Studying at York
Modern French & Francophone Literature - ENG00140I
- Department: English and Related Literature
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
- See module specification for other years: 2023-24
Module summary
French Literature has for much of the modern era seemed at the forefront of literary innovation, through lurid and shocking subject matter, dazzling formal invention, and radical political verve. From the dancing corpses and pestilential cityscapes of Charles Baudelaire’s poetry to the visionary reimagining of lexis and line in Aimé Césaire’s verse to the uncanny robotic figures in the novels of Nathalie Sarraute, literature in French has recurrently upended our sense of genre and the possiblities of expression.
In this course, you’d have the opportunity to study an eclectic range of French poetry, prose, and theory, across the 19th, 20th and 21st century, covering Francophone writers from France, North Africa and the Caribbean.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
This course will equip you with insights into topics, movements and debates that have animated literature globally such as: symbolist and prose poetry in the 19th century; Gustave Flaubert and the art of fiction; Arthur Rimbaud, free verse and sexual subversion; the nouveau roman or New Novel of the 1950s; Simone de Beauvoir and postwar French feminist thought; Édouard Glissant and Caribbean lyric; and Leïla Sebbar and contemporary French Algerian fiction.
Seminars will study the primary texts in English translation and previous study of French is not a requirement, but you will be encouraged to engage with some aspects of or excerpts from the French originals. Weekly workshops will provide support and guidance on this, through introductory grammar, translation and close reading.
Module learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:
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Demonstrate an informed understanding of and engagement with a range of French and Francophone literature from the 19th, 20th and 21st century.
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Demonstrate an informed understanding of and engagement with symbolist poetry, the nouveau roman, postwar feminism, French Caribbean poetry, and French Algerian fiction.
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Examine key debates and critical approaches, including poetic analysis, narratology, feminist theory, and historicism.
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Develop arguments and ideas which demonstrate a proficiency in critical thinking, research, and writing skills.
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Demonstrate an understanding of some of the key issues at stake in the act of translation and in the study of literature in translation.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
| Open Exam (1 day) | 30 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Throughout the module, you will have the opportunity to pitch, road-test, and develop essay ideas. Feedback will be integrated into your seminars or the ‘third hour’ (i.e. the lecture or workshop).
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
| Open Exam (1 day) | 30 |
Module feedback
You will receive feedback on all assessed work within the University deadline, and will often receive it more quickly. The purpose of feedback is to inform your future work; it is designed to help you to improve your writing, and the Department also offers you help in learning from your feedback. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further you can discuss it with your tutor or your supervisor, during their Open Office Hours
For more information about the feedback you will receive for your work, see the department's Guide to Assessment
Indicative reading
Charles Baudelaire, Les fleurs du mal
Arthur Rimbaud, Une saison en enfer
Gustave Flaubert, Trois contes
Aimé Césaire, Cahier d’un retour au pays natal
Nathalie Sarraute, Tropismes
Édouard Glissant, Le sel noir
Simone de Beauvoir, Le deuxième sexe
Leïla Sebbar, Shérazade, 17 ans brune, frisée, les yeux verts