This seminar will explore the literature and culture of 19th-century France with a specific focus on Paris and its development over the course of the century. We will consider the impacts of population growth, the industrial revolution, political upheavals, artistic developments, and the transformation of the cityscape itself. How did novelists, poets, journalists, and composers use their works to depict and to grapple with the transformation of the city? We will also consider how colonialism and empire manifested themselves within the boundaries of the colonizing state, for example in the Expositions Universelles. Texts studied will include works by Charles Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, Louise Michel, Jacques Offenbach, and Guy de Maupassant. Towards the end of the course we will turn our attention to artistic representations of Paris across the century. Readings, written assignments, and class discussions will be in French. While any student who has completed FREN 215 (with a minimum grade of B) or has placed out of FREN 215 through the placement test may sign up for this course, it is an advanced course intended for students who have already taken two courses in French beyond FREN 215 or already have studied abroad in a French-speaking country. Students who are not admitted to the course through pre-registration are strongly encouraged to submit an enrollment request and attend the first class. This course will count as one course toward the French studies major and minor, the Romance Studies major, the COL major. It also fulfills the language requirement for the ARHA major and GEM (Global Engagement Minor). |