Reading French Literature

About this Module

In this course we shall examine a selection of French literary texts, covering a range of historical periods (medieval to contemporary) and different genres (play, poetry, short story, novel). The module is designed to improve your fluency in reading French and to introduce you to strategies for reading literature: you will be familiarised with techniques of literary analysis and writing skills which you will use throughout the following years of your course. No previous experience of studying French or English literature is necessary: students who have such experience will find it useful, but they will probably also find that the module introduces them to types of text that they have not previously encountered.

Teaching and Learning

This module is taught in English by means of a weekly lecture and a fortnightly seminar. The lecturers will give you essential background, highlight important themes and features of the texts, examine particular passages and suggest further reading for you to follow up in the library. In the seminars you will practice analysing both the formal and thematic aspects of literary texts and writing commentaries and essays.  Attendance will be monitored in all teaching sessions.

Summative Assessment

• 1000-word summative commentary (15%)
• 1500-word summative essay (25%)
• 2-hour written examination (60%)

Set Texts

• Marie de France, Guigemar (departmental booklet)
• Anthology of French Poetry (departmental booklet)
• Racine, Britannicus
• Michel Tournier, Le Coq de Bruyère
• Maupassant, Bel-Ami

Co-ordinator:

Dr Jane Walling (j.c.walling@durham.ac.uk), room A46, Elvet Riverside I.