13304 - Francophone Literatures (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the program, student will be able to look at the francophonian literature knowing the most important problems concerning the topic. He will know and use the practical methodologies for the analysis and interpretation of a literary text.

Course contents

The 30-hour course will first focus on a presentation of the concept of Francophonie, through a brief history of the term and a comparison with adjacent concepts such as postcolonialism, and will end with a reflection on the proposal for a new "littérature-monde". In the second part, we will examine some French-speaking novels in which children take the floor, particularly as narrators. When children narrate, the fictional pact between author and reader that characterises every literary text is overlaid by a further, tacit agreement, that of believing that the writer is a child, a child who is sometimes even pre-school age. This agreement, which obviously takes place within the empathic complicity between author and reader that accompanies every act of reading, can only be supported by the sharing between the two, author and reader, of the perception of what 'a child who narrates' is and of what elements its narration should consist of. This sharing stems from the common vision of what a child is, what linguistic traits connote him/her, how s/he speaks and how this word can be put on paper or represented on the big screen. As a result, this sharing can not only vary from era to era, always closely related to that era's view of childhood, and from author to author, but is also culturally influenced. Different cultures represent children's voices in radically different ways. In this course, we will focus on a few texts from the vast body of French-speaking literature in which the narrator is a child, in order to understand what devices are used to give voice to children and to what extent they are representative not only of the author's style and imagination, but also of the culture to which he or she belongs.

Readings/Bibliography

 

For students attending: 4 novels chosen from the bibliography will be analysed together, also analysing them in the light of the critical bibliography that will be indicated during the course (and put on-line during the course).
 

Farida BELGHOUL, Georgette !

Amadou KOURUMA, Allah n'est pas obligé, Paris, Seuil, 2000

Agota KRISTOF, Le grand cahier, Paris, Seuil, 1991

Michel TREMBLAY, Bonbons assortis, Montréal, Leméac, Actes Sud, 2002

You will also be asked to submit a novel of your choice from the list below (or even one not on the list, but agreed with the lecturer)

for non-attending students: they will have to choose five novels from the bibliography and know how to contextualise them also in the light of the critical bibliography that will be indicated during the course (and put on-line during the course).


Farida BELGHOUL, Georgette !

Nina BOURAOUI, Garçon manqué, Paris, Stock, 2000

Sijie DAI, Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise, Paris, Gallimard, 2000

Réjean DUCHARME, L'avalée des avalés, Paris, Gallimard, 1966

Gaël Faye, Petit Pays, Paris, Grasset, 2016

Marie Gevers, Madame Orpha, Paris, 1933

Tahar ben JELLOUN,L'enfant de sable, Paris, Seuil, 1995

Amadou KOURUMA, Allah n'est pas obligé, Paris, Seuil, 2000

Agota KRISTOF, Le grand cahier, LA preuve, Le troisième mensonge, Paris, Seuil, 1991

Alain MABANKOU, Demain j'aurai vingt ans, Paris, Gallimard, 2010

MAULPOIX, Journal d'un enfant sage, Paris, Mercure de France, 2010

Amélie NOTHOMB,Métaphysique des tubes, Paris, Albin Michel, 2000

Michel TREMBLAY, Bonbons assortis, Montréal, Leméac, Actes Sud, 2002

Sylvain TRUDEL,Le souffle de l'harmattan, Montréal, Typo, 1993

Non attending students will also read  Littératures francophones et théorie postcoloniale di Jean-Marc Moura, Paris, PUF 2005.

Teaching methods

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

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

Assessment methods

The final exam will be oral.

Evaluation grid

30-30L excellent test that demonstrates very broad, thorough and in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, a solid ability to apply theoretical concepts and an excellent command of exposition, as well as an excellent capacity for analysis, synthesis and elaboration of interdisciplinary connections

28-29 above average test that demonstrates precise and thorough knowledge of the subject matter, good ability to apply theoretical concepts, and capacity for analysis and synthesis, accurate and correct exposition in French.

27 good test that demonstrates appropriate knowledge of the subject matter, a fair understanding of the application of theoretical concepts, and an articulate presentation of the subject matter in French.

25.26 adequate test that demonstrates appropriate but not in-depth knowledge of the subject, only partial capacity to apply theoretical concepts, and an acceptable presentation of the content in French.

23-24-25 sufficient test that demonstrates adequate but general knowledge of the subject matter, simple exposition, uncertainties in the application of theoretical concepts in French.

18-22 barely sufficient test that demonstrates adequate but general knowledge of the subject matter, simple exposition, uncertainties in the application of theoretical concepts in French.

Insufficient test that does not demonstrate adequate acquisition of knowledge of the subject matter that is fragmentary and superficial, with errors in the application of concepts, and poor exposition

Teaching tools

Material available on the e-learning page.

Office hours

See the website of Licia Reggiani