116-018 Classical and Contemporary Novel

Note

Availability

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

116-007 French I: Cultural Perspectives and 116-008 French I: Language in Context II or 116-015 Post-beginners French IIB or equivalent.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Students will study a selection of novels from the 17th to the 20th Centuries, analysing their narrative structures, and developing an awareness of their social and political contexts. Various theories of narrative will be used to facilitate an understanding of the evolution of the French novel. At the end of this subject, students should be able to: analyse the narrative structure of various novels; show a knowledge of the evolution of prose narration in French literature; demonstrate critical awareness of the social, political and ideological context of each novel.

Assessment

A classpaper of approximately 1600 words, and an essay of approximately 2400 words in French.

Prescribed Texts

Three of the following works will be selected each year the course is offered.

• Madame de la Fayette, La Princesse de Clèves. Gallimard 1955.
• Diderot, Le Neveu de Rameau. Gallimard 1971.
• Balzac, Le Lys dans la Vallée. Gallimard 1951.
• Stendhal, Le Rouge et le Noir. Gallimard 1955.
• Flaubert, Madame Bovary. Gallimard 1976.
• Gide, Les Faux-Monnayeurs. Gallimard 1975.
• Proust, Du côté de chez Swann. Gallimard 1988.
• Butor, Passage de Milan. Editions de Minuit 1980.
• Duras, Moderato Cantabile. Gallimard 1987.
• Salvayre, La Puissance des Mouches. Éditions du Seuil 1997.