Versions of Versailles

Catalog description

The palace of Versailles has been an object of fascination for over three hundred years. A place of splendor and squalor Versailles has been identified with French culture as the epitome of elegance and grace from Louis XIV to Karl Lagerfeld. It has also been the scene of scandal and tragedy. This course will examine the importance the reality and mythology of Versailles has played across the centuries and across the world. We will examine the construction, the art, architecture, garden construction music and social history of the palace and its place both in Absolutist France and in our contemporary world. Using movies, reproductions or art and architecture as well as revealing the secrets of its sexual politics and murderous plots we will attempt to understand why the fascination of the greatest of all palaces continues to draw millions of visitors each year trying to discover its grandeur and decadence.