FREN455

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.