This lesson is unlike any other. First of all, it is entirely in English. Second, there are no quizzes to take and nothing to learn for the final. You could say that the origin of this brief lesson is based in fear and awe: fear of the limited time in which to cover the entire history of French literature and culture and awe at the richness of the choices. I made a deal with myself to counterbalance the tough decisions about the readings for this course: rather than stress about the fact that each period we study doesn’t have more than 3 or 4 representative readings, I decided to include this lesson as a sort of epilogue to 202. Then I thought, Strike that! Epilogue is the wrong literary analogy. Epilogue suggests a conclusion; it gives a sense of closure—and that is exactly what I want to avoid. No, let’s think of this as a preface to your continuing study of all things French. By all means, finish the course. But whether formally or as a life-long learner, keep reading.
The aim of this lesson is encourage further study of French literature and culture (both formally and independently) and to explore some of the possibilities for continued study.