Department of French and Italian

In this course we will read plays and essays by French authors from the 17^th to the 20^th century. We begin with Jean Racine’s tragedy Andromaque, which will be the subject of our first exam. Then we read the Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot’s essay on the theater, Paradoxe sur le comédien, on which the students will write and rewrite an essay on a topic chosen in consultation with the professor. Then we turn to Victor Hugo’s Romantic drama Hernani, the subject of our second exam, an in-class essay test like the first. From the 20^th century we will read the poet Guillaume Apollinaire’s essay in art criticism, Les peintres cubistes, which will give us a little practice in art history. Students will each do an in-class presentation on one of the works discussed by Apollinaire. Our last reading will be Jean Anouilh’s adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone, an unusually salient work for our age of tyranny. The final will be on Antigone. All work in French. Grades based on five assignments and participation in class discussion.

FRIT-F 305     #13618         2:20P-3:35P       TuTh      FQ B002       Prof. Eric MacPhail