The 20th-Century Novel

3 units

In this seminar we examine the evolution of the French novel in the twentieth century. We closely read five great novels, by Proust, Gide, Céline, Robbe-Grillet, and Ernaux. We determine what characterizes the twentieth-century French novel and how it has evolved from Proust to Ernaux. We consider its technical aspects but will also focus on the major themes it addresses: love, art, memory, time, death, and the general problem of the human condition. Prereq: Fr 325 and Fr 326 or one of these courses and the equivalent WU transfer literature course from Toulouse or Paris. One-hour preceptorial required for undergraduates.