Introducing Theatre (272-0-20)

Topic

Poetics of the Tragic in Modern French Drama

Instructors

Matthieu Dupas
847/491-2772
1860 S. Campus Drive, Crowe Hall #2-139

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-343: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

It has been argued that the sense of the tragic disappeared in the modern era, and yet many plays continued to stage characters facing their destiny and questioning its meaning. Reading plays by Racine, Musset, Beckett, Genet and Koltès will be an opportunity to reflect on the persistence and the transformations of the genre of the tragedy in modern French theater. Identifying the theatrical forms (comedy, tragedy, lyrical tragedy, drame…) and cultural genres (Classicism, Romanticism, Absurdism…) that have shaped the history of French theater will enable us to highlight the constant dialogue between literature and society and to assess the social, political, and historical factors that have framed the (re)writing of the tragedy from early to late modernity.

Class Materials (Required)

Jean Racine: Phèdre (Paris: Gallimard, coll. Folio Classique, [1950] 2000)
Alfred de Musset, Lorenzaccio (Paris: Gallimard, coll. Folio Théâtre, 2008)
Samuel Beckett: En attendant Godot (Paris : Éditions de Minuit, 1952)
Jean Genet : Les Bonnes (Paris : Gallimard, coll. Folio, 1978)
Bernard-Marie Koltès, Dans la solitude des champs de coton (Paris : Minuits, 1987)

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite: Students must have completed FRENCH 210-0 or FRENCH 211-0. Other students may register with instructor permission.