Philosophical Fictions

3 units

The French Enlightenment witnessed a veritable explosion of short fiction, including philosophical, oriental, moral, and libertine tales bearing such self-conscious titles as A THOUSAND AND ONE FOLLIES and THIS IS NOT A TALE. Though written by the literary elite and not considered children's literature, the genre enjoyed widespread popular appeal and had the power to shape mentalities. Often satirical in tone, these tales served to convey and question contemporary political, philosophical, scientific, religious, and moral trends. They inspired some of the most vivid illustrations of the day and were often circulated as part of the literary underground. We will read works by Crebillon fils, Voltaire, Diderot, Cazotte, Charrière, Sade, and Staël alongside excerpts from French cultural history on eighteenth-century mentalities, salons, and print culture. 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.