Study of nineteenth and twentieth century literary texts as they reflect images of Paris and Parisian life. Students read and analyze excerpts from several prose works in order to examine the multiple perspectives of native Parisians, immigrants from former French colonies, and American expatriots. The readings follow six themes, among them, the city of dreams, Paris and the intellectuals, and women in Paris. Visits and tours of neighborhoods and sites described in the texts are required for the purpose of comparing literary images to the reality of contemporary Paris.
Prerequisites:
Good reading comprehension skills in French
Method of presentation:
Lecture and discussion; walking tours and site visits
Field study:
Site Visits and Walking Tours:
Belleville and the Goutte d’or / rue Tournefort, rue Jacob, les Halles / rue du Temple, la
Bourse, place de la Bastille / le Panthéon, Saint Germain des Prés, Saint André des arts, rue du Bac / Notre Dame de Lorette, rue de la Gaité, Pigalle / le Louvre, Montparnasse
Required work and form of assessment:
Final grade based on active class participation (20%);
portfolio (40%); and final exam (40%).
content:
I. Introduction
II. Immigrants’ view of Paris
Michel Tournier: La Goutte d’or (1985)
Calixthe Beyala: Le petit prince de Belleville (1992) III. Paris: City of dreams and ambitions
Honoré de Balzac: Le Père Goriot (1833)
Gustave Flaubert: L’Education sentimentale (1869) Colette: Claudine à Paris (1901)
Louis Aragon: Les beaux quartiers (1936)
IV. Paris and the masses
Eugène Sue: Les mystères de Paris (1842-1843) Emile Zola: Le ventre de Paris (1873)
Louis-Ferdinand Céline: Mort à crédit (1936) Georges Simenon: Un Noël de Maigret (1949)
V. Paris and the intellectuals
André Gide: Les faux-monnayeurs (1925) Simone de Beauvoir: La force des choses (1963)
Julia Kristeva: Les Samouraïs (1990)
VI. Women in Paris
Gérard de Nerval: Aurélia (1865) Jean Lorrain: M. de Phocas (1901) André Breton: Nadja (1928)
Jean Genet: Notre-Dame des fleurs (1946)
VII. Americans in Paris
Mark Twain: Les innocents à l’étranger (1869)
Gertrude Stein: Autobiographie d’Alice B. Toklas (1993) Jack Kerouac: Satori à Paris (1966)
Required readings:
In addition to the excerpts listed above, each student must select one of the following combinations of theme or site + text and produce a portfolio illustrating the theme, including visual images, newspaper articles, interviews with Parisians, relevant historical texts and annotated bibliography, etc.
1) Le musée Gustave Moreau
Jean Lorrain: “Le piège” in M. de Phocas (1901)
2) Le bois de Boulogne
Marcel Proust: Du côté de chez Swann III (1913)
3) Le malaise de la société
Marguerite Duras: “Paris” in La vie matérielle (1987)
4) La culture
Philippe Sollers: Les folies françaises (1990)
5) Les Parisens et leur ville
Raymond Queneau: Zazie dans le métro (1959)
6) Un Américain à Paris
Paul Bowles: 17, quai Voltaire (1993)
Notes:
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.
Paris In 19Th And 20Th Century French Literature
Study of nineteenth and twentieth century literary texts as they reflect images of Paris and Parisian life. Students read and analyze excerpts from several prose works in order to examine the multiple perspectives of native Parisians, immigrants from former French colonies, and American expatriots. The readings follow six themes, among them, the city of dreams, Paris and the intellectuals, and women in Paris. Visits and tours of neighborhoods and sites described in the texts are required for the purpose of comparing literary images to the reality of contemporary Paris.
Good reading comprehension skills in French
Lecture and discussion; walking tours and site visits
Site Visits and Walking Tours:
Belleville and the Goutte d’or / rue Tournefort, rue Jacob, les Halles / rue du Temple, la
Bourse, place de la Bastille / le Panthéon, Saint Germain des Prés, Saint André des arts, rue du Bac / Notre Dame de Lorette, rue de la Gaité, Pigalle / le Louvre, Montparnasse
Final grade based on active class participation (20%);
portfolio (40%); and final exam (40%).
I. Introduction
II. Immigrants’ view of Paris
Michel Tournier: La Goutte d’or (1985)
Calixthe Beyala: Le petit prince de Belleville (1992) III. Paris: City of dreams and ambitions
Honoré de Balzac: Le Père Goriot (1833)
Gustave Flaubert: L’Education sentimentale (1869) Colette: Claudine à Paris (1901)
Louis Aragon: Les beaux quartiers (1936)
IV. Paris and the masses
Eugène Sue: Les mystères de Paris (1842-1843) Emile Zola: Le ventre de Paris (1873)
Louis-Ferdinand Céline: Mort à crédit (1936) Georges Simenon: Un Noël de Maigret (1949)
V. Paris and the intellectuals
André Gide: Les faux-monnayeurs (1925) Simone de Beauvoir: La force des choses (1963)
Julia Kristeva: Les Samouraïs (1990)
VI. Women in Paris
Gérard de Nerval: Aurélia (1865) Jean Lorrain: M. de Phocas (1901) André Breton: Nadja (1928)
Jean Genet: Notre-Dame des fleurs (1946)
VII. Americans in Paris
Mark Twain: Les innocents à l’étranger (1869)
Gertrude Stein: Autobiographie d’Alice B. Toklas (1993) Jack Kerouac: Satori à Paris (1966)
In addition to the excerpts listed above, each student must select one of the following combinations of theme or site + text and produce a portfolio illustrating the theme, including visual images, newspaper articles, interviews with Parisians, relevant historical texts and annotated bibliography, etc.
1) Le musée Gustave Moreau
Jean Lorrain: “Le piège” in M. de Phocas (1901)
2) Le bois de Boulogne
Marcel Proust: Du côté de chez Swann III (1913)
3) Le malaise de la société
Marguerite Duras: “Paris” in La vie matérielle (1987)
4) La culture
Philippe Sollers: Les folies françaises (1990)
5) Les Parisens et leur ville
Raymond Queneau: Zazie dans le métro (1959)
6) Un Américain à Paris
Paul Bowles: 17, quai Voltaire (1993)
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.