| CODE | FRE3005 | |||||||||
| TITLE | L’avant-garde littéraire/ French Literary Avant-Garde | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | French | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | En littérature, la découverte capitale du surréalisme sera l'écriture automatique qui fait surgir le merveilleux fécondé par le désir et hanté par la sirène. Les écrits reflètent le "non-conformisme absolu" dont les surréalistes faisaient preuve dans la vie et s'inspirent aussi de leurs luttes politiques. Quels que soient les avatars de la littérature d'avant-garde: systèmes de signes privilégiant la forme, débridement de la fantaisie, expériences originales comme dans le cas des calligrammes etc., toujours est-il qu'au cours de cette époque ils s'imposent comme l'illustration d'une esthétique de la modernité. In the field of literature, surrealism exploits the possibilities of automatic writing with the aim of creating the marvellous that is enhanced by desire and graced with the presence of the siren. Texts bear testimony to an absolute form of non conformism which was in fact a hallmark in the life of surrealists. Texts also reflect their political agenda. Avant-garde literature may assume various forms: nominalistic texts, unbridled imagination, original experiments as in the case of the calligramme. Avant-garde literature embodies always the aesthetics of modernity. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit has two components, one on the spheres of surrealism, the other on avant-garde poetry at the beginning of the 20th century. One unit shows how in 1924, André Breton stressed that poetry stems from the unconscious. The unit explains as well how French authors took interest in the art of indigenous peoples from other continents. The unit includes the study of avant-garde poetry that was a harbinger of surrealism. The unit covers literature of members as well who moved away from Breton’s movement. Enthusiasm could cool down, but links still proved fruitful. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - become acquainted with the history of surrealism that is of groups of poets led by André Breton from 1924 to 1966. Reference will be made to authors who came in contact with Breton; - tackle texts which reflect a type of aesthetics that is typical of the 20th century. Breton spoke about “convulsive beauty”; - discriminate the quality of 20th century poetry; - relate literature to plastic arts which is typical of the mentality of Breton; - assess the importance that literature had in Paris during this era. Authors from all parts of the globe visited the city to get in touch with Breton and his group. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Apollinaire, Alcools, éd. Gallimard coll. Poésie, 190p. - Apollinaire, Calligrammes, éd. Flammarion, coll. GF, 2018. - Queneau, R., Odile, éd. Gallimard coll. L’Imaginaire. - Murat, M., Le Surréalisme, éd. LGF Le Livre de poche, 2013. Bibliography: - Apollinaire, Œuvres poétiques, éd. Gallimard Bibliothèque de la Pléiade. - Queneau, R., Romans tome 1, éd., Gallimard Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, 2002. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualification: Grade C or better at Matsec Advanced Level in French. | |||||||||
| 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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