18093 - French Literature

Course contents

The course, which aims to offer a wide perspective on the most relevant literary genres, themes, and figures from the French Renaissance to Classicism, will be organized in two modules: the first, taught by Prof. Bruna Conconi, will be devoted to the literary production of the Renaissance; the second, taught by Prof. Michele Morselli, to that of the Classical century.

Readings/Bibliography

 Literary History

Lionello SOZZI (a cura di), Storia europea della letteratura francese. II. Dal Settecento all’età contemporanea, Torino, Einaudi, 2013 (only 16th and 17th century).

or

Jean-Yves TADIÉ (sous la direction de), La littérature française: dynamique et histoire. Tome I, Paris, Gallimard, 2007 (only 16th and 17th century).

 

Readings (edition at your choice, also in translation):

• Margherita di Navarra Heptaméron (10 novels at choice)
  
  
• Michel de Montaigne, Essais (De l’institution des enfants, book I, chap. 26; Des Cannibales, Book I, chap. 31; Des trois commerces, Book III, chap. 3; Des coches, Book III, chap. 6 ; De la vanité, Book III, chap. 9.
  
  
• Molière, Tartuffe
  
  
• Jean Racine, Phèdre
  
  
• Madame de La Fayette, La Princesse de Clèves

 

Texts analized during classes (uploaded to the VIRTUALE platform) and the following articles/chapters of books:

Roger CHARTIER, Testi, forme, interpretazioni, in Donald F. McKenzie, Bibliografia e sociologia dei testi, Milano, Sylvestre Bonnard, 2001, pp. 98-107.

Ernst H. GOMBRICH, Verità e formula stereotipa, in Arte e illusione. Studio sulla psicologia della rappresentazione pittorica, Milano, Leonardo Arte, 2002, pp. 73-96.

Ernst Robert CURTIUS, Il paesaggio ideale, in Letteratura europea e Medio Evo latino, Firenze, La Nuova Italia, 1992, pp. 207-226.

Nora VIET, Caméron, Décaméron, Heptaméron: la génèse de l’Heptaméron au miroir des traductions françaises de Boccace, in «Seizième Siècle», n. 8, 2012, pp. 287-302.

Rosalba GUERINI, Riflessi italiani nell’America di Montaigne, in Montaigne e l’Italia. Atti del Congresso Internazionale di Studi (Milano-Lecco, 26-30 ottobre 1988), Genève, Slatkine, 1991, pp. 503-525.

Erich AUERBACH, L’ipocrita, in Mimesis. Il realismo nella letteratura occidentale, Torino, Einaudi, 2000, pp. 117-154.

Roland BARTHES, L’uomo raciniano, in Saggi critici, Torino, Einaudi, 1976, pp. 141-190 and 234-240.

Jean ROUSSET, La Princesse de Clèves, in Forma e significato. Le strutture letterarie da Corneille a Claudel, Torino, Einaudi, 1976, pp. 36-61.

Marc FUMAROLI, La disputa in Francia durante e dopo «il secolo di Luigi XIV», in Le api e i ragni. La disputa degli Antichi e dei Moderni, Milano, Adelphi, 2012, pp. 128-189.

 

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

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures; participationis neverthelesshighly 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

Texts analized during classes will be uploaded to the VIRTUALE platform.

Office hours

See the website of Bruna Conconi

See the website of Michele Morselli