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Great Works of French Literature II

Code: 106616
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
English and French Studies OB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Ricard Ripoll Villanueva
Email :
ricard.ripoll@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

To take the course Grans obres de la literatura francesa II it is necessary to read the books included in the program in french.

Objectives

The course Grans obres de la literatura francesa II offers an introduction to the classic texts of French literature. Through detailed reading, analysis, and interpretive discussion of four selected works, students will acquire the necessary tools to become critical readers. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate optimal reading comprehension of the studied literary texts.
  • Exhibit a good understanding of the socio-historical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts of the texts.
  • Assess literary texts orally and in writing using sound argumentation.
  • Properly utilize available bibliographic resources.

Learning outcomes

  1. Identifying main and supporting ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  2. Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
  3. In a responsible and reasoned way, apply the appropriate computer techniques for the consultation and management of specific documentary sources.
  4. Identify and explain the basic features of literary texts
  5. Distinctiate and assemble the basic critical bibliography that makes up the field of study of a work or author of French-language literature.
  6. Present arguments and evaluate the relevance of the analysis of a linguistic, literary or cultural phenomenon.
  7. Produce works in which the fundamental digital and bibliographic tools for the field of study are applied.
  8. Identify the context in which historical and cultural processes are inscribed.
  9. Demonstrating a personal stance over a problem or controversy of philosophical nature.
  10. Acquire an awareness of the diachronic dimension of French and of the conditions of creation, dissemination and preservation of major French literary texts belonging to the initial stages of the language.
  11. Use the techniques of literary commentary.
  12. Identifying and explaining the basic characteristics of literary texts and the interpretation process.

Contents

This subject (XX and XXI) is structured into the following units:


Unit 1. Surrealisms


Unit 2. Existentialisms


Unit 3. Vantguards


Unit 4. Autofictions

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Writting literary commentaries and critical texts 10 0.4 1, 3, 5, 7, 11
Readings and debates 30 1.2 2, 6, 9
Assessment activities: writing and class assignments. 24.5 0.98 1, 4, 7, 11, 12
Lectures 20 0.8 8, 10, 11, 12
Reading and study 50 2 1, 5, 8

To achieve the established objectives, this subject is taught through lecture-type classes and interpretative debates.

  • To participate in the interpretative debate, it is essential to have read the texts and completed the corresponding activities prior to each session.
  • Students are expected to regularly access Campus virtual.
  • Students must inform themselves of the information published on the Virtual Campus/Moodle for this subject.
  • All activity deadlines will be confirmed in class at the beginning of the course and must be respected. 

15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the timetable established by the centre/title, for the complementation by the students of the assessment surveys of the teaching staff's performance and the assessment of the subject\".

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
1 essay 20% 6 0.24 2, 3, 6, 9, 11
Class attendance and participation in debates 10% 2.5 0.1 2, 4, 7
2 written exams 50% 3 0.12 2, 3, 5, 10
1 literary text analysis 20% 4 0.16 1, 6, 8, 11, 12

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. These activities are detailed in the table at the end of this section of the Study Guide.

Review. When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

Missed/failed assessment activities. Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5.

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for.

Classification as \"not assessable\". In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as \"not assessable\" on their transcript.

Misconduct in assessment activities. Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from recovery.

SINGLE ASSESSMENT

The same assessment method as continuous assessment will be used. Attendance and class participation will be replaced by an oral exam. Description:

  • Long written exam equivalent to the sum of the two written exams conducted during the course: 50%
  • Submission of a literary text analysis and a critical text: 40%
  • Oral exam on the studied works and the topics covered in class: 10%

Date of the final evaluation: the same as the date of the last written exam in continuous assessment.

Recovery: last week of June.

Erasmus students who request to take an exam early must present the professor with a written document from their home university justifying their request.

This subject allows the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies exclusively in bibliographic search or information search tasks. The use of translation must be authorized by the teacher. Other situations can be contemplated, always with the teacher's approval. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and will result in the activity being evaluated with a 0 and not being able to be recovered, or greater sanctions in serious cases.

Bibliography

Students are advised to buy the books before the course starts.


Unitat 1. André Breton, Nadja, Gallimard 1971

Unitat 2. Simone de Beauvoir, Une Mort très douce, Folio Gallimard,

Unitat 3. Marguerite Duras, Moderato Cantabile [1958] Éditions de Minuit

Unitat 4. Philippe Claudel, La Petite fille de Monsieur Linh, Folio Gallimard

Webs

BNF-Gallica. Les essentiels de la littérature. https://gallica.bnf.fr/essentiels/

Fabula. Atelier de théorie littéraire. https://www.fabula.org/ressources/atelier/

Littérature française. https://litteraturefrancaise.net/fr/accueil/

L'Alchimie du roman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQfpQrbxOs


Analysis of literary texts

Baetens, Jan et al. Introduction à l’analyse des textes littéraires. Classiques Garnier. Coll. Dictionnaires et synthèses, 2023. ISBN : 978-2-406-14459-5.

Labouret, Denis. Histoire de la littérature française des XXe et XXIe siècles, Armand Colin, 2018

Tadié, Jean-Yves (sous la direction de). La littérature française : dynamique et histoire. 2 tomes. Gallimard, 2007. Coll. Folio. ISBN. Tome 1 :978-2070418855. Tome 2 : 978-2070418862.

Pons, Émilie. Les clés de la dissertation et du commentaire littéraire, Ellipses, 2014. ISBN : 978-2729884321.

Software

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Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 French second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 French second semester morning-mixed