FRENCH LITERATURE I
cod. 12951

Academic year 2014/15
1° year of course - Second semester
Professor
Academic discipline
Letteratura francese (L-LIN/03)
Field
Letterature straniere
Type of training activity
Characterising
30 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub:
course unit
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Learning objectives

Through the course, students will obtain the ability to collocate the texts analysed in the literary, philosophical and scientific context of XIXth century . Students will also be encouraged think about the role of « fantastique » in the literature of romantic period.
During the course, the student will also learn how to understand and analyze literary
texts both from the formal point of view and that of content;
- to put them in relation to the author’s poetic output;
- to investigate in depth some of the topics covered in an independent and original way;
- to formulate, communicate and discuss (in Italian) contents, analyses and opinions concerning the
texts under examination.
Student will also refine their ability to
- identify the formal and generic characteristics of the texts, and to relate them to the cultural background of the time ;
- find independently additional information and bibliography on the topics using both print and digital resources;
- make motivated judgments based on a careful decoding of the text;
- extend also to other texts the critical reading skills acquired during the course, addressing the relationship between an author’s poetry and the aesthetic trends of his time.

Prerequisites

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Course unit content

The course offers an introduction to the "fantastique" in 19th century French Literature. During the firs few lessons we shall study the influence of T.E.A. Hoffmann and E.A. Poe on French authors. Following this, we shall analyse three short stories by Mérimée, Gautier and Maupassant.

Full programme

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Bibliography

Mérimée, La Venus d'Ille; Gautier, La morte amoureuse; Maupassant, Le Horla. Bertini et alii, Beaubourg, vol. 2B, Einaudi Scuola.

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures, during which the presentation of historical and literary contents will be supplemented by commentary and analysis of extracts from texts in the original language. The LEA platform will be used in order to make available critical materials and offer bibliographical suggestions to enable students to carry out personal investigations of the course content.

Assessment methods and criteria

The knowledge acquired during the course will be assessed through an oral exam in Italian. Specialist students of French will be asked to read and translate passages in the texts studied in the original language. The following knowledge and skills will be assessed:
- knowledge about the authors and works covered in the course and their accurate insertion into historical and cultural contexts;
- the ability to express content in correct Italian, using the appropriate terminology of literary studies;
- an adequate level in the ability to analyze and rework the basic contents in an autonomous way.

A fail is determined by the absence, demonstrated by the student during the oral examination, of the ability to understand the basic contents of the course, the lack of autonomous preparation and the inability to solve problems related to information retrieval and the decoding of complex texts, as well as the formulation of independent judgments.
A pass (18-23/30) is determined by the ability, demonstrated by the student, to have acquired the basic content of the course, a sufficient level of autonomous preparation, an acceptable ability to solve problems related to information retrieval and the decoding of texts, as well as the formulation of independent judgment. Middle-range marks (24-27/30) are assigned to those student who produce evidence of more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) levels in the evaluation indicators listed above. Upper-end marks (from 28/30 to 30/30 cum laude) are awarded on the basis of the demonstration of a very good to an excellent level in the evaluation indicators listed above.

Other information

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