FRN 350-01 - Advanced Topics in Literature and Civilization

4 credits (Spring)

Bad Queens - Catherine de Médicis and Marie-Antoinette. Catherine de Médicis (1519-1589) and Marie-Antoinette (1755-1793) are two French queens who witnessed tremendous social upheaval during their lifetimes; both were vilified by writers, artists, and political figures for their decisions and their passions. Even today, hundreds of years later, Catherine and Marie are often held responsible for some of the worst suffering of France during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. In this seminar, we will study the representation of these two “bad queens” in a variety of cultural materials, including poetry, autobiography, political tracts, novels, bandes dessinées, and film. We will seek to understand the specific circumstances of the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries that led to such hostility toward these two figures, the common features that link the two of them, and the reasons for the French public’s continued fascination with them.

Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313.
Instructor: Harrison