13326 - French Literature III

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to read a literary text in French, both in textual and intertextual mode, with the necessary references to the history of French literature in relation to European literature. They will sharpen, as much as possible, their stylistic competences within their linguistic competences. They will use French as a language of communication.

Course contents

Italy outside Italy

The course, centered on the Franco-Italian relationship in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, will be divided into three sections:

a) La France italienne, which will have as its object the Italian immigration beyond the Alps and the Italian contribution to the French intellectual life.

b) Le livre italien hors d’Italie, which will examine Italian works published in France (in the original version or in translation) and their circulation.

c) L’image de l'Italie, which will be dedicated to the representation of Italy conveyed by French intellectuals in literary works, pamphlets, travel reports, etc.

The course will be preceded by a general introduction to sixteenth and seventeenth centuries French literature.

Readings/Bibliography

Literary History of the XVIth and XVIIth centuries:

Lionello SOZZI (ed.), Storia europea della letteratura francese. Dalle origini al Seicento, Torino, Einaudi, 2013 (only chapters concerning XVIth and XVIIth century literature).

or

Daniel MÉNAGER, Introduction à la vie littéraire du XVI^e siècle, Paris, Nathan, 2001 and Jean-Claude TOURNAND, Introduction à la vie littéraire du XVII^e siècle, Paris, Dunod, 1997.

or

Jean-Yves TADIÉ (ed.), La littérature française: dynamique et histoire. Tome I, Paris, Gallimard, 2007, pp. 233-691.

 

Readings (edition at your choice):

Michel de Montaigne, Journal de voyage en Italie

Jean Racine, Phèdre

Madame de La Fayette, La princesse de Clèves

 

Monografic Part

Texts analized during classes and 8 of these articles/chapters of books uploaded in IOL:

Arnold Hauser, Il barocco nelle corti cattoliche, in Storia sociale dell'arte, Torino, Einaudi, 1982, pp. 468-491.

Erich Auerbach, Le faux dévot, in Mimésis. La représentation du réel dans la littérature occidentale, Paris, Gallimard, 1984, pp. 365-394.

Daniela Dalla Valle, Ippolito e i mostri: una possibile lettura della “Phèdre”di Racine , in Studi di storia della civiltà letteraria francese. Mélanges offerts à Lionello Sozzi, Paris, Champion, 1996, t. I, pp. 431-445.

Jean-François Dubost, La France italienne. XVI^e-XVII^e siècle, Paris, Aubier, 1997, pp. 307-329.

Jean Balsamo, Introduction, in Les traductions de l’italien en français au xvi^e siècle, ed. Jean Balsamo, Vito Castiglione Minischetti, Giovanni Dotoli, Fasano, Schena – Paris, Hermann, 2009, pp. 15-64.

Jean Balsamo, Introduction, in L’amorevolezza verso le cose Italiche. Le livre italien à Paris au xvi^e siècle, Genève, Droz, 2015, pp. 11-44.

Lionello Sozzi, Rome n’est plus Rome. La polémique anti-italienne et autres essais sur la Renaissance suivis de “La dignité de l’homme”, Paris, Champion 2002, pp. 9-84.

Fausta Garavini, Montaigne e il suo biografo: doppia esposizione, in Itinerari a Montaigne, Firenze, Sansoni, 1983, p. 101-118.

Gisèle Mathieu Castellani, Poétique du lieu: Rome, l’enfance et la mort, in Montaigne e l’Italia. Atti del Congresso Internazionale di Studi (Milano-Lecco, 26-30 ottobre 1988), Genève, Slatkine, 1991, pp. 339-350.

Vittor Ivo Comparato, Viaggiatori inglesi in Italia tra Sei e Settecento: la formazione di un modello interpretativo, in “Quaderni Storici”, n. 42, settembre-dicembre 1979, pp. 851-886.

Non-attending students will prepare the final exam following the previous bibliography with the support of these additional readings:

• Antologia cronologica della letteratura francese. Il Cinquecento, Milano, LED, 1996:

François Rabelais, Pantagruel

Hélisenne de Crenne, Les angoysses douloureuses

Herberay des Essarts, Le premier livre d’Amadis de Gaule

Maurice Scève, Delie, object de plus haulte vertu

Jacques Amyot, L’Histoire Æthiopique de Heliodorus

Joachim Du Bellay, La Deffence et Illustration de la Langue française

Joachim Du Bellay, L’Olive

Pierre de Ronsard, Nouvelle Continuation des Amours

Joachim Du Bellay, Divers Jeux Rustiques

Marguerite de Navarre, Heptameron des Nouvelles

Pierre Boaistuau, Histoires tragiques

Pierre de Ronsard, La Franciade

Agrippa d’Aubigné, Les Tragiques

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, Les Essais

Robert Garnier, Les Juifves

• Antologia cronologica della letteratura francese. Il Seicento, Milano, LED, 1997:

Honoré d’Urfé, Astrée

Jean-Pierre Camus, Les Spectacles d’horreur

Pierre Corneille, Le Cid

Madeleine de Scudérie, Clélie, histoire romaine

Blaise Pascal, Les Provinciales

Paul Scarron, Roman comique

Molière, Les précieuses ridicules

La Rochefoucauld, Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales

Antoine Furetière, Le Roman bourgeois

Molière, Le Misanthrope

Jean Racine, Andromaque

Boileau, Art poétique

Bernard de Fontenelles, Histoire des Oracles

Charles Perrault, Le siècle de Louis le Grand

Jean de La Bruyère, Les Caractères

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures; participation is nevertheless highly encouraged.

Assessment methods

The exam consists in an oral interview during which the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student will be evaluated . The student will be invited to discuss the texts covered during the course and to move within the sources and bibliographical material in order to be able to identify in them the useful information. The achievement of an organic vision of the issues addressed during the classes and their critical use, which demonstrate ownership of a mastery of expression and specific language, will be assessed with marks of excellence (28-30). Mechanical and / or mnemonic knowledge of matter, synthesis and analysis of non-articulating and / or correct language but not always appropriate will lead to discrete assessments (23-27); training gaps and / or inappropriate language - although in a context of minimal knowledge of the material - will lead to votes that will not exceed the sufficiency (18-22). Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of guidance within the reference materials offered during the course will lead to failed assessments.

Teaching tools

At the end of the course texts analized during classes will be uploaded in IOL.

Office hours

See the website of Bruna Conconi