Basic themes in french literature and culture

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Childhood is a source of fascination in most Western cultures. It is both a major inspiration for artistic creation and a political ideal, which aims at protecting future generations. Which role does it play in French society and in other francophone areas? Why is the French national anthem ("La Marseillaise") addressed to its "children"? This course will study the transformation of childhood since the 18th century and the development of sentimentality within the family. We will examine various representations of childhood in literature (e.g. Pagnol, Proust, Sarraute, Laye, Morgièvre), movies (e.g. Truffaut), and songs (e.g. Brel, Barbara). Course taught in French by Bruno Perreau.

Final grade will be determined from the following:

Please see the Assignments page for more details about the oral presentation, weekly short-answer papers, and research paper.

The evaluation will be based on (1) attendance, (2) the demonstration that the students have done the weekly readings, (3) the quality (and not only the quantity) of their oral output. To help prepare for the discussion, questions on the readings and their most topical aspects will be suggested every week.

Class sessions will be divided between

Please see the table below for an overview of the topics covered in each session and in each of the four parts of this course, as well as key dates for the course.

Research paper due

Film: La colline aux mille enfants by Jean-Louis Lorenzi

Bruno Perreau is an Assistant Professor of French Studies at MIT (PhD in Political Science, Sorbonne University, 2006) and a Research Fellow at Cambridge University. He is a former member of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton). Prior to joining MIT, Perreau taught at Paris XII University and Sciences Po. Please visit his website for further biographical information and his publication list.

Don't show me this again

This is one of over 2,200 courses on OCW. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free & open publication of material from thousands of MIT courses, covering the entire MIT curriculum.

No enrollment or registration. Freely browse and use OCW materials at your own pace. There's no signup, and no start or end dates.

Knowledge is your reward. Use OCW to guide your own life-long learning, or to teach others. We don't offer credit or certification for using OCW.

Made for sharing. Download files for later. Send to friends and colleagues. Modify, remix, and reuse (just remember to cite OCW as the source.)

Learn more at Get Started with MIT OpenCourseWare