Le livre interdit

In this course we will explore a collection of eighteenth-century French works that were formally suppressed or forbidden as well as those which circulated without official authorization. We will consider topics such as censorship in France under the Ancien Régime, philosophical literature, and the ways Enlightenment figures challenged religious and political institutions. Readings will feature authors such as Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Beaumarchais, Sade, Mercier, and Gouges; in addition, we will study one film. Our readings will inform our understanding of the establishment freedom of expression in France. Taught in French.