FRENCH LITERATURE FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE ENLIGHTENMENT

The course of "Littérature française de la Renaissance aux Lumières" 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 Advanced proficiency in the history of French literature, including theoretical-formal and thematic elements, and the poetics of genres concerning the specific periods of study, along with a command of theoretical and critical methodologies, consistent with the aims of the degree course and the learning field.
In view of the shared curriculum with the course in "Questions de critique et d'analyse textuelle", 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
a. Knowledge of literary theory and narratology, as well as tools for stylistic and rhetorical
b. Knowledge in the field of historical-literary studies: major lines of literary history and the historical-cultural context of the periods examined; poetics and main literary genres of the French Early Modern period, with attention to the various interactions between French literary production and Italian
c. Basic knowledge of the history of the book and editorial processes with reference to the Early Modern
d. Ability to understand, in its essential features, a literary text in Renaissance/Classical French.

2. Applied knowledge and understanding:
a. Ability to apply acquired theoretical knowledge to the works and texts addressed during the
b. Ability to analyze and compare texts and to elaborate conceptual
c. Ability to place a text and a literary phenomenon within their production and reception
d. Ability to consult bibliographic repertoires and to set up bibliographic

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 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 of the 17th century.

L'écriture des passions à l'âge classique / Writing the Passions in the Classical Age

The course focuses on the modes of representing passions in the theater and the novel of the Classical Age (c. 1660–1700). It examines how the discourse of passion articulates with the normative frameworks of classical poetics and rhetoric. The analysis is structured around three key areas:
- the poetics of literary genres;
- the impact of the notions of vraisemblance (verisimilitude) and bienséance (decorum) on the staging of emotional disorder and the construction of the narrative;
- the identification of rhetorical figures and linguistic structures employed to describe and categorize the "movements of the heart" (mouvements du cœur).
The literary forms under study will be situated within the intellectual and moral context of the "Grand Siècle," as well as the social ideals of the period.

Required readings (literary texts and critical studies) will be provided at a later date.

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.
he final grade will depend on the examination interview, the assessment of the mini-dissertation, and its critical discussion.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The assessment is given in thirtieths, with a minimum passing grade of 18/30.
The grading scale is as follows:
A. Scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of sufficient knowledge of the program content (Historical-Cultural Context and Major Issues, Authorial/Genre Poetics Derived from the Study of Manuals, Tools of Narratology/Textual Analysis Applied to the Texts Studied) and sufficient ability to articulate the discourse autonomously, linearly, and correctly, including terminologically.
B. Scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of a fair knowledge of the program content /Historical-Cultural Context and Major Issues, Authorial/Genre Poetics Derived from the Study of Manuals, Tools of Narratology/Textual Analysis Applied to the Texts Studied) and a fair ability to articulate the discourse autonomously, linearly, and correctly, including terminologically.
C. Scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of good or excellent knowledge of the program content (Historical-Cultural Context and Major Issues, Authorial/Genre Poetics Derived from the Study of Manuals, Tools of Narratology/Textual Analysis Applied to the Texts Studied) and good or excellent ability to articulate the discourse autonomously, linearly, and correctly, including terminologically.
D. Honors will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge of the program content (Historical-Cultural Context and Major Issues, Authorial/Genre Poetics Derived from the Study of Manuals, Tools of Narratology/Textual Analysis Applied to the Texts Studied) and an excellent ability to autonomously and critically elaborate on the investigated concepts, as well as an excellent ability to critically read texts and documents.

The grading of the written paper evaluation will be based on:
- knowledge and mastery of the contents (texts and contexts investigated): 8 points
- clarity in the enunciation of objectives; coherence of the argumentation; ability to analyze phenomena and texts: 12 points
- organization of the discourse; clarity, correctness, and effectiveness of the exposition: 10 points

Lectures, textual analysis seminars, conferences. The teaching activity will be conducted in French.
All didactic materials (texts and in-depth studies) uploaded during the course on the Moodle platform will constitute a subject of study and their knowledge will be verified during the examination.

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