Coursera Spring Sale
40% Off Coursera Plus Annual!
Grab it
Attend a thought-provoking guest lecture by Professor Kristina Roney from Washington and Lee University, who presents her research on "Sex as Investment in Honoré de Balzac's Comédie humaine" as part of her Fulbright research program at CY Advanced Studies. This one-hour lecture explores Roney's monograph project "Balzac, Society and the Birth of Modern Finance," which examines how Balzac's literature captures France's transition from a traditional agricultural economy to a modern industrial one. The presentation traces the evolution of financial markets from tangible land-based investments to increasingly intangible commodities, culminating in an analysis of how sex becomes an informal yet purely intangible investment. Drawing on Dorothy Kelly's analysis of La Cousine Bette, Roney investigates how sex disconnects from marriage to become a commodity that affects family well-being, while exploring the historical context and gendered motivations behind such developments in 19th century France.
