Texts that assume a critical stance towards contemporary society often contain utopian visions of a better world. Prior to the French Revolution, authors questioned the adequacy of conventional wisdom, received ideas, despotic government, and traditional divisions between genders, classes, and races. Some of the most famed utopias of literary history are contained in their works (the Troglodytes, El Dorado, Tahiti, Mauritius), ranging from exotic islands to a room of one's own. We will consider the relationship between republic and revolution, the ideal and the real, social theory and social practice in French utopian fiction across the ages. It is said that every utopia contains the seeds of its own dystopia. We will investigate the truth of this remark, tracing the response of art and technology to social crisis, from war through plague, in literature and film. Authors include Montesquieu, Voltaire, Graffigny, Rousseau, Diderot, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, Sade, Verne, Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, Zola, Tournier, and Houellebecq. Prereq: Fr 325, 326, Thinking-It-Through, or In-Depth. One-hour preceptorial required for undergraduates. Boon Cuillé.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM
