FRN 3027, French Comedy

Professor Binita Mehta

Office: Founders G-26B

Office Hours: M: 10-11, T: 1-3, W: 10-11, R: 10-11 & 2-3

Phone: (914) 323-5407 (on campus dial x5407)

Course Description

This course we will study of the development of French comedy from the medieval farce to the twentieth century. We will study plays by Molière, Marivaux, Beaumarchais, Musset, and Ionesco. In addition to the study of character, style and themes, we will examine the evolution of French comedy over the centuries and study how cthe playwrights used comedy to critique the social and political situation of their times.

Texts (available in Campus Bookstore)

La Farce de maître Pathelin

Molière, Tartuffe, Les femmes savantes,

Marivaux, Le jeu de l’amour et du hasard

Beaumarchais, Le Barbier de Séville, Le Mariage de Figaro,

Musset, On ne badine pas avec l’amour

Ionesco, Les chaises

A grammar reference.

A monolingual dictionary. Recommended: Le Robert Micro, Dictionnaire de la langue française, 1998.

A bilingual dictionary.

Course Schedule

FRN 3027/5027 meets one day a week on Mondays from 7-9 p.m. from August 29-December 7, 2005.

Class Participation

Active participation in class and, therefore, regular attendance is required. More than one absence without an official excuse will automatically lower your class participation grade. The class participation grade will be based on attending class and participating in discussions. This implies good preparation and demonstration of interest in the material, the instructor’s comments and the contributions of your fellow students.

Homework and Response Papers

You are responsible for reading the assigned texts before every class. Through the semester, you will hand in at least four short (3-5 page) response papers to the plays. All homework must be TYPED and DOUBLE-SPACED and should include accent marks.

Midterm

The midterm will consist of 1 or 2 essay questions to be written in class in French.

Oral Presentations
You will be expected to do one oral presentation over the course of the semester. For the presentation, you will lead a 10 minute discussion of one of the reading assignments from the syllabus.

Final Paper

Each student will pick a French comedy not read in class and write a final paper to be handed in during final exam week. Please inform me of your selection after Thanksgiving Break. You will submit a

1-2-page outline of the paper (5% of final paper grade) after the break and present the main argument of your final paper in a 5-10-minute presentation during the last two class meetings (see syllabus).

For undergraduates: one long paper (7-10 pages)
For graduate students: one long paper (12-15 pages) that incorporates secondary sources and criticism.

Grades:

Class Participation: 15%

Response papers to novels: 40%

Oral Presentation: 10%

Midterm: 15%

Final Paper: 20% (Outline 5%)

Useful websites:

FRENCH MEDIA

www.lemonde.fr -- French newspaper, le Monde

www.liberation.fr --French newspaper, Libération

www.rfi.fr-- French Radio Station, Radio France Internationale

http://www.france-amerique.com -- See “Actualité”

www.france.com -- See “Agenda New York”

French News, Le Journal, every evening from 7 – 7: 30 p.m. on WNYE.

FOR FRENCH EVENTS IN NYC THE TRI-STATE AREA

http://frenchculture.org/events/newyork --Links to French events in NYC and the Tri-State area

www.fiaf.org -- French Institute/Alliance Française of New York

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/french/Mbase.html - NYU, Maison Française

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/french/maison/ Columbia University, Maison Française

http://www.mri.gouv.qc.ca/usa/en/new_york/affaires_publiques/publications.asp - Quebec Update, newsletter of the Délégation Général du Québec

www.bam.org -- Brooklyn Academy of Music

The French departmental website, www.mville.edu/french, also has some useful links to French and francophone websites.

Schedule of Assignments: (This schedule is subject to change)

Week 1 (August 29)

Introduction; History of French Comic Theater; Definitions

Week 2 (September 5)

Labor Day – No class

Week 3 (September 12)

La Farce de Maître Pathelin

Week 4 (September 19)

Molière, Tartuffe

Week 5 (September 26)

Molière, Les femmes savantes

Week 6 (October 3)

Marivaux, Le Jeu de l’amour et du hazard

Week 7 (October 10)

Columbus Day – no class

Week 8 (October 17)

Midterm Exam

Week 9 (October 24)

Beaumarchais, Le Barbier de Séville

Week 10 (October 31)

Beaumarchais, Le Mariage de Figaro

Week 11 (November 7)

Beaumarchais, Le Mariage de Figaro

Week 12 (November 14)

Film

Week 13 (November 21)

Alfred de Musset, On ne badine pas avec l’amour

Week 14 (November 28)

Ionesco, Les chaises; Student Presentations

Week 15 (Decembre 5)

Student Presentations, Révision

Your final paper is due during final exam week, Dec. 9-13.

Useful websites

History of commedia dell'arte by a modern troupe - http://www.flash.net/~trshane/dellarte.htm

Molière

Molière web site with many picture links (in French only): try it! - http://www.tokolos.demon.co.uk/research/moliere.htm

Tartuffe: the original French text - http://cedric.cnam.fr/cgi-bin/ABU/donner_html?tartuf2

Beaumarchais

Beaumarchais and censorship - http://simr02.si.ehu.es/FileRoom/documents/Cases/176beaumarchais.html

Ionesco:

Ionesco: a short biography - http://www.levity.com/corduroy/ionesco.htm

Ionesco: another short biography - http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc19.html