History and culture course IIp : Poland in the eyes of the French from the 16th to the 19th century 3304-1DPXW-KHK-06

The seminar “Poland Through French Eyes: 16th–19th Centuries” serves as an introduction to issues related to the historical and cultural ties between France and Poland. The breadth of the topic necessitates a selection of the topics to be discussed in class and the extent to which they will be explored. The scope of the course covers the following topics:
• The election of Henry of Valois as King of Poland, the “discovery” of Poland by the French, and its description by selected members of the king’s entourage
• The election of Louise Marie de Gonzaga as Queen of Poland, and the description of Poland by the French in her entourage
• The election of Maria Kazimiera d’Arquien Sobieska as Queen of Poland, and the description of Poland by the French in her entourage
• The election of Maria Leszczyńska as Queen of France and her father as Duke of Lorraine. A philosophical dialogue between Stanisław Leszczyński and leading philosophers of the French Enlightenment
• Voltaire – “Writings Against the Poles,” a critique of the Polish political system and the Bar Confederation as part of a discourse that Orientalized Eastern Europe
• Rousseau—“Reflections on the Polish Government and Its Proposed Reform,” Rousseau’s praise of the Polish political system on the eve of the Partitions (+ optionally, Father Mably and his observations on Poland)
• Casanova on his journey to Poland (alternatively, Rulhière—“Polish Anarchy,” or Madame Geoffrin’s letters)
• Napoleon and Poland, French diplomacy and the Duchy of Warsaw (Talleyrand and Ambassador Dominique Pradt)
• Mme de Staël on her travels to Poland and Russia
• (optionally, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Poland through the artist’s eyes)
• Mickiewicz and Quinet, the reception of Mickiewicz’s lectures at the Collège de France, Michelet’s *Kościuszko* (alternatively, Montalambert and his stance on the “Polish cause”)
• The romance between Balzac and Madame Hańska, Balzac’s “A Journey to Poland”
• The romance between Chopin and George Sand
The course requires regular student participation through active engagement in class, preparation of a presentation on a selected topic, and passing a final exam.