FREN 6656
17-19C Theater & Politics
Theater and Politics (17-19th Century)
The link between theater and politics is ontological, the theater constituting a space where the playwright proposes a debate on ideas, intended to have an effect on the public. More than just an observer, the spectator takes a position : the dialogue or the semantic duels of the characters are arguments that can be simultaneously judiciary, political, or philosophical. They offer an experience of liberty, an encounter with the other and with oneself, at the same time being a reflection on society or the civic domain. We will examine these aspects in three authors : Corneille and his dialectic on heroism, honor and glory, Beaumarchais’ problematic and seminal trilogy of the French revolution (Le Barbier de Séville, Le Mariage de Figaro, and La Mère coupable), and Victor Hugo, through his romantic dramas using battles on and off stage (Hernani and Ruy Blas). This literature course is based on textual analysis, and the texts’ modern theatrical adaptations, with examples on video.
Required texts :
Pierre CORNEILLE, Le Cid, ISBN-10: 207040918X
Pierre CORNEILLE, Cinna, ISBN-10: 207031863X
BEAUMARCHAIS, Le Barbier de Séville, Le Mariage de Figaro et La Mère coupable, ISBN-10: 2080700766
Victor HUGO, Hernani, ISBN-10: 2081269406
Victor HUGO, Ruy Blas, ISBN-10: 207040157X
The link between theater and politics is ontological, the theater constituting a space where the playwright proposes a debate on ideas, intended to have an effect on the public. More than just an observer, the spectator takes a position : the dialogue or the semantic duels of the characters are arguments that can be simultaneously judiciary, political, or philosophical. They offer an experience of liberty, an encounter with the other and with oneself, at the same time being a reflection on society or the civic domain. We will examine these aspects in three authors : Corneille and his dialectic on heroism, honor and glory, Beaumarchais’ problematic and seminal trilogy of the French revolution (Le Barbier de Séville, Le Mariage de Figaro, and La Mère coupable), and Victor Hugo, through his romantic dramas using battles on and off stage (Hernani and Ruy Blas). This literature course is based on textual analysis, and the texts’ modern theatrical adaptations, with examples on video.
Required texts :
Pierre CORNEILLE, Le Cid, ISBN-10: 207040918X
Pierre CORNEILLE, Cinna, ISBN-10: 207031863X
BEAUMARCHAIS, Le Barbier de Séville, Le Mariage de Figaro et La Mère coupable, ISBN-10: 2080700766
Victor HUGO, Hernani, ISBN-10: 2081269406
Victor HUGO, Ruy Blas, ISBN-10: 207040157X
- Subject:
- French
- Department:
- French
- Division:
- Language School
- Requirements Fulfilled:
- Literature