Mapping the Self in the 17^th Century

In this course, we explore how individuals in seventeenth-century France developed written and dramatic portrayals of identity through the idea of the map. Along with providing an overview of map-making from the Renaissance through the Classical era, the course will include readings of literary texts that give detailed accounts of the geography of personal experience. Authors we will read and discuss include La Bruyère, Mme de Lafayette, Molière, Mlle de Scudéry, Mme de Sévigné, and Racine. In these authors' works, two interconnected modes of representation can be observed: 1. Authors construct fictional identities, characters whose personal perceptions and experiences take shape in a narrative; 2. Authors construct fictional worlds, imaginary topographies that the characters inhabit. As we read these works (including novels, letters, plays, and aphoristic observations), we will be discussing how fictional constructions of self intersect with narrative geography (in addition, we'll ask the question: when is the self described as a geographical entity?). What are the key terms of this geography? By means of what images, ideas, and techniques of writing do our authors portray the individual's relationship to his/her physical surroundings? A number of cultural historians have argued that the early modern period witnessed the development of a new kind of private life. What are the dimensions of this individual experience that can be observed in the writings of this period? In order to situate our discussions of literature and cartography in historical context, we will also go over some of the major social and political trends and events that marked daily life in early modern France. Required work includes short essays during the course of the semester, a midterm, and a final (graduate students will do a final research paper). The overall goal of the class is to gain familiarity with literature and cartography of early modern Europe.

Please refer to the links to the pages below for outlines summarizing the main points of class discussion:

course intro.htm

Clelie I.htm

Clelie II.htm

La Carte De Tendre.htm

Artaxandre.htm

Misanthrope.htm

Mme de Lafayette.htm

caracteres.htm

sevigne.htm

Links to other course documents and resources:

syllabus.htm

bibliography.htm