Comedy & Society, Comedy and the Human Condition

Section A: Methodology - Section B: Literature

Taking its subject matter from five remarkable comedies from Molière to Ionesco, the course will approach this literary form in relation to its public, in relation to the society which it mirrors, in relation also to the different dramaturgical esthetics that it illustrates. The method will be a cross-interpretation of the social dimension and the vision of man achieved through different balances in classical theater, and in more contemporary theater. In addition, studying the five plays on the syllabus will provide indispensable material for the usual university exercises: text summaries, linear analysis, commentary, essay work.

Required Texts: Le Malade imaginaire, de Molière - L'île des esclaves, de Marivaux - Le mariage de Figaro, de Beaumarchais - On ne badine pas avec l'amour, d'A. de Musset - La Leçon, d' Eugène Ionesco.

N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525).