Topics in English and American Literature:

3 units

This class explores the complex historical and experiential relationship between the United States and France. During the first part of the class, we examine how literary Americans respond to Paris during the first part of the twentieth century, during the period known as The Lost Generation. Through readings and films, students will compare journalistic and literary accounts of Paris and examine such themes as the doubleness of the expatriate writer; the question of home; and alternative (sexual, racial and creative) identities made possible in the City of Lights. We end the class with a glance forward, on the cusp of the new millennium and beyond, as we attempt to grapple with social and cultural differences that have contributed to misunderstandings between France and America. Specifically, we examine the role of France in the formulation of a radical politicizing of tradition. How does l'exception française shape the current international dialogue regarding social class, the economics of globalization, and values?