SPAN425

Studies in Contemporary French Literature

Raconter, témoigner, tricher : la littérature française au présent

Cross-listed with FREN 495

René Magritte, Le Domaine d'Arnheim

Present-day literature is not easily grasped. It is constantly unfolding, leaving us, its readers, little time to map the field and little distance to judge what will become the emblematic works of our era. Academia has not yet filtered a canon, critical works remain scarce, and we may overlook the great novels that will be taught for centuries to come. While this uncertainty may seem daunting, contemporary literature offers us unique opportunities to gain a complex understanding of present-day events, perspectives, taboos, and obsessions.

One notion that has come to define our times is that of truth. We are tasked, urgently, to seize what it may be and how it can be ascertained. Paradoxically, literature may contribute some of the most crucial reflections on the boundaries of truth. Indeed, writers of fiction have an intimate grasp on all shades of the real and of its representation. This appears remarkably salient in contemporary French literature, as it plays endlessly with nuances of the self, of testimony, of objectivity. This semester, we will discover how a variety of authors interpret historical reconstitution, gaslighting, confession, testimony, verisimilitude, autofiction, and more.

This seminar aims to equip students with critical tools and abilities that can be adapted to the study of media from various regions time periods.

Language of instruction: French

Instructor: Dr. Vincent Gélinas-Lemaire

Research Seminar in French Language and Linguistics

Lire et traduire l’ancien français

Cross-listed with FREN519-D

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Français 316, f. 1r (https://mandragore.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cgfbt30480d)

Pourquoi est-ce que le pluriel de cheval est chevaux, et pas chevals ou chevaus ?

Pourquoi ne prononce-t-on jamais le –s du pluriel en français ?

Pourquoi dit-on vous faites, mais pas vous faisez ?

Est-ce qu’il y a toujours eu beaucoup d’accents différents en français ?

Où parlait-on français à l’origine ? Et finalement, qu’est-ce que c’était le français, au début ?

Toutes ces questions que l’on se pose souvent en apprenant le français trouvent leur réponse dans l’histoire de la langue, et en particulier dans la période médiévale, avant le travail de fixation mené par les grammairiens et les imprimeurs.

Ce cours propose un parcours à la découverte des états les plus anciens du français, depuis les premiers exemples de ce que nous appelons aujourd’hui le français, jusqu’au Moyen Français de la fin du Moyen Âge. À l’opposé de l’image fixe et prescriptive de la grammaire, ce cours vise à explorer la richesse, la diversité et la grande variation de l’ancien français dans toutes ses formes.

À partir d’exemples concrets tirés de textes parmi les plus célèbres du Moyen Âge mais aussi de textes où les auteurs parlent de leur perception du français, le cours offre différents parcours, selon les intérêts des étudiants. Les séances offriront une introduction à tous les aspects linguistiques des états anciens de la langue (étude du système d’écriture, phonétique, lexique, morphologie ou syntaxe), tout en abordant également la matérialité des textes, le support manuscrit, ainsi que des questions de traduction et d’histoire culturelle.

Language of instruction: French

Instructor: Dr. Anne Salamon

Prerequisites: FREN_V 352

Recommended prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed one of FREN_V 225 or FREN_V 402, in addition to the prerequisite above.

Creative Writing in French

Jean Béraud, La Lettre, 1908

This course offers students who have reached a high level of skill in French the opportunity to use the language in a creative context, experimenting with various genres and forms, including fiction (both mainstream and genre fiction), poetry, creative non-fiction, stage play, screenplay, and graphic novel.

In keeping with the language of the course, there will be an emphasis on forms that are particularly prevalent in the French speaking-world: modern ones such as auto-fiction, theatre of the absurd, surrealist automatic writing or bande dessinée, but also historical forms like classical versification, aphorisms or fables. The course therefore allows students to hone their creative writing skills while also exploring French literature in a novel way, from behind the scenes, so to speak.

This course is writing-intensive, both during and between classes. On Tuesdays, the instructor presents the topic of the week and the students work on a short writing exercise on the given topic; they can finish their work at home if class time is insufficient. After class, the instructor posts material (guidelines, writing exercise and models) on Canvas. On Thursdays, the students workshop their texts and discuss their impressions of the weekly topic with the instructor. After class, the instructor posts an overall summary of the student discussions as well as additional resources on Canvas.

Language of instruction: French

Instructor: Dr. Patrick Moran

Prerequisites: FREN_V 352

Recommended prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed one of FREN_V 225 or FREN_V 402, in addition to the prerequisite above.

Topics in Latin American Literatures and Cultures

Literatura y derechos humanos en América Latina

Source: Getty Images

Este curso pretende examinar la compleja relación entre literatura y derechos humanos en América Latina, desde la llegada de los europeos al Nuevo Mundo hasta hoy en día. Más específicamente, nos preguntaremos cuál ha sido el impacto de los abusos y/o la defensa de los derechos humanos en la literatura latinoamericana y, viceversa, cuál ha sido la contribución de la literatura a los debates sobre los derechos humanos. Más específicamente, discutiremos nociones cruciales, como el trauma, el afecto, la resistencia y la descolonización mediante análisis textuales y la lectura crítica de obras secundarias relevantes en torno a los desafíos y limitaciones de la teoría de los derechos humanos (Galeano, Quijano, Sousa Santos, Zavala, Žižek, etc.). Asimismo, recibiremos la visita de miembros de organizaciones no gubernamentales que se dedican a la implementación de los derechos humanos en las Américas.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Instructor: Dr. Kim Beauchesne

Recommended prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed SPAN_V 221, SPAN_V 302, SPAN_V 303 or successful completion of language placement exam.

Conversational Spanish and Culture

This course is designed for students who wish to develop the capacity to understand and discuss Hispanic culture—from an artistic and sociopolitical context—through diverse representations, icons, expressions, and genres such as music, visual art, poetry and film.

The delivery of the course offers a combination of instructor-facilitated group interactions and other opportunities to engage with the materials independently and in groups. Due to its oral and aural nature, attendance and active participation is required.

Native speakers or highly proficient speakers of Spanish will not be accepted in this course.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Instructor: Iris Escuer Riera

Recommended prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed SPAN_V 202 or SPAN_V 203.