French Culture - Man and Death: From the Middle Ages to 19th Century

Classes will be devoted to the evolution of the attitude to death in European culture from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century.

Classes will be devoted to the evolution of the attitude to death in European culture from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century. We will discuss its selected moments and aspects, based on critical and literary texts. Topics such as the image of agony, the idea of "good" and "bad" death, funeral rituals, mourning, attitude to the dead body, topos of Eros and Thanatos, the problem of suicide, the way of presenting the afterlife will appear. The guiding thread will be the issue of fear of death and how to tame it, which can be read from cultural performances.

After completing the course the student should:

- Have systematic knowledge of basic processes occurring in the areas of culture, language and literature

- Have a basic knowledge of French culture and history

- Have basic research skills, including formulation and analysis of research problems, selection of methods and tools

- Be able to independently acquire knowledge and develop research skills, following the guidance of a scientific supervisor

- Have the ability to substantive argument using the views of other authors and formulate conclusions

Credit based on active participation in classes and final test