Prerequisites: 5 courses in French at the 200 level or above, or departmental approval. (3 credits)
This course examines the genre of the “roman d’initiation,” a group of novels whose primary
concern is the emotional, social, intellectual and sexual maturation of a young protagonist.
By studying this theme across several centuries and by analyzing its psychological and social
contexts in a selection of novels and films, the class will attempt to define the genre and
explain its prevalence in French fiction.