| CODE | FRE3042 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Autrices françaises/French female authors | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | French | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit introduces students to the works of a number of French female authors and their ideological implications related to gender. Female writers have often been excluded from the literary canon: from textbooks of literary history, from official syllabuses and exams. We will be interrogating this omission and considering the ways in which critical reception of female authors has often differed from that of their male counterparts. We will also be examining the material conditions as well as the ideological climate in which female writers wrote and published their works. Keeping this in mind, we will accord particular attention to 19th century prejudices towards creative women who ventured into the public sphere. This historical context is deeply marked by the role of the French Revolution, which promised an equality which did not translate into any concrete gains for women, as demonstrated by the writings of Olympe de Gouges. The first section of the study-unit will address works by female writers in the 18th and 19th century (Madame de Stael, Claire de Duras, Madame de Genlis, George Sand) and will provide an in-depth analysis of the ways in which female writers engaged with the prevalent literary genres of the time, as well as their representation of alterity. The second section will focus on the struggles of female and feminist writers in the 20th century. The founding text of Simone de Beauvoir, 'The Second Sex' (1949) will be analysed for its ideological and philosophical underpinnings. We will also look at De Beauvoir's literary works. The unit finally addresses more recent female writers such as Annie Ernaux in relation to the genre of autobiography and in the 20th century (Simone de Beauvoir and Annie Ernaux). This study-unit focuses on the literary expression of gender issues, but also situates these works in relation to their historical and literary context. We will therefore be discussing the ways in which female authors engage with and interrogate predominant literary modes. Study-Unit Aims: - To train students in the use of gender-based approaches to literature; - To familiarise students with the way the historical context of 'the long 19th century' impinged on female authors and their literary expression; - To familiarise students with feminist identity politics in 20th c. French texts; - To analyse the ideological underpinnings of contemporary French female writers. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify and explain the key themes and stylistic features of selected works by French female authors; - relate these works to key literary movements and sociohistorical contexts of the time; - discuss the main characteristics of gender-based literary criticism. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - analyse a number of literary works and relate them to 19th c. and 20th c. literary movements; - relate a number of literary works to the ideological issues of the time relating to race, history and the female condition; - draw out the specific articulation of gender issues in selected works. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Mme de Stael, 'De la littérature' (Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2021). (Deuxième partie, chapitre 4 : « Des femmes qui cultivent les lettres »). - Olympe de Gouges, 'Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne'. Digitised on Gallica website: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k64848397/f6.image. - Madame de Genlis, 'La Femme Auteur' (Paris: Gallimard, 2007). - Claire de Duras, 'Ourika', (Paris: Gallimard, 2010). - George Sand, 'Indiana' (Paris: Gallimard, 1981). - Simone de Beauvoir, 'Le Deuxième Sexe' (Paris : Folio, 1986) (Chosen extracts). - Simone de Beauvoir, 'La Femme Rompue' (Paris : Gallimard, 2016). - Annie Ernaux, 'L’Evénement' (Paris: Gallimard, 1996). Supplementary Readings: - Christine Planté,'La Petite Soeur de Balzac: Essai sur la femme auteur' (Lyon: Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 2015). - Martine Reid, 'Femmes et littérature: Une histoire culturelle', Tome 2, XIXᵉ -XXIᵉ siècle (Paris: Folio Essais, 2020). |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: Grade C or better at Matsec A level in French | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Marilyn Mallia |
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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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