The fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, written by Madame de Villeneuve in 1740, has since become part of the popular culture and inspired independent movie directors (from Jean Cocteau to Christophe Gans) as well as the entertainment industry (Disney).  Few viewers today, however, are aware of the story’s origin, reception, and transformation over time. Beauty and the Beast examines figures of otherness in terms of race, sex, and social status. It also tackles the issue of sexual consent to unpack female desire, the constraint of marriage and the encounter of the other. Using Beauty and the Beast as a case study, Professor Jennifer Tamas from Rutgers University will investigate how a “patriarchal gaze” has undervalued female agency in censoring and rewriting the works of women writers.

Please join The Department of Francophone, Italian, and Germanic Studies in Cherpack Lounge (543 Williams Hall).