| CODE | FRE2037 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Littérature et société/ Literature and Society | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | French | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | "Littérature et société" comprises two sections one of which deals with "essais" or intellectual texts. Poets and novelists too reflect on society: one can count on them to analyze the making of the Republican setup, to explain the phenomenon of war and to produce an x-ray of postmodern society. Other works also offer major contributions to the theory of theatre, photography or digital art. The other section of this study-unit of studies includes a selection of 20th century volumes of poetry. Poets got involved in what has been described as a tussle between two spirits: the one of “adventure” against “order”. This rivalry reflects perfectly currents in society, one harking back at tradition, the other inclined to discard norms. A close look is given to poets belonging to the avant-garde. Study-Unit Aims: The two components of FRE2037 "Littérature et société" consist of an introduction to students in the French program of intellectual writing and 20th century poetry. Students will discover that authors, besides indulging in creative writing, also tend to theorize. The "essais" imply that literature derives meaning from a socio-political context both on a national scale and even on a world level. Other texts are meant to show that oftentimes authors take a deep interest in other arts, like, photography and digital media. These other arts complement creative writing or compete with it. This study-unit confirms the specificity of poetry so much so that the style of modern poetry is diametrically opposed let's say to journalistic prose. Students will be familiarizing themselves with the work of poets who are included in anthologies of French 20th century poetry. They will reflect on the classical Greek concept of "muthos" underscoring the similarity between poetry, dream and myth. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: The student is advancing for the first time in two very interesting fields of French literary studies. Students will realize that a poem may be interpreted by readers in different manners. Despite some theorists' belief that interpreting a poem is in itself an impossible task, the student will be able to carry out a formal analysis of a poem, that is, by referring to linguistic, anthropological, etc. notions. French authors who produce intellectual writings along with literary fiction reflect on the world order or theorize on an art form or literary genre. This time the student sees the world not through the eyes of the social scientist but rather of the artist who, this time, is exercising the faculty of thinking. After reading Bataille's famous explanation of the practice of warfare or Muray’s notion that life in the West today has become a never ending feast, the student will comment better on current affairs, or on literature that develops in the midst of current affairs. 2. Skills: First and foremost, the “essais” in the French program will help students improve their literature research. A manifesto of poetry will give a better insight on how to comment on this demanding genre. Another textbook, this time, on the theory of photography will help students to work across the arts, for example, to marry literature with photography. The textbook on the theory of theatre underlines theatre’s resemblance to a primitive ritual. In other words the dramatist has his say on anthropology. Likewise, the student of the French program will realize that he/ she has the capacity to exchange ideas with colleagues from other departments or faculties. By means of this unit of studies, the student comprehends how fiction literature suddenly breaks out onto political science, sociology or economics. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Poetry: - dir. Decaudin, Michel, Anthologie de la poésie du XXe siècle, vol. 1, éd. Gallimard coll. Poésie, 2000; - L.-P. Fargue, Haute solitude, éd. Gallimard coll. L’Imaginaire; - Cendrars, Blaise Cendrars, Du monde entier et au coeur du monde : poésies complètes, éd. Gallimard coll. poésie, 2006; - Eluard, Paul, Capitale de la douleur, éd. Gallimard coll. poésie, 1966; - Péguy, Charles, Les Tapisseries, éd. Gallimard coll. poésie, 1968; - Perse, Saint-John, Eloges/ Anabase/ Exil, éd. Gallimard coll. poésie, 1967; - Valéry, Paul, Poésies, éd. Flammarion coll. GF, 2018. Essais: - Thibaudet, Albert, La République des professeurs - les Princes lorrains, éd. Hachette, 2006; - Breton, André, Manifestes du surréalisme, éd. Folio coll. Folio essais, 1985; - Artaud, Antonin, Le théâtre et son double - théâtre de Seraphin, éd. Folio coll. Folio essais, 1985; - Bataille, Georges, La Part maudite, éd. Minuit, 2014; - Barthes, Roland, La chambre claire: note sur la photographie, éd. Gallimard coll. Cahiers du cinéma, 1980; - Muray, Philippe, Après l'histoire, éd. Gallimard coll. Tel, 2007. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualifications: Advanced Matric French grade 3 Pre-requisite Study-units: Corpus littéraire |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Richard Spiteri |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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