Classics of French Literature

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

Hugo, Dumas, Flaubert ... Just a few authors that marked the history of literature and are still read today. We will examine how key figures in French literature helped redefine the concept of narrative, creating characters and situations still relevant to the modern reader. Not only is there no need to be afraid of classics; sometimes they can even be fun.

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No prior knowledge required.

Content of Course

The course takes a look some of the most significant writers and novels in French Literature, including: Xavier de Maistre, Stendhal, Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas and Gustave Flaubert. Previous students on this strand will enjoy returning to study the new book titles.

Teaching method(s)

Discussion based classes, with a short introductory lecture each week.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

Engage critically with fictional texts;
Describe and analyse themes and techniques;
Demonstrate a good general understanding of the development of French literature, from the seventeenth to the end of the nineteenth century;
Discuss the social, political and cultural context in which the texts were created.

Sources

Core Readings

The edition shown is the one currently in print. Students may use any other edition.

Students are advised to wait until the course has been confirmed to run before purchasing any of the recommended books.

Essential:

de Maistre, X. (2013) A Journey Around My Room. London: Alma Classics
Stendhal (2002) The Red and the Black. London: Penguin
Balzac, H. (2009) Père Goriot. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics
Dumas, A. (2008) The Black Tulip. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics
Flaubert, G. (2008) Madame Bovary. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics

Web Sources

Older, public domain translations of all the books on the reading list are available in different formats at Project Gutenberg website and can be accessed for free:

A Journey Around My Room: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/62519

The Red and the Black: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/44747

Père Goriot: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1237

The Black Tulip: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/965

Madame Bovary: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/2413

Class Handouts

Handouts will be provided.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.