329. Love and Libertinage in the Early French Novel
From the late 17th century onward, French novels depict the waywardness of heart and mind, love and worldliness in stories that helped define the novel as we know it today. As they test the realms of nature and reason, they bear witness to the dramatic social and ideological changes that occurred over the course of the 18th century before the Revolution, changes reflected in sometimes disturbing power strategies between the sexes. Readings include works by Mme de Lafayette, Abbé Prévost, Crébillion fils, Mme Riccoboni, Diderot, Laclos and Sade.
(Jonathan David Walsh)