HIST 322 - Dangerous Liaisons, Dangerous Selves

1 unit(s)

The intensive focuses on Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a novel that was notorious when it came out in 1782 and still appeals today in film such as Dangerous Liaisons and Cruel Intentions. We use the technique of “slow reading” to allow for careful analysis and thought while also bringing out the pleasure of reading. The connections between reading and the self was an object of great speculation and anxiety in the eighteenth century, when writers and the public were obsessed with interiority and subjecthood.The course explores how Les Liaisons Dangereuses explored multiple, sometimes conflicting selves, such as love and trauma, agency and authenticity, transgression and tradition. In addition to reading the novel (in translation), we examine primary and theoretical sources to contextualize the self. Students are expected to develop a creative final project on the articulation of selfhood. Sumita Choudhury.

One 2-hour period.

Not offered in 2024/25.

Course Format: INT