpinning a work change from one social and narrative context to another? What is the relationship between literature, its fictionalized presentation of interpersonal dynamics, and the real-world implications or ‘truthfulness’ of a text? And how do considerations of cultural difference, sexuality, and gender (whether those of the author or of a story’s protagonist) impact the theoretical ramifications of a work’s theatrical imagery? 

This course is also designed to fulfill the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement. The primary goal therefore will be to develop students' reading and writing skills through a series of assignments that will provide them with the opportunity to formulate observations made in class discussions into coherent argumentative essays. Emphasis will be placed on the refinement of effective sentence, paragraph, and thesis formation, keeping in mind the notion of writing as a process. In addition, students will be introduced to different methods of literary and linguistic analysis in their secondary source readings.

Texts (to be read in English translation) will include: Shakespeare, Twelfth Night (1602; Folger Edition, 2004); Molière, Tartuffe (1664; Oxford World’s Classics, 2008); Lafayette, The Princesse de Cleves (1678; Penguin, 1992); Laclos, Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782; Oxford World’s Classics, 2008); and Diderot, Rameau’s Nephew (1805; Oxford World’s Classics, 2008). Required secondary sources will be made available online.