Topics in 17th- and 18th-Century French Literature: 'Women used to reign': Women on stage in pre-Revolution France

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun famously said: "Women used to reign; the Revolution dethroned them." Did women enjoy greater power and agency in an aristocratic society? Did the attempt to install democracy result in a backward slide for women's rights? This course will examine these questions through one of the most significant cultural expressions in Early modern France: theater. We will study the representation of women on stage in the era from both a historical and a literary perspective, considering for instance the social status of actresses at the time as well as the depth of female roles in the extant repertoire.