The Reciprocal Gaze: French and American Perspectives of Each Other
For centuries the French and the Americans have gazed at each other with curiosity, fondness, or mutual antagonism across the oceanic reflecting mirror. Here we will examine archetypes, stereotypes, and other by-products of their respective collective and creative imaginations. Do the French love to hate Americans? Do Americans persist in revering the French? How do representations of the other reflect crises of national and personal identity? We will explore Franco-American encounters and rendez-vous manqués in historical writings, essays, autobiography, and film. Readings will include works by De Beauvoir, Baudrillard, Labro, and others. (FREN 0230 or by waiver). 3 hrs. lect./disc.