I’m teaching a course on the great French playwright Molière this summer because we don’t have enough professors, and I’m the closest to a connoisseuse of French literature that we’ve got. Yes, I know. What are you going to do.
I do know Molière exceptionally well, though. I’ve looked around for other courses on the author and found nothing except for a course at the University of Tel Aviv. Molière is taught as part of a course in several places but it’s hard to find somebody focusing on him exclusively.
Please get ready to be peppered with Molière references for a couple of months.
Of course I almost had a heart attack reading this. I will also ask my colleague who is an expert in Sévigné (she edits Sévigné for Gallimard) for suggestions. Your students speak French a bit?
The things we are teaching… and in your case for free. Thank god we are kind of knowledgeable.
Molière is great, only second to Spanish Golden-Age play writers.
Ol.
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The students speak excellent French. These are our French Majors. I will be teaching in English but they’ll read and watch in French. It’s the best I can do. Of course, it would be better to have the course actually taught in French but … you know.
It’s completely ridiculous but at least I know Molière.
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I adore the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1983 production of Tartuffe! If you can get it through your school’s interlibrary loan system, I recommend it. Otherwise, you can watch it in this Youtube playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9GGOMDkACVTmA_ycgC2Bv19hYhuVYm8E
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So do it in a way so it’s a resource for anyone else teaching Molière by putting it online as well, of course.
How else will you build up demand for these courses when nobody seems to want to speak up for them?
Also, you absolutely must do Le Malade Imaginaire …
“Students are encouraged to bring their own throat pastilles and individually wrapped packets of tissues.”
Then show up with a big Thermos full of a hot, soothing liquid that smells like lemon tea, along with your own huge box of tissues. :-)
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What an opportunity to speak about long COVID, eh? 🙂
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