2020-21 Academic Catalog

What do Peruvians, Tahitians, Senegalese and Eldoradians have in common? For one thing, they’re all present in France’s heavily fantasized view of the world beyond its borders. Drawing on travel literature, philosophy, politics, art, and other media, we will examine how the French used the outside world as a screen upon which to project its imaginings about ethnicity, gender, and culture during the period leading to and following the French Revolution. Authors may include Graffigny, Bougainville, Diderot, Voltaire, Sade, De Staël, Voltaire, De Duras, Balzac, and others. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: One French course beyond French 204 or instructor permission