ClassInfo

French 3101W, section 2, spring 2021 (fully remote), taught by Dr. Lydia Belatèche

Family Feuds and Fusions

Do you have people in your family who annoy you, inspire you, love you and frustrate you more than anyone else? Most of us do, and based on works of fiction throughout time, it would seem that it has ever been thus. This class will use Francophone contexts, across genres and time, to study the role and representation of family, and consider if we find truth in José Carlos Llop's observation that "La famille est le vrai roman de l'individu." How does family form one's identity? What truths lie behind the proverb, "On choisit ses amis, on ne choisit pas sa famille"? Where is one's place inside the family unit? Why do people often have a love-hate relationship with members of their family?

We will first explore these questions through 17^th century theatre (Le Cid by Corneille), followed by 19^thcentury prose (Thérèse Raquin by Zola) and early 20^th century poetry (Alcools by Apollinaire). 20^th century novels include L'Étranger by Camus, La Place by Ernaux, and Elle danse dans le noir by Frégni. We will observe modern families in films by Varda (Le bonheur) and Benguigui (Inch'Allah dimanche). Finally, we will reach current times with filmmakers Julien-Laferrière (C'est quoi cette famille?!) and Meyer (Rhapsody), as well as singers Bigflo & Oli (Rentrez chez vous).

Liberal Arts Education Requirements, Literature Core:

In this course, you will learn to analyze forms of cultural expression in their social and cultural context, considering the ways in which the paradigms and practices of art - particularly literature - are constructed and modified over time. This is an essential component of any Liberal Arts Education.

The course, "Body Knowledge," aims to examine ideas of the body including its material, physical, mental, sexual dimensions, and all the ways in which the body has been imagined by some French authors. Their changing perceptions and ideas of representation of the body make it hyper-significant on the narrative landscape challenging our own conceptions of the body as a concrete object, solid and stagnant.

Focusing on texts by some of the most innovative authors including Marie de France, Marguerite de Navarre, François Rabelais, Denis Diderot, Honoré de Balzac, Guy de Maupassant, Assia Djebar, Fatima Mernissi, and René Maran we will work collectively on fundamental questions like 1) Why is the body an object of fascination for authors? 2) How does figurative language fix, mend, and/or free the body? 3) How do literary representations of the body give other models in contrast to the anatomical, mechanical, or material model? 4) How do the aspects of the body presented in literature enable us to challenge the conventional frameworks including societal, medical, technological (even social media)? Through this literary examination we will develop a critical lexicon and interpretative skills with close reading (at the levels of syntax and grammar), and textual/intertextual analyses of themes. The goal is to arrive at a conception of the body as a subject of infinite possibilities.