116-029 The Word and the Image

Formerly available as 116-243/343. Students who have completed 116-243 or 116-343 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

116-133 French I: Cultural Perspectives and 116-134 French I: Language in Context II or equivalent. European studies students wishing to enrol in this subject would normally have completed first-year European studies, see Prerequisites.

This subject will trace the development of the main literary and artistic movements in France from 1830 to the post-WWI years. The movements to be studied are romanticism, realism, impressionism, symbolism, dada and surrealism. Emphasis will be placed on the way literature, art and music interacted to produce a specific artistic climate. The lectures will be in French. Students who complete this subject should be capable of identifying the main artistic and literary characteristics of each movement; be able to carry out textual analysis of the set literary texts; know how to approach pictorial analysis in the field of fine arts; be confident in expressing concepts in French.

One 3000-word essay, one 20-minute oral presentation (in French), one slide test (45 minutes)

Booklets of selected texts can be obtained from the French Section.

• E Zola, La Curée. Livre de Poche.
• H Balzac, Le Père Goriot. Livre de Poche.