Course Catalog

French Short Story Writers of the Late 19th & 20th Century

Caroline Smadja Explore French authors who were master story-tellers in their time. For example, we'll begin with the prolific and beloved Colette, as well-known for her countless short stories as for her novels. Well before the rise of what's been dubbed "flash fiction". Her story, "The Hand", sets a perfect example of the genre. Another example is Maupassant, whose short story "La Parure" ("The Necklace") has remained a classic to this day. Each weekly session will first involve a group discussion, in which participants will be asked to analyze the story in terms of style, theme(s), meaning, point of view, etc. A list of study questions will be available online about one week in advance. Depending on class size, this interaction will take 45 minutes to over an hour. Sources for readings in English will be provided prior to class. During the second part of each session, additional information about each authors' life and body of work will be provided in a short presentation. Whenever possible, clips from interviews will also be shown in class so that participants get to see and hear the author directly. I. Colette - "The Hand;" "The Other Wife." II. Guy de Maupassant - "The Necklace". III. Marcel Aymée - "The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls" IV. Simone de Beauvoir - "When Things of the Spirit Come First" V. Romain Gary, "The Mandolin" VI. Marguerite Duras - "Entire Days in the Trees" Caroline Smadja has been a teacher/trainer for over 25 years, including 10 years as a lecturer at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. A French native, she has specialized in teaching adults, working with learners of all backgrounds and nationalities. She has an M.A. in English from University Paris VII, an M.A. in History from UC Davis and recently completed her MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific University, OR.

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