Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

Publication Date

6-1-1966

Abstract

Art and literature, significant forms of human expression, serve as two valuable cultural sources for the understanding of a given civilization. The philosophical rationalism of Voltaire and the mythological paintings of Boucher, as contrasted to the concern with self of Chateaubriand and the tragically realistic paintings of Gericault, provide an important expressive background to the understanding of society before and after the French Revolution. These sources provide a broader insight into the societies of the time, their influences upon and their reactions to the immediate historical event. Similarly, the starkness of the paintings of Buffet and the preoccupation with the absurd in the works of Camus attest the contemporary pessimism of a nation which has suffered from an almost continuous series of wars. Documents, such as the Treat of Versailles, provide the factual historical evidence; present-day art and literature reflect its significance and its resulting manifestations in the society concerned.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

French

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

First Committee Member (Chair)

Julian Eugene White Jr.

Second Committee Member

Ernest Truett Book

Third Committee Member

Van Deren Coke

Fourth Committee Member

Illegible

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