French Studies Online Taster Course - Institute in Paris

In France, the French-language graphic novel, or bande dessinée, is more than entertainment; it’s a powerful art form intertwined with national identity, social change, and cultural expression. While names like Astérix and Tintin are instantly recognisable, the history of French-language graphic novels reveals a rich and complex world that extends well beyond these iconic characters.

This taster course will explore the roots of sequential art, tracing its possible origins in the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux and examining the ‘birth’ of the modern comic strip. We’ll consider the debates around its invention and look at how the bande dessinée developed throughout the 20th century in France.

Far from being ‘just’ an artistic medium, the bande dessinée reflects and documents shifts in social attitudes, political movements, and cultural changes in France over time. We will conclude our session by considering how to read bandes dessinées as socio-historic documents that capture the complexities of French society and the evolution of its politics, values and collective identity across the 20th century.