Literary Genres
Instructor:
P. Thériault
Description:
This course offers a historical and theoretical exploration of the notion of literary genre through a close examination of several literary works and one film. The first segment of the course is devoted to the narrative genre and focuses on the analysis of various tales as well as of one short story. The second and central segment of the course explores the dramatic genre and proposes a comparative reflection on tragedy and on the idea of the tragic, as they have evolved from Antiquity to the present. The last segment of the course consists of an analysis of a contemporary reflexive work illustrative of the “essayistic” genre. One of the main features of this course is that it introduces students to the use of a set of sophisticated interpretative tools and critical notions that allows them to deepen the formal and thematic understanding of literary texts, while developing their knowledge of French literature and, more broadly, of Western literary tradition.
Required texts:
- Anouilh, Jean, Antigone, Paris, Table ronde, « La petite vermillon », 2016. ISBN : 978-2710381419
(Other texts to come.)
(*Throughout the semester, the instructor will also provide students with various narrative and essayistic short texts).
Assignments and evaluation:
Test #1 (15%); take-home exam (10%); reading tests (3 x 5%); final essay (30%); test #2 (20%); overall assessment (10%).
Prerequisite:
FRE 240H1/FRE245H, FRE241H1/FRE246H1.