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Academic Year 2005/2006
The Short Story in Modern French Literature
FREN 275 FA
In this course we will read the work of a number of writers from 19th and 20th century French literature. This will include widely read writers such as Balzac, Baudelaire, Sartre, and Camus, as well as other, equally
gifted
writers such as Nerval, Ayme, Roy and Des Forets. We will also read works by four women writers and three Francophone writers (from Quebec, Senegal and Algeria). We will come to these writers' work by way of their
short
stories, which frequently offer some of the brightest jewels in the crown of a writer's opus. In doing so, we will examine many of the features that distinguish major literary movements of the past two centuries
(Romanticism,
Realism, politically engaged writing, autobiographical writing, the nouveau roman), as well as the categories of realism, the fantastic and the supernatural. As we read, we will keep in mind the following key questions:
To what degree in the nouvelle a shortened, condensed version of the novel? And to what degree is it a genre in its own right, which, though often exhibiting characteristics of literary trends of its time, also has its
own
internal history?
MAJOR READINGS
Chateaubriant, "Rene" from LE GENIE DU CHRISTIANISME (1802)
Balzac, selections from SCENES DE LA VIE PRIVEE (1830)
Nerval, "Sylvie" from LES FILLES DU FEU (1853)
Baudelaire, selections from LE SPLEEN DE PARIS
(1869)
Barbey d'Aurevilly,
selections from LES DIABOLIQUES (1874)
Flaubert, "Un Couer simple" from TROIS CONTES (1877)
Maupassant, selections from BOULE DE SUIF
Colette, selections from LA MAISON DE CLAUDINE and DIALOGUE AVEC LES BETES
(1922)
Ayme, selections from LE
PASSE-MURAILLE (1943)
Sartre, "Le Mur" from LE MUR
Camus, "Jonas", "La Femme adultere" from L'EXIL ET LE ROYAUME (1957)
Yourcenar, selections from NOUVELLES ORIENTALES
Roy, selections from LA RUE DESCHAMBAULT
(1955)
Des Forets, selections f
rom LA CHAMBRE DES ENFANTS (1960)
Sembene, selections from VOTAIQUE (1962)
Tournier, selections from LE COQ DE BRUYERE (1978)
Djebar, selections from LES FEMMES D'ALGER DANS LEURS APPARTEMENTS (1980)
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Reading will consist of one or more short stories for each class meeting (30-40 pages on average). Presence and active, regular participation will be vital in this class. Students will write four to five short,
analytical papers (2.5 to 3 typed pages),
which will be evaluated for their linguistic accuracy, structure, clarity and persuasiveness. There will be no "final exam" per se, but instead a written identification exercise done in class and a longer paper (5-7
pages) due at the end of the
semester.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS
This course is intended for students who have completed a French course numbered 215 or higher or have placed out of FREN 215 through the placement test. Students who have not done so should consult with the professor
before preregistering.
COURSE FORMAT:
Discussion
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level:
UGRD
Credit:
1
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN
Grading Mode:
Graded
Prerequisites:
NONE
Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-30-2006
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