FRN 5029 The Exotic Other in the 18th Century French Novel
In the 18th-century, certain French novels and short stories showed outsiders, exotic others, from Africa, Persia, Turkey, Siam, China, Peru, and the Americas visiting Europe and commenting on what they observed there. Other works were based on accounts of actual foreigners with whom the writers came into contact through travel narratives. In this course, the class will examine the figure of the exotic other, both real and imaginary, in novels and short stories from Montesquieu?s Lettres persanes (1721) to Voltaire?s L?Inginu (1767) and analyze their role within the social and political context of 18th-century French society. Prerequisite: FRN 3024, Introduction to the Analysis of French Texts, or its equivalent.