November 14: Margurite Duras, The War; Mary Chesnutt, A Diary from Dixie (excerpts); George Trevelyan, Cawnpore; Florence Nightengale, I Have Done My Duty (excerpts); Walt Whitman, "The Wound Dresser"; Wilfred Owen, "Apologia Pro Poemate Meo"

1. Duras, particularly in the first piece of the collection "the War" describes one of the timeless predicament of women in war: the excruciating waiting for the return or even news about the fate of a male loved one. Robert L. is somewhere in Germany, in a concentration camp. What is the wait like for her or for others like her? what is it like to not know the fate of a love one? how does Duras attempt to overcome the condition of "not knowing"? How does waiting bring on a compels often contradictory set of emotions? How does Duras attempt to how do people around her try to help her, or make her feel better? what is the worst aspect of having to wait? Does the uncertainty of one individual (Duras waits for Robert L.) connect to the general uncertainty that pervades in war time (when will the war end?). Discuss the dynamic of waiting as it is described in Duras's the War.

2. Though like many women through history Duras must wait for her man to return, she also is an active member of the French resistance. In this, she takes on the roles of a soldier, of a combatant. What are Duras' attitudes about her enemy? What goes through her mind as she interacts with the informer in "Monsieur X, Here called Rabier" or when she is part of the torture squad in "Albert of the Capitals" Why does she encourage the attentions of Rabier, who works for the Germans? How can she watch the torture of the informer? As a woman does she react differently to the horrors of war than a man would? Discuss Duras as a "woman warrior" in the fight against the Germans in WWII Paris.

November 21: Thanksgiving

November 28:Aristophanes, Lysistrata

Lysistrata, on some levels at least, seems to depict an alternative society in which women have political or governmental power, at least temporarily.  How are the values of this female-dominated society different than those of men?  How are the attitudes of the woman toward warfare different than those of the men?  Do women have a stake in war, which is conducted exclusively by men?  How do the women acquire and wield political power in the play?  Do the women want to change their society?  Do they use power differently than men?  Does the play seem to suggest that either female rule or male rule is preferable to the other?  What are some of the limitations of both?  Discuss the differences between female government and male government in Lysistrata.