FRENCH LITERATURE FROM RENAISSANCE TO ENLIGHTENMENT

The ultimate aim of this course is to provide the conceptual knowledge and the method in order to be able to study French literature not only as cultural heritage but even as range of ideological, thematic and linguistic models, that can be used in the European sphere.

The specific purpose of this course it to acquire knowledge related to the languages tested by some French writers in relation to changes in literary genre, public, purposes, historical situation.

The course will pay particular attention to reading anthology or complete works and grammatical analysis of the text, from the metric-prosodic to the lexical and morpho-syntactic, with particular attention to the recognition in the construction of the text of the isotopic series, of global significance and dialectic between individuality and suprapersonal codes.

The quantity and quality of selected readings will therefore be necessary for assessing the oral and therefore we recommend students to submit in advance to the attention of the teacher reading list that you intend to submit.

The skills of analysis of the literary text will be found during a mandatory test in progress that will be preparatory to oral examination.

The course is hold in a classroom, through an alternance of two main teaching modalities: frontal lessons and practice exercises, in order to train the student to the written test, that is preparatory to the oral examination.

Therefore, students who attend the course are requested to bring to each lesson the anthology, as can be find online, on Studium platform. The students can choose whether to employ a digital or paper version of the books, that in class will be subject matter of textual analysis.

We recommend students to access Studium platform and confirm their presence to the "French literature, from Renaissance to Age of Enlightenment" course: in order to get material for the lessons and receive all further communications from the teacher. For this reason, we recommend to check the registered email address.

A. FUNDAMENTALS of French Literature (XVI-XVII-XVIII century) 6cfu

The socio-cultural contest, the artistic and literary movements, major authors and their works, in relation to the nineteenth century and the twentieth century, with a choice from an anthology of at least 50 passages and reading in the original, full version of the following 6 works (any complete edition in French):

Racine, Phèdre

Molière, Les femmes savantes

Marivaux, La Nouvelle Colonie ou la Ligue des femmes

Denis Diderot, Jacques le Fataliste

Voltaire, Candide

 

B. IN DEPTH-ANALYSIS 3cfu

Women’writing in France from Middle Ages to Modern Age

The course aims to reconstruct the nature and evolution of the figure of the woman writer, from the Medieval courts to the salons of the age of Enlightenment, investigating the representation of the body and life of women and studying at the same time, the relation between women and power and the hypothesis of a specific recognition of women's writing.

A. FUNDAMENTALS of French Literature (XVI-XVII-XVIII century)

Texts:

- HISTORY OF LITERATURE

P. Brunel, Histoire de la littérature française, t.1 : Du moyen Age au XVIII^e siècle, Bordas, Paris (pp. 77-88; 94-107; 111-153; 158-170; 174-190; 193-198; 200-202; 204-242; 244-268; 277-280; 289-300; 304-306; 309-311; 314-361; 363-370; 372-381).

- ANTHOLOGY OF LITERATURE

Littérature. Textes et documents, vol. I (MoyenAge et XVI^e sec.) vol. II (XVII^e sec.) e vol. III (XVIII^e sec.), collection H. Mitterand, Paris, Nathan

- OR BY UNIFYING HISTORY OF LITERATURE AND ANTHOLOGY:

Lagarde-Michard, Les grands auteurs français du programme, vol. II (XVI^e sec.), III (XVII^e sec.) e vol. IV (XVIII^e sec.), Bordas, Paris

- TEXT ANALYSIS (for students who are not attending courses)

Catherine Fromilhague, Anne Sancier-Chateau, Introduction à l'analyse stylistique, Armand Colin, Collection: Lettres Sup. (or equivalent volume)

B. IN DEPTH-ANALYSIS:

Women’writing in France from Middle Ages to Modern Age

Texts:

• Les femmes et la tradition littéraire. Anthologie du Moyen Âge à nos jours, Première partie: XII^e-XVIII^e siècles (Vicki Mistacco éd.), New Haven et Londres, Yale University Press, 2005, 608p (the detailed list of the chosen texts is available on the Studium platform)
• Madame de La Fayette, La Princesse de Clèves (any complete edition in French with commentary).

 

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.