116-277 Paris: Capital of the Nineteenth Century (on site in Paris)

Note

Available as 116-377 at 3rd-year level.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

A pass in 116-115 or 116-174 or 116-202 or their equivalent.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Nineteenth century Paris was considered by European artists, writers and musicians alike to be the cultural capital of the world. However, the creative production of the century highlights, on one hand, the difficulty of dealing with the nostalgia of disappearing traditions, cultural landscapes and cityscapes, and, on the other hand, the anxiety and excitement generated by progress in science and allied fields, which produced a sense of dislocation. This alienation is personified by the figure of Baudelaire and Manet's aimless 'flaneur'. The subject will look at how artists and writers portrayed the evolution of Paris from its Romantic 'vie de quartier', through its restructuring under Napoleon III to become the city of spectacle and symbol befitting its role as the capital of a powerful colonial empire.

Assessment

One oral presentation in French to be written up on return. [1500 words in French]. One research project to be worked on in Paris and written up on return to Melbourne. [3000 words].

Prescribed Texts

• Honoré de Balzac, Le père Goriot. Livre de poche.
• Emile Zola, Au bonheur des dames. Livre de poche.
• Emile Zola, L'Assommoir. Livre de poche.
• J. K. Huysmans, Croquis parisiens. Garnier.
• Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris. Garnier.
• Eugène Sue, Les Mystères de Paris. Garnier.