28847 - French Literature II (First Language) L

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Docente: Adrien Frenay
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: L-LIN/03
  • Language: French

Learning outcomes

The student - has acquired the fundamental elements (content, methods and tools) for the analysis of French and francophone literary civilisation - is able to use them on specific literary texts - is able to elaborate autonomously further knowledge and cultural-literary skills at a higher level and to apply them also to a wide range of other specific literary texts

Course contents

Historical Poetics of French-language Crime Fiction (19th-20th): Creation, Translation, Adaptation.

The course will focus on the analysis of French-language literature and crime fiction from a poetic-historical perspective; in particular, it will follow, in a diachronic key, the history of this particular literary genre from the 19th to the 20th century. The recurring elements within the crime genre will be considered, as well as the specificities of polar in France and in French-speaking countries considered in its European and French-American context, taking particular account of the serial and transmedia dimensions of the crime genre. The course aims to enable students to analyse the literary text by applying the tools of recent literary criticism to a corpus of film and literary texts.

Introduction to the course

Chapter I: Historical and Critical Contexts

Part 1: Historical poetics of the French-language detective novel in its European context (1842-1980).

  • Romans-feuilletons et misteries
  • the first crime fiction novel
  • from the English to the American model: l'entre-deux-guerres
  • the French and American detective novel
  • the néopolar

Part 2: critical and theoretical approach

  • Genre and subgenres: definitional issues
  • themes
  • hermeneutic circles and squares

Chapter II: French and Francophone crime fiction from the entre-deux-guerres to the 1980s. Analysis of the corpus

  • Detectives vs. criminal masterminds
  • The french Sherlock Holmes
  • The first french noir novel
  • The american way of the french novel
  • The Neopolar
  • The metapolar

Conclusions of the course and contemporary perspectives

Readings/Bibliography

Works studied in class:

  • Pierre Souvestre et Marcel Allain, Le Rour, 1909.
  • Jean Ray, Au secours de la France, (Harry Dickson), 1932.
  • Léo Malet, 120, rue de la Gare, 1943 // adattamento a fumetti di Tardi, 1988.
  • Terry Stewart, La Mort et l'Ange, 1948.
  • Jean-Patrick Manchette, Le Petit bleu de la côte ouest, 1976 // adattamento cinematografico di Jacques Deray, Trois Hommes à abattre, 1980.
  • Jean Echenoz, Cherokee, 1983.

Editions will be specified during the first course.

Bibliografy:

Anne Cadin, Le Moment américain du roman français, Classiques Garnier, 2020.

Jacques Dubois, Le roman policier ou la modernité, Paris, Colin, 2005.

Frank Évrard, Lire de roman policier, Dunod, 1996.

Elsa de Lavergne, La Naissance du roman policier français, Classiques Garnier, 2020.

Marc Lits, Le Roman policier. Introduction à la théorie et à l'histoire d'une genre littéraire, CEFAL, 1999.

Claude Mesplède (dir.), Dictionnaire des littératures policières, Joseph K, 2003, 2 vol.

Yves Reuter, Le Roman policier, Nathan, 1997.

Tzvetan Todorov, Poétique de la prose, Paris, Éd. du Seuil, 1971.

Students are also encouraged to read during the semester:

  • other novels by the authors in the programme
  • novels by the following French authors: Émile Gaboriau, Maurice Leblanc, Gaston Leroux, Pierre Véry, Georges Simenon, Boris Vian, Jean Meckert (Jean Amila), Albert Simonin, Auguste le Breton, Antoine Dominique, Pierre Siniac, Jean-Pierre Bastid, A. D.G, Didier Daeninckx, Thierry Jonquet, Richard Morgiève, Jean-Bernard Pouy, Daniel Pennac, Tonino Benacquista, Serge Quadruppani, Jean-Claude Izzo, Kâââ
  • Poe's short stories, at least one novel by Wilkie Collins, Agatha Christie, R. Chandler and D. Hammett.

Students are also encouraged to watch all forms of crime fiction on television or in the cinema, both old and new, from the kitsch/corny/cheesy (Rex, Barnaby) to the legitimate (The Wire, Zone Blanche, True Detective).

Teaching methods


Attendance and participation are highly encouraged. Some lectures will be followed by class discussion. You are required to read the assigned readings in advance.

Students are required to enroll in the course on the e-learning page.

Assessment methods


The final exam will be oral.

Grading Scale

30-30L: The candidate possesses an in-depth knowledge of the topic, an outstanding ability to apply theoretical concepts, a high level of argumentative clarity, as well as excellent analytical skills, and a well-developed ability to synthesize and establish interdisciplinary connections.

27–29: The candidate possesses an in-depth knowledge of the topic, a sound ability to apply theoretical concepts, good analytical skills, clear argumentative clarity and an ability to synthesize.

24-26: The candidate possesses a fair knowledge of the topic, a reasonable ability to apply theoretical concepts correctly and present ideas clearly.

21-23: The candidate possesses an adequate, but not in-depth, knowledge of the topic, a partial ability to apply theoretical concepts, and acceptable presentation skills.

18-20: The candidate possesses a barely adequate and only superficial knowledge of topic, limited presentation skills, and only an inconsistent ability to apply theoretical concepts.

< 18 Fail: The candidate possesses an inadequate knowledge of the topic, makes significant errors in applying theoretical concepts, and shows weak presentation skills.

 

Teaching tools

Teaching tools

Photocopies and material available on the e-learning page.

 

Office hours

See the website of Adrien Frenay