FREN 0372
Revolution and Romanticism
Revolution and Romanticism
Victor Hugo said famously that Romanticism was "liberalism in literature." Taking this pronouncement as point of departure, we will consider how literature and politics intertwine during an era of great social transformation. Starting with the period of the French Revolution, and continuing through the Empire, the Restoration, and the bourgeois monarchy, we will discuss the following concepts and problems: the relation between theatrical representation and the political system; the emergence of a public space; how artworks figure or prefigure historical events; the relation between political and artistic freedom. Readings may include: Rousseau, Beaumarchais, Chateaubriand, Stendhal, Staël, Musset, Vigny, Constant. (FREN 0221 or by waiver). 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Victor Hugo said famously that Romanticism was "liberalism in literature." Taking this pronouncement as point of departure, we will consider how literature and politics intertwine during an era of great social transformation. Starting with the period of the French Revolution, and continuing through the Empire, the Restoration, and the bourgeois monarchy, we will discuss the following concepts and problems: the relation between theatrical representation and the political system; the emergence of a public space; how artworks figure or prefigure historical events; the relation between political and artistic freedom. Readings may include: Rousseau, Beaumarchais, Chateaubriand, Stendhal, Staël, Musset, Vigny, Constant. (FREN 0221 or by waiver). 3 hrs. lect./disc.