- During the Second World War millions of people, very many of them Jews, were systematically murdered.
- This massive and programmatic genocide, sometimes referred to as the Holocaust, continues to haunt today on a personal and a political level.
- How could the Europe of the Enlightenment produce such a horror? More particularly, how could those who either witnessed the events first-hand, or lived with their consequences, recount their experiences? Would any account run the risk of normalising the events, by introducing narrative construction and even aesthetic pleasure?
- In this module, we read French-language accounts, both first-hand and imaginative, of events connected to the Holocaust, including some occurring in France, and in particular Occupied Paris.
- The writers studied reflect the problems of memory and representation in a range of remarkable texts which span more than fifty years and use techniques of both testimony and fiction to convey some of the realities and continuing effects of the Holocaust.
Paris is arguably the city of modernity. For two centuries it has been the site of innovative architecture and planning which seeks to be at the cutting edge internationally. As well as being a prime example of the creative aspects of modernity, Paris at the same time exemplifies modernity’s ruthlessness and destruction, as traditional ways of life are swept aside, and as individuals become victims of the greater and grander plan. Paris is thus a place of hardship and crisis as well as confidence and beauty. This module will allow us to explore cultural representations of the city produced by artists, writers, and musicians with ambition and breadth. We look at the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as a period of great political change and modernisation, focusing in on some key images associated with Paris in the modern era: the idea of the 'flâneur' and walking the city; key landmarks like Haussmann's grand boulevards and the Eiffel Tower; the expansion and representation of the Parisian 'banlieues' and public transportation. The module approaches the city of Paris through the lens of art and literature but will also be interdisciplinary, covering developments in socio-economics; architecture and planning; history; politics; art; music; literature; and cultural events.