Reading Groups

The Agony and the Malice: Heartbreak in French Literature with Dr. Lise-Ségolène Schreier

Five Sessions Wednesdays, 6:00 pm EDT - 7:30 pm EDT March 27 to June 26, 2024

The Center for Fiction

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The ‘With Books’ option includes all titles required for this group at an additional 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
3/27, 4/17, 5/8, 5/29, 6/26
In Person at The Center

Heartbroken? You are not alone. Countless artists have written about and because of this particular type of devastation, and countless readers have found solace in reading about it. Heartbreak stories are the very stuff of literature: they are timeless and irrational; they have the power to validate, comfort and distract us. In this group, we will explore how some of the most riveting texts written in French have portrayed heartbreak. We will read about malice and destruction, about the slow agony of reasonable marriages, about sorrow, revenge, and of course about passion. Starting with some of the most celebrated texts of French literature, we will then explore lesser-known narratives about unrequited love and about friendship. All these stories will confirm how much we need and love to read about matters of the heart.

In preparation for the first class, please read Choderlos de Laclos’s Dangerous Liaisons.

Session I: Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Session II: Letters of Mistress Henley Published by Her Friend by Isabelle de Charrière
Session III: The Girl with the Golden Eyes by Honoré de Balzac
Session IV: Memoirs – Herculine Barbin by Michel Foucault
Session V: Learning What Love Means by Mathieu Lindon

What to expect from this reading group: The course will be mostly conversational with occasional interruptions in the discussion for context and clarity.

Led by

Dr. Lise-Ségolène Schreier

Dr. Lise-Ségolène Schreier

Dr. Lise-Ségolène Schreier is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Fordham University. Her publications have drawn on diverse material such as feminist newspapers, medical travelogues, fashion plates, colonial-era children’s literature, vaudeville theater and early comics. At Fordham, she teaches courses on the nineteenth-century French novel, francophone literature and contemporary fiction writing.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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