116-030 Paris: Capital of the Nineteenth Century (on site in Paris)

Note

Availability

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

A pass in 116-007 French I: Cultural Perspectives and 116-008 French I: Language in Context II or 116-011 Intermediate French C and 116-012 Intermediate French D or 116-015 Post-beginners French IIB or 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

A 15-minute oral presentation in French (in Paris), and a research project of 3000 words to be worked on in Paris and written up on return.

Prescribed Texts

• H de Balzac, Les illusions perdues. Livre de poche.
• E Zola, La Curée. Livre de poche.
• E Zola, L'Assommoir. Livre de poche.
• V Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris. Garnier 1991.