In the second half of the 20th century, during the so-called “Quiet Revolution,” Québec changed from a traditional to a progressive society in a very short period of time. The “Quiet Revolution” marked the end of dogmatic clericalism and conservative nationalism, and the entry of Quebec into modernity. This class will examine 1) the exhilaration and the bewilderment Québécois writers and filmmakers of the time felt with the disappearance of the old models, 2) the different ways they use to define the identity of the “Québécois,” a term coined in the 1960s, and 3) the ambivalent role played by the past in their quest for a Québécois identity.
Readings: Germaine Guèvremont, Le Survenant; Gabrielle Roy, Bonheur d’occasion; Anne Hébert, Le Torrent; Michel Tremblay, Les Belles-Soeurs; Réjean Ducharme, L’Avalée des avalés; a class reader.
FRENCH 441/JSIS A 441
Prof. Denyse Delcourt
MW 1:30-3:20
Course conducted in French