FRENCH LITERATURE 2

The teaching of French Literature 2 module 1 is part of the French course of Lingue e letterature europee, americane e postcoloniali (including the Master en études françaises et francophones). It allows students to acquire an advanced knowledge of the history and some aspects of French literature as well as a mastery of theoretical-critical methodologies, in line with the aims of the course of study and the learning area.
Given the change in French Literature 2 , the individual objectives refer to both years of the course, but in progress; the fullness of their achievement is therefore expected at the end of the second year.

1. Knowledge and understanding:
a. knowledge of notions of literature theory and narratology, with particular reference to studies on reception, on the implicit reader and on the act of reading, as well as some instruments of stylistic and rhetorical investigation;
b. knowledge of the historical-literary field (literary history of the Ancien Régime), with particular attention to the development of the novel between the 16th and 18th centuries;
c. some basic knowledge of book history.

2. Applied knowledge and understanding:
a. ability to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired to the texts dealt with during the course and independently;
b. ability to place a text and a literary phenomenon in their production and reception context;
c. ability to set up a bibliographic research aimed at deepening a problem.

3. Autonomy of judgement:
a. ability to exercise critical judgement;
b. capacity to formulate hypotheses and autonomous judgements argued in a coherent and effective manner.

4. Communication skills
a. developing the ability to understand literary texts (including ancient ones) and critical essays in the French language;
b. development of communication skills for coherent, clear, terminologically accurate and effective communication, both in oral class interaction on course topics and in academic written discourse (the elaboration of a "tesina").

5. Ability to learn: ability to infer, relate data, synthesize, organise coherent and autonomous analysis of a text and/or literary process.

Knowledge of the general lines of the history of French literature from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, acquired through the basic teachings of the literary field of the three years of the LCSL degree course or through the study of manuals of literary history. Since the course is given in French, and also in view of the exam, a C1 level of French language (written and oral) is required.

Title: Lectures et lecteurs d’Ancien Régime: dynamiques et représentations

The course will focus on a fundamental dynamic of each "literary experience". reading : reading.
To this end, we propose to develop a reflection on several interrelated levels: the reciprocal relationship between writer and reader, the act of reading, the horizon of reception of the work. Starting from the assumption that the figure and the role of the reader are inscribed in the narrative and taking inspiration from the theories of Iser, Eco, Jouve and Jauss, the course aims to focus on the fundamental notions that help to define the field of reading and to apply them to the novel in the sense that it takes in France between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. What are the strategies through which the novel imagines and projects within itself the figure of the reader? What different levels and forms of reading can we identify? What are the places in the text where they appear? How does the real reader react to the text? How do the sensibility, the expectations and the taste of the public of a certain epoch and of a certain historical-social context affect not only the reception of a work but also its elaboration? The theoretical investigation will be developed in a complementary way to an investigation that will deal in depth with the production of narrative works and their reception. Last but not least, a number of publishing dynamics will also be examined, which play a leading role in the success of certain narrative genres in the Ancien Régime.

a. Primary Fonti/Primary Sources

- François Rabelais, Gargantua, Mireille Huchon, Paris, Gallimard, "Folio classique".
- Guilleragues, Lettres portugaises, éd. Frédéric Deloffre, Paris, Gallimard, “Folio classique”.
- Saint-Réal, Dom Carlos, in Nouvelles galantes du XVIIe siècle, ed. Marc Escola, Paris, GF Flammarion, 2004, pp. 117-201.
- Denis Diderot, Jacques le Fataliste, Paris, LGF, "Classique de poche".
- Choderlos de Laclos, Les liaisons dangereuses, Paris, Gallimard, "Folio classique".

b. Secondary Fonti /Secondary Sources
The information on the critical bibliography will be provided at the beginning of the course. It is advisable to read, before the beginning of the lessons, the following essay: Jean-Paul Sermain, Le roman jusqu'à la Révolution française, Paris, PUF, 2011.

The examination interview, held in French, will focus on the topics dealt with during the course and will aim to verify the acquired knowledge (contents of the module, notions of literary theory and narration, knowledge and contextualization of the works read), the ability to understand and analyze the texts studied drawing inspiration for an independent critical reflection and validly argued, the communicative skills.
In order to favour the autonomy in the individual examination and to start the written production in view of the thesis, it will be required the writing of a paper of about 15 pages, in French, to be delivered at least 8 days before the examination. In agreement with the teacher, students may choose a subject relating to the course programme. The teacher will introduce the students to the bibliographic research and to the setting up of a work plan; the paper will be evaluated on the basis of the coherence in the articulation of the work and the discourse, of the relevance of the observations, of the correctness in the exposition, of the capacity of application of the acquired critical instruments, of the capacity of expressing a judgment based on valid elements.
The final evaluation will be based on the outcome of the oral test and the evaluation of the paper.

Lectures, conferences and seminars, in French.
During the lessons there will be room for the examination of some critical essays on the issues studied and for the analysis, guided and independent, of some samples of texts, also addressed through seminars in which the active participation of students will be solicited.
The teaching materials used during the course will be made available in the Moodle space .

If you are unable to attend the entire course, please contact the teacher before the start of the lessons.

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