Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Should we be wary of literature?
The days when books were considered dangerous, capable of tainting homes or corrupting the souls of women and children, seem long gone. Although literature no longer inspires fear (or rarely does so), it can still be considered a complex and fundamentally disturbing subject.
Literary theory and, more generally, critical theories of culture have clearly highlighted the sources of unrest produced by literature. What is this voice that seems to be speaking to me in this text? Should I be wary of the mirror that this novel holds up to me? Am I reading what I should and how I should? When I read, can I be suspected of distracting myself from the world or shutting myself away in a universe accessible only to a privileged few?
The aim of this course is to show that theory (literary, critical) can truly equip us: far from being a set of ratiocinations, it has the practical effect of changing the way we look at our subjects, our methods, and our ways of reading and discussing texts.
If time permits, the course should be subdivided as follows:
- Introduction | Theory, criticism, critical theory?
- Sequence 1 | Should we know how to read the author's mind?
- Sequence 2 | Should we read with a heart of stone?
- Sequence 3 | Must we necessarily decipher a hidden message?
- Sequence 4 | Is reading only for the happy few?
- Sequence 5 | Does reading mean having a head full of nonsense?
- Sequence 6 | Who has ever seen the ideal reader?
- [ Sequence | Are books untouchable? ]
Each of these sequences will be based on the reading of theoretical texts (see portfolio of texts made available to students throughout the sessions).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The course introduces students to the major issues in contemporary literary theory.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- contextualise the key theoretical oppositions on a given issue (the author and intentionality; identification and empathy; theory and criticism; meaning, significance and usage, supposed readings and actual readings, etc.)
- read literary theory in the text and be able to understand and explain the main issues
- construct, in a creative and reflective manner, a list of theoretical references around a given issue
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Basic knowledge of the main concepts of the theory of language and literary theory.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face course
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Required reading:
- Text portfolio (made available to students on Ecampus throughout the course)
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
Exams during the examination period:
I. Two-part oral exam:
1.1. A question testing understanding and summarising the course content (based on a text from the portfolio distributed by the lecturer during the course sessions).
This oral question will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
- Ability to summarise and clearly explain the selected extract
- Identification and explanation of the main theoretical issues in the selected text
- Ability to situate the text within the context of the course and to establish relevant links with related issues
See assessment criteria below.
II. Instructions regarding the written assignment (outside the exam period)
The written assignment will consist of an anthology of theoretical texts addressing the question 'Should one read in the original language?'. Based on this question, which lends itself to multiple interpretations and approaches, each student will compile a short anthology (without explanatory notes) of 8 to 12 pages (between 25,000 and 40,000 characters, including spaces), similar to those distributed during each lecture session.
This anthology will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
- Relevance of the corpus (suitability to the topic; selection of recognised academic authors and/or more marginal authors whose inclusion will be justified in the assessment; selection of at least five different authors)
- Coherence of the anthology (texts arranged in a logical order based on
- Coherence of the anthology (texts arranged logically according to a central theme to be defended in the oral examination)
- Understanding of the selected texts and the ability to explain their underlying issues in detail
- Correct presentation and rigorous sourcing
- Originality of the choices and the chosen interpretative angle.
III. Use of generative artificial intelligence:
When completing the written assignment, the use of AI as a search engine is permitted, but is not recommended. It is essential, at the very least, that every student carries out thorough bibliographic research, both in academic databases and in the library. If a student uses artificial intelligence, they must justify the quality and relevance of their use of AI (as well as that of any other tools they have used) during the oral examination.
[Traduit avec DeepL]
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
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Contacts
Justine Huppe
My office is located in building A2, on the 4th floor, at the very end of the corridor of the French Literature Department (second last door on the left).