Writing the Family: Stories and Secrets in French and Francophone Literature

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course takes inspiration from the success and popularity of family stories in contemporary French literature (from the mid-1980's to the present), and will explore some of the most iconic examples of such works by writers including Annie Ernaux, Maryse Condé, and Emmanuel Carrère. How does recounting the trajectory of family members differ from other sorts of life-writing projects? To what extent does the focus on others allow for the staging of the self ? What conflicting visions of the family fuel such endeavors ? Our investigations will be organized around a series of key topics such as the use of documents, the ethics of life writing, and the impact of historical violence on family secrets that will allow us to locate family stories within their larger social, political, historical, and cultural contexts. Students will have the opportunity to deepen their literary analytical skills and enhance their understanding of contemporary French society.