The Belle Époque

In this course we will explore French literature and society of 1890-1914 through novels, plays, poems, images, and historical documents. One of our goals will be to study the historical and cultural context of the works as well as the evolution of French society. We will analyze the complexity and paradoxes of the Belle Époque, which is a period of cultural and artistic blossoming as well as of rapid transformation of French society and of the urban landscape (The Eiffel Tower, the métro), but also of conflicts and inequalities (strikes, the Dreyfus affair, colonialism). We will examine photographs, caricatures, post cards, and paintings of the Belle Époque, and read works by Zola, Jarry, Auclert, Feydeau, Proust, Apollinaire, and Valéry. (FREN 0221 or by waiver) 3 hrs. lect./disc.