French literature 1 LM. Forms, genres, and critical approaches (2017/2018)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to present the French literature from the 16th to the 21st century and particulary through the theme of infanticide, which will be studied in its evolution from the ancient times until contemporary French literature. Moreover, the professor intends to provide students with the theoretical and methodological tools for the literary and linguistic analysis of the proposed texts. The lessons will be held in French, with the purpose, too, of improving the students’ linguistic level. The courses will consist in lectures and seminars. Remedial courses will be organised as well.

The course aims to present the French literature from the 16th to the 21st century and particulary through the theme of infanticide, which will be studied in its evolution from the ancient times until contemporary French literature. Moreover, the professor intends to provide students with the theoretical and methodological tools for the literary and linguistic analysis of the proposed texts. The lessons will be held in French, with the purpose, too, of improving the students’ linguistic level. The courses will consist in lectures and seminars. Remedial courses will be organised as well.
The course will focus on Renaissance French tragedies, notably "tragédies de combat" (La Famine, Jephté) and classical tragedies (Medea). A special attention will be devoted to the literature of the wars of religion and to the theme of infanticide during this period. The topic will be studied in 17th century literature (Corneille and Racine) as well as contemporary novel.

Texts

Florent CHRESTIEN, Jepthé ou le vœu, in La tragédie à l’époque d’Henri II et de Charles IX, “Théatre français de la Renaissance”, Ie série, vol. 3 (1566-1567), éd. Daniela Boccassini, Florence-Paris, Olschki-PUF, 1990, pp. 407-489

Jean de LA TAILLE, La Famine ou les Gabéonites [1573], dans Saül le Furieux. La Famine ou les Gabéonites, éd. E. Forsyth, Paris, M. Didier, STFM, 1968, pp. 91-165

Jean BASTIER DE LA PERUSE, Médée, in La Tragédie à l’époque d’Henri II et de Charles IX, éd. Michel Dassonville, “Théatre français dela Renaissance”, Ie série, vol. I, Florence-Paris, Olschki-PUF, 1989, pp. 119-173

Agrippa D’AUBIGNÉ, Les Tragiques, éd. établie par Frank Lestringant, Paris, Gallimard, coll. "Poésie", 1995 oppure éd. numérique [archive] établie par Samizdat, Québec, 2013 http://www.samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/LesTragiques_AD.pdf

CORNEILLE, Médée, Paris, Flammarion, Coll. “Etonnants classiques”, 2014

RACINE, Iphigénie, Paris, Gallimard, éd. “Folio Théâtre”, 54, 1999 (o altra edizione)

Jean ANOUILH, Médée, Paris, Flammarion, Coll. “Etonnants classiques”, 2014

Pascal QUIGNARD, Médée, Bordeaux, Ritournelle, 2011

Leïla SLIMANI, Chanson douce, Paris, Gallimard, 2016


Critical texts

Le Théâtre biblique de Jean de La Taille, textes réunis par Y. Bellenger, Champion, Unichamp, 1998, n. 148, p. 150

Zoé Schweitzer, Variations sur la mort des enfants : Jephté, Médée et La Famine, dans « Albineana » n° 20 - Cahier d’Aubigné, dir. M.-H. Servet, Genève, Slatkine, décembre 2008, pp. 101-116

Philippe FOREST, Le roman infanticide : Dostoievski, Faulkner, Camus. Essai sur la littérature et le deuil, Nantes, Cécile Defaut, 2010

M. BUSCA, Autour de deux sources de la Médée de La Péruse: Ovide et George Buchanan traducteur d’Euripide, in La tragédie et son modèle à l’époque de la Renaissance entre France, Italie et Espagne, Torino, “Biblioteca di Studi Francesi”, 2015, pp. 47-89

M. G. CIANI, Medea: variazioni sul mito, Venezia, Marsilio, 1991

N. DOIRON, La vengeance d'une déesse. La Médée de Pierre Corneille, “Poétique”, 3/2012, no 171, pp. 321-336

Stefano GENETTI, Méditer Médée, in Pascal Quignard, translations et métamorphoses, sous la direction de Mireille Calle-Gruber, Jonathan Degenève et Irène Fenoglio, Paris, Hermann, 2015, pp. 435-447

Rosanna GORRIS CAMOS, Le voile de Timanthe : le Jephté ou le vœu de Florent Chrestien, une tragédie de la solitude, in La Tragédie Sainte en France (1540-1610). Problématique d’un genre, Actes du Colloque de Vercelli, 18-19 mars 2015, Genève, Droz, sous presse (fotocopie a cura della docente)
F. JAOUEN, Iphigénie : poétique et politique du sacrifice, “Littérature”, 103, 1996, pp. 3-19

François JOUAN, La Figure de Médée chez Euripide, Sénèque et Corneille, “Cahiers du Groupe interdisciplinaire du théâtre antique”, 1986, no 2, p. 1-17

Chantal LAPEYRE-DESMAISON , Éclats de Médée, in “Contemporary French and Francophone Studies”, vol. 18, 3, May 2014, pp. 266-272
(articolo on line al link: http://www.tandfonline.com/author/Lapeyre-Desmaison%2C+Chantal)

Magia, gelosia, vendetta. Il Mito di Medea nelle lettere francesi, Milano, Cisalpino, 2006

G. REGOLIOSI MORANI, Il destino del giusto: percorsi mitici nei secoli intorno alle figure di Ifigenia, Ippolito, Alcesti, Eracle, Roma, Aracne, 2006

Oral exam, in French, based on the texts analysed during the course.
The program, bibliography and exams are the same for all students, including non-attendants.

STUDENT MODULE EVALUATION - 2017/2018