19658 - Banned Classics in French Literature

Course Overview

Why are certain books banned? From political entanglements to explicit eroticism, censors often cite multiple justifications. Professor Cathy Yandell invites you to join her in exploring four brief French classics: Molière’s Tartuffe, Voltaire’s Candide, Albert Camus’s The Stranger, Marguerite Duras’s The Lover, a tale from Sade's The Crimes of Love, and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, examining the nature of the perceived threat they posed. (And yes, there may be parallels in the twenty-first century…) The question of censorship connects the works to be read and discussed, but we also delve into these impressive works of fiction on their own terms. Participants may read in any translation they like (or in French).