ONLINE CLASS: Proust's Sodom and Gomorrah (2105)
Six Mondays: January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
This class will read Sodom and Gomorrah, the fourth volume of Proust’s great novel (as counted now) which begins with a long essayistic passage on the ‘accursed race’ of homosexuals and ends with the narrator plunged into a mental hell of obsessional jealousy. In high and not-so high society, the narrator will encounter increasingly complicated, morally mixed examples of human behavior as he himself experiences grief, disillusionment and torment. To those of you who have read the earlier volumes, the atmosphere will be darker, the thought and comedy more disturbing. For people interested in reading In Search of Lost Time from the middle, or joining a group to continue your own reading, our scrutiny should help with the perplexities of Proust’s text and your contributions to discussion will be welcome.
We will be using the Modern Library edition of Proust in class, and you will find it much easier to locate what we are talking about if you have this edition.
Six Mondays: January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Online Class.
Required Text:
Sodom and Gomorrah (Modern Library Edition), by Marcel Proust (9780375753107)
Melanie (Penny) Du Bois did her undergraduate and graduate work at Harvard, has lived in Europe, and taught literature at universities there and here. She has directed a reading group in Washington since 1989. Her recent Politics and Prose classes have been on the work of Coetzee, Penelope Fitzgerald, Tolstoy, Grossman, and Proust.
REFUND POLICY: Please note that we can issue class refunds up until seven (7) days before the first class session.
