FFS 242 - Studies in Genre I

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Study of narrative and prose forms including the novel, autobiography, and the essay.

Topic for 2018/19a: French Utopian Adventures: Literary Travels to Nowhere Land. Punch your ticket and travel through the utopias of French literature. We voyage from early modern times, the golden age of utopia in France, visiting islands of political, social, and economic freedom, continuing on to strange worlds populated by even stranger characters that reveal the ethics, values, and ideals of French authors and their readers. We analyze past and present models of “perfection” conveyed through exoticism, nostalgia, futurism and, paradoxically, dystopia. We nuance our understanding with explorations of utopian art, music, and architecture, urbanism, gardens, design, vehicles, and even food. More importantly, we deconstruct utopian narratives on French colonization, explore criticism of totalitarianism, and explain how utopian writing can create a critique of chauvinistic society. Genres include novels, fairy tales, short stories, comic books, films, a play, and painting. Thomas Parker.

Prerequisite(s): FFS 212 or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.