• FOW 5025 Critical Theory
• FRE 5060 Graduate Reading Knowledge
• FRW 5415 Readings in Old French Literature
• FRW 5591 Studies in 16th Century Literature
• FRW 5592 Studies in 17th Century Literature
• FRW 6938 Research Methods for Graduate Students in French Lit

Critical theory and its application to the reading of literature and, reciprocally, the refinement of theory from the reading of literature. The course is intended not only to introduce the students to major critical theories but also to guide them in the study of relationships between theory and the reading of literature in their respective language areas. The course is furthermore intended to provide information on how to proceed in the independent study of these relationships. Available to advanced undergraduates.

Designed to present structures of the French language and vocabulary to prepare graduate students majoring in other disciplines to read learned journals, books, and monographs written in French useful for the student's research in humanities, natural or social sciences. Available to advanced undergraduates.

The Wise Woman: Autobiography and Advice in Christine de Pizan

In this course we will examine how Christine de Pizan (ca. 1365-1430) established her authority as an advisor to royalty through her self-presentation as a woman remarkable for her wisdom, learning, and conduct. She uses her own personal "autobiography" to help communicate a message about the spiritual and moral health of the early fifteenth century French state. Since in the Middle Ages it was believed that a person who could not govern her own morals was not worthy of ruling the country or telling others how to do so, Christine's defense of her reputation was part of her concerted political strategies. For example, like a candidate for a modern political office, she felt compelled to defend herself against rumors that she had taken a lover after the death of her husband. In a similar way, Christine's credibility would be diminished if she were seen as belonging to a tainted gender. An important part of her strategies was thus to defend the entire female gender against antifeminism in literature and in life.

We will concentrate on three works written during the period 1403-1405:
The Path of Long Study (Le Chemin de long estude)
The City of Ladies (La Cité des dames)
Christine's Vision (L'Advision Cristine)

PLEASE NOTE: This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates outside of French who have a reading knowledge of modern French and are capable of following the French used for class lecture and discussion. The professor will establish a weekly supplementary session for discussion in English and/or a web chat group for those who prefer to discuss the works in English. Non-French specialists may choose to do their papers and presentations in English.

Voice and Dialogue in Renaissance Literature

This course will focus on different individual "voices" and their "dialogues" in 16th century French literature. Since Renaissance authors took a special interest in language as an expression of individuality as well as in the revival of the classical genre of the dialogue, the notion of voice and of interacting voices in a dialogical setting will be crucial to understanding the literature of the period. We will study for instance how the Renaissance perceived the relation between the author's authentic voice and the divine logos (the word of God); the importance of orality and the spoken word; the role of rhetoric; the significance of dialogue in the Renaissance ideal of education; as well as the expression of the male/female poetic voice, the voice of the storyteller, etc. Authors will include Clément Marot, Marguerite de Navarre, some Pléiade poets, Rabelais, Montaigne, as well as Northern European humanist Erasmus (in French translation). We will study these authors paying specific attention to the role of the word in the period's religious context, in particular the early Reform movement in France.

Readings:

• Érasme, Colloques (selections)
• Marot, Épîtres, Épigrammes, Psaumes, Déploration de Florimond Robertet
• Marguerite de Navarre, Chansons spirituelles, Le Miroir de l'âme pécheresse
• Ronsard, Odes, Les Amours
• Rabelais, Gargantua
• Montaigne, Essais (selections)

Available to advanced undergraduates.

The Creation of Classicism and the Prose Writer

This course examines the technical and stylistic developments in the use of the French language which permitted prose writers to analyze with clarity and wit the political, philosophical and aesthetic issues that were part of the emergence of what is now termed French Classicism. Authors to be studied include, Descartes, Pascal, Mazarin, La Rochefoucauld, Bossuet, de Lafayette, and La Bruyère. Available to advanced undergraduates.

We will learn the classification systems of Strozier Library and the Bibliotheque Nationale, the Library of the British Museum, the Library of Congress. We will learn how the establish a good bibliography, which bibliographies are useful for study in modern languages and in doing meaningful research, how to choose topics for term papers and theses and dissertations, how to properly document research. The only text used will be MLA Handbook for writers of Research Papers. Fifth edition.