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

The course will focus on the French literary production of the 16th and 17th centuries. The monographic part will be dedicated to the production and circulation of books in early modernity.

Readings/Bibliography

Literary History of the 16th and 17th centuries:

Lionello SOZZI (ed.), Storia europea della letteratura francese. Dalle origini al Seicento, Torino, Einaudi, 2013 (only chapters concerning 16th and 17th century literature).

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, Essais (De l’institution des enfants, book I, chap. 26; Des cannibales, book I, chap 31; De la présomption, book II, chap. 17; De trois commerces, book III, chap. 3; De la vanité, book III, chap. 9)

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 VIRTUALE:

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.

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

Gérard Genette, Vraisemblance et motivation, in Figures II, Paris, Seuil, 1969, pp. 71-99.

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.

Albert Labarre, Sur la transmission des livres anciens, in Alfred Swierk (ed.), Beiträge zur Geschichte des Buches und seiner Funktion in der Gesellschaft, Stuttgart, Hiersemann, 1974, pp. 111-125.

Silvana Seidel Menchi, Sette modi di censurare Erasmo, in Ugo Rozzo (ed.), La censura libraria nell’Europa del secolo XVI. Convegno Internazionale di Studi (Cividale del Friuli, 9-10 novembre 1995), Udine, Forum, 1997, pp. 177-206.

Głombiowski, Karol, Annotazioni manoscritte e storia della lettura, in Edoardo Barbieri (ed.), Nel mondo delle postille. I libri a stampa con note manoscritte. Una raccolta di studi, Milano, CUSL, 2002, pp. 31-71.

Viardot, Jean, Le livre rare: collectionneurs et marchands spécialisés de Naudé à Nodier, in «Bulletin du bibliophile», n. 2, 1983, pp. 157-173.

Balsamo, Jean, Le “Petrarcha” en France: éditions reliures, collectionneurs (XVI^e-XVIII^e siècle), in Élise Boillet, Bruna Conconi, Chiara Lastraioli, Massimo Scandola (ed.), Traduire et collectionner les livres en italien à la Renaissance, Paris, Champion, 2020, pp. 193-217.

 

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 VIRTUALE.

Office hours

See the website of Bruna Conconi