This course examines French culture during the Ancien Régime (i.e., from the Middle Ages to the Revolution) through a series of key figures, events, and social phenomena. We will study primary documents alongside modern representations in film and historiography in order to better understand this period and its legacy. Topics include: the trial of Joan of Arc, the printing revolution, French colonies in the New World, Renaissance self-fashioning, Versailles court culture, and Marie Antoinette.
