Crimes of passion, palace intrigues, and family feuds lead us behind closed doors into spaces reserved for private encounters. We discover that an individual's escape from the scrutiny of parents, friends, and officials frequently aligns with seduction and scandal. From the Sun King's bedchamber, through the boudoirs of later centuries, and into the homes and hotel rooms of modern times, we will observe individuals who navigate desire, ambition, and knowledge outside the public sphere. What happens when a young person risks all for love? Has there always been a right to privacy? Can we shield individuals against prejudice, pressure, exploitation, and the judgements of others? What disturbing acts (abandonment, despair, duplicity, surveillance, corruption) are concealed in intimate portraits of family love, honor, and entitlement? Topics to include the king, his queen, and his mistresses at Versailles; strategies of seduction in Enlightenment France; adultery in MADAME BOVARY; intimist paintings by Vuillard and Bonnard; family dramas by contemporary novelists and filmmakers; and today's selfies and social media profiles. One-hour preceptorial required for undergraduates. Prereq: Fr 325, 326, Thinking-It-Through, or In-Depth.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM
