Literary representation of the Mediterranean in French and Francophone Literatures

Both a real and imaginary location where History is deeply intertwined with Mythology, the Mediterranean has been a major source of inspiration for French and Francophone writers since the 19th century. The main objective of this course will be to explore the major trends in the literary representations of this cultural location connecting Europe, Asia and Africa. We will first pay attention to the earliest orientalist and romantic depiction of the Mediterranean (Staël, Chateaubriand, Nerval, Gautier…). The second part of the course will be devoted to the study of the “Mediterranean Humanism” promoted in the 20th century by writers such as Valéry, Camus, Audisio and Grenier. Finally, we will show how Francophone North African writers such as M. Dib, M. Mokeddem, Ben Jelloun or Maissa Bey have recently explored the Mediterranean imaginary in their attempt to move beyond the postcolonial pitfalls of Nationalism and religious fundamentalism.

Required texts:
- FREN 6677 Course pack