In this course we will read most of the works on the seventeenth-century M.A. Reading List, focusing on the second half of the century. Readings will include plays by Corneille, Racine, and Molière, Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves, and a selection of shorter texts by Pascal, La Rochefoucauld, and La Fontaine. The format of the final exam will be based on that of the M.A. written exam, and in-class presentations will give students practice in preparing for the M.A. oral exam.