FREN 3630

In Prison 15th-20th Century

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022.

The class focuses on the experience of incarceration, as described by literary and philosophical texts written in French, ranging from the 15th to the 20th century.  Select movies will also be commented upon.  After considering literary testimonies from writers-prisoners such as Chenier, Nerval, or Genet, we'll examine the topos of the "last days of a condemned man," with texts from authors such as Stendhal, Hugo, Balzac, Malraux, or Sony Labou Tansi, as well as movies like Bresson's Un condamne a mort s'est echappe.  We'll also reflect on the way thinkers have approached the modern institution of prison and how a generalized view of the world as a prison emerges in the oeuvres of Pascal, Beckett, or Djebar.

When Offered Spring.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: FREN 2310 or permission of instructor required.

Breadth Requirement (HB)
Distribution Category (LA-AS, HST-AS)
Language Requirement Satisfies Option 1.

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