The purpose of the course is to see how two main Greek myths which are very present in 20th century French literature (the myth of Oedipus and the myth of the Atreids) have been used and rethought in various ways by authors such as Anouilh, Giraudoux, Cocteau, Sartre and Yourcenar in order to reflect on issues of their days: questions of power, the place of women, love, war etc.

Various extracts from literary pieces will be used to illustrate the ways in which myths can receive various treatments and remain current.