Criminal Minds in Literature written in French

How does one become a criminal? What causes a person to commit a crime? What triggers a criminal act? Which sorts of thought-processes lead to crime? These questions will be central to this course in which we will analyze the writing techniques that various Francophone authors have used to explore and portray criminals, both male and female. We will read literary texts—short stories and novels— from the Francophone world, including France, and watch some film adaptations. We will investigate the connections between realism, romanticism, and naturalism; attempt to disentangle reality from the imaginary; and interpret and extract meaning from stream-of-consciousness narratives. (FREN 0209 or 0210 or placement) 3 hrs. sem.