FFS 230 - Ancients vs. Moderns: Past, Present and Future in the French Literary Tradition

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

A defining conflict that shook the French literary world from the late 17th to the early 18th centuries, the Querelle des anciens et des modernes pitted those who found the ancient Greeks and Romans to be unsurpassable in terms of artistic merit against those who considered contemporary esthetic innovations to be a progression beyond the inheritance of Antiquity. Although we read several texts commonly included in the canon of the Querelle, this course is not meant to be a survey of this specific historical conflict, but rather a broader exploration of the roles played by the past, the present and the future in the creation and reception of works of literature in the medieval and early modern French tradition and beyond. Readings may include selections from Chrétien de Troyes, Marguerite de Navarre, Molière, Voltaire, Rousseau, Bataille and Cassin among others.

Prerequisite(s): FFS 212 or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS