The nature of the mother’s legacy to her offspring concerned writers
of all kinds throughout the seventeenth century in France. Counter-
Reformation moralists stressed the mother’s crucial role as the
first teacher of the faith; two regents held and exerted the power
devolving to their sons despite the fact that Salic law prohibited
women from the throne; the rise of mechanism and the invention of
the microscope led anatomists to redefine the mother’s role in
generation. Our task will be to understand how reflections on
maternity played into larger developments in seventeenth-century
France.  Readings include: Hardy’s La force du sang; the midwife
Louise Bourgeois’s Conseils à sa fille; excerpts from André Du
Laurens’ anatomical writings; court poetry and iconography during
the regencies of Marie de Médicis and Anne d’Autriche; Malebranche’s
Recherche de la vérité, selections from Sévigné’s correspondence;
Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves; Racine’s Phèdre; fairy tales by
d’Aulnoy.  In addition, a variety of critical works will serve to
frame our discussions.  Students will be graded on participation, an
oral presentation, and a final research paper. The class will be
conducted in English.