French Theater From 1800 to the Present

3 units

We study selected plays of Hugo, Musset, Feydeau, Jarry, Claudel, Giraudoux, Anouilh, with particular attention to Romanticism, Symbolism, Existentialism, and absurdist drama. Close attention will be paid to the sociopolitical, philosophical, and aesthetic contexts within which these plays were written, performed, and received by the public. Videos of selected scenes will also be shown and serve as points of departure for several classroom discussions, as will various influential critical theories about the nature and structure of modern French theater. One-hour preceptorial required for undergraduates.