Images of the Priest in French Culture

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

From country pastor to cathedral villain, from merciful bishop to weaselly lecher, the image of the Roman Catholic priest in French culture is nothing if not versatile. But what purpose does that versatility serve? Is the image of the priest simply all things to all people as a matter of utility, an easy target - for good or for ill - that provides to authors, artists, or directors a shortcut to a good laugh or to a character that their audience will love to hate? This course will explore the image of the priest in France from the Middle Ages to the present day in its varied manifestations in literature, film, and art. We will examine what the broad spectrum of representations reveals about the state of the French Church at any given moment in history, about the theology of the priesthood, or about clericalism and anticlericalism in a political or social context. In a moment when the meaning of the priesthood in the Catholic Church and beyond continues to be contested, a study of the French context will yield a deeper understanding of the priest and his role as an embodiment of the Church and its authority. Taught in English, with course materials available both in English and the original French.