French 4341 - Enlightenment Engery: Comedy, Eroticism, and the Grotesque

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

In this course we examine works in which the comic, the erotic, and the grotesque-base urges that 18th-century audiences deplored yet found entertaining-made inroads into the literature of the time. The Enlightenment was highly suspicious of impulses and intuitions that challenged or escaped the bounds of virtue, sentiment, and reason. French philosophers debated whether genius lay in the supreme mastery or the spontaneous creation of art, whether talent was inborn or could be acquired through practice. Reading texts that span the long 18th century, by authors such as Molière, Marivaux, Crébillon fils, Voltaire, Diderot, Restif de la Bretonne, Beaumarchais, Sade, and Hugo, we investigate how the satirical, the bawdy, and the profane served as the wellspring of Enlightenment inspiration, giving rise to visions of an ideal society. Prerequisites: French 325 and French 326 or one of these courses and the equivalent Washington University transfer literature course from Toulouse or Paris. One-hour preceptorial for required for undergraduates.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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