Course description:
We will do close textual analyses of various plays, from the 17th to the 20th century. In addition we will examine the function of theater in French society as well as the cultural context in which plays are produced and performed.
Plays by Molière, Beaumarchais, Ionesco, Beckett, and by the Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck.
Grade distribution: 2 papers (4 to 5 pages each, 20% of grade each); pop-up quizzes (15%); final exam (30%); class participation (15%)