Fiction in the Archives

Graduate / Professional

What can we learn about twentieth-century French literature from literary archives? The course investigates fiction by Céline, Genet, Camus, Sartre, Sarraute, Wittig, Memmi, and expatriate writers in Paris (Stein, Wright, and Wharton) by studying finished books in the light of manuscripts, letters, and historical sources. We explore in particular the idea of a “genesis” of a literary work. Classes take place in a classroom in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. A primary goal of the course is to give students practical knowledge of working in literary archives at the Beinecke Library. There are many ways to integrate literary archives into research. The seminar empower students to experiment with archival work and to make the Beinecke collections a resource for future work, whether in a Ph.D. dissertation or a senior essay or term paper. Preference given to French graduate students; advanced undergraduates are welcome with permission. Discussion in English, advanced reading knowledge of French essential. We work to develop the ability to read handwritten manuscripts in French and English. T 1:30pm-3:25pm