Giants of French Literature--Balzac, Flaubert, Proust, and Camus

August 1, 2010

In 14 short lectures, Elkins (humanities, Kenyon Coll., Gambier, OH) introduces some dozen major works of French literature, among them Honore de Balzac's The Human Comedy, Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, and Albert Camus's The Stranger. She focuses on specific themes in these writers' works and their interrelationships, often referring to other classic French or English literary works to support her ideas. Listeners will need sufficient literary background to get the most out of these lectures; those less familiar with the subject matter might be turned off by the massive reading requirements. A compelling survey course recommended for individuals seeking an intellectual challenge and willing to take the time to read the suggested texts before listening to each lecture.--I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA

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