Middlebury

FREN0316A-F13

Animal Encounters-French Lit.

Animal Encounters in French Literature
In this course we will explore representations of animals in French literature. Animals have played an important role in literature, yet, in post-Darwinian modernity their depiction became increasingly tied to a questioning of the human/animal divide. What are the recurrent motifs and concerns that shape depictions of animals in 19th century French literature? What ethical and social questions do they raise? We will study fictional works of animal metamorphosis, and literary accounts of zoos and animal spectacles, as well as ways in which animals have been used as a rhetorical device to de-humanize "Others"—women and foreigners, in particular. We will read texts by Baudelaire, Balzac, Maupassant, Flaubert, Zola, Lautréamont, and Rachilde. (FREN 0221 or by waiver). 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Course Reference Number (CRN):
92376
Subject Code:
FREN
Course Number:
0316
Section Identifier:
A

Course

FREN 0316

All Sections in Fall 2013

Fall 2013

FREN0316A-F13 Lecture (Weber)