Civilité et subjectivité au XVIIème siècle

This course explores the effect of civilité on subjectivity in 17th-century France. After considering pertinent theories of subjectivity, we examine how civility links the sense of "distinction" to disgust and, more precisely, the "abject," and how this linkage changes over the course of the century under the influence of political, economic, and aesthetic forces. We pay particular attention to the ways civility constructs language, the body, sexuality, gender, and class.