A Voice of Their Own: Francophone Women Writers - FS 017
FS
017
A Voice of Their Own: Francophone Women
Writers
Instructor: Armelle
Crouzières Office: Château LL2 Office Hours: M&W: 2:30-4:00; Tu:
10-12; F: 2:30-3:30; and by
appointment Office Phone: 443-2427 Email Address: Course schedule and
location: MWF 1:30 to 2:20 p.m.
Château E
Peer Writing Tutor: Carrie Landry '00 - X 7081 - Chateau 301
email: llandry@middlebury.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Development in the West opened a once stagnating English literature to the refreshing, exciting perspectives of writers like Melville or Twain. Similarly, French literature is being presently rejuvenated by writers outside of France. What does it mean to write for women from Guadeloupe, Cameroon, Senegal, Québec, or Algeria? Do these authors and their female characters face similar problems and dilemmas, despite living in different regions of the world? How do women, both past and present, living in different regions of the world, cope with the power of love? This course will introduce and examine contemporary women's writings (in translation) from the francophone world (North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and North America).We will consider the diverse ways in which gender and identity issues are addressed through literature and film of the francophone world. We will look at how francophone women cope with marriage and polygamy, slavery, confinement, racial difference, immigration, biculturality, men's sexual demands, and suffocating societal and family rules. We will also discuss how women deal with education, politics, social class, and cultural identity.
AIMS OF THE COURSE
The main purpose of the course is to develop creative, critical and analytical skills through writing, reading, collaborative work, peer-review, small group debates, and student-led discussions. In this section of the First-Year Seminar, we will focus our study on literary works (novels and short stories) written by women writers from diverse horizons. This course will introduce students to Francophone literature and explore its various roles, themes, foci, and repercussions.
