Course Schedule and Catalog

Department: French Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: NAKED SAVAGES AND CIVILIZED FRENCHMEN ***** Exotic lands and people exerted a vivid fascination on French society of the eighteenth century. This course will examine how French writers of the period represented other cultures, and "savages" in particular. We will investigate how their depictions of foreign customs helped define what it meant to be a "French citizen" and a "civilized human being," even as they cast doubt on the very idea and value of civilization. Readings include novels, utopian narratives, and travel journals by authors such as Montesquieu, Graffigny, Rousseau, Commerson, Diderot and Bernadin de Saint Pierre. ***** PREREQUISITE: 311 or 312