The religious demand for self-examination and confession reaches back to the 13th century; later, the secular tradition sees confession as a requirement for authenticity. Many modern texts build on these traditions, whether in the introspection of the first-person narrative, or with the analytic attention of an outside observer, and the policing of society also makes a demand for confession from the suspect. The seminar will study a variety of confessional writings, from Rousseau to Patrick Modiano.
