French 370PR - Proust

A la Recherche du temps perdu' is the greatest literary masterpiece of the twentieth century and is both rooted in a specific past and universal in its analysis of human intellect and emotion. We will concentrate on themes of love and desire in three relationships: Swann's adoration of Odette; the narrator's fixation on Albertine; and the Baron de Charlus's homosexual passions. Assignments will include most of Du Côté de chez Swann, Sodome et Gomorrhe, and Le Temps retrouvé; excerpts from the other four novels; selections from important criticism; and film. Analysis of construction of the entire work will facilitate reading unassigned sections for ambitious Proustians.

Prereq: 12 credits including two courses at the advanced level, or permission of department chair and instructor.