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2016/17 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

FREN3840 The Sublime and the Abject in French Literature and Thought

20 creditsClass Size: 24

Module manager: Dr Claire Lozier
Email: c.a.lozier@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

Pre-requisite qualifications

Ability to study a module taught in French, usually evidenced by having completed level 2 of a degree programme including French.

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The question of the sublime is raised each time there is a crisis within representation (in the age of poetics, of aesthetics, or in the twentieth century) in order to set up a confrontation between art and that which exceeds art, permitting art to renew itself. French writers and theorists have shown that when the notion of the sublime appears it also moves in proximity to – and sometimes merges with – its opposite: the abject, thus challenging the fundamental antagonism between the high and the low. In the twentieth-century, French theory and literature have also made significant contributions to the understanding of these notions and their mutations. This module examines both the aesthetic tradition and the twentieth-century socio-political context that shaped these two major aesthetic categories. It questions the role of French thought in their development, and analyses some of the central works on the notions by French writers, encompassing theory and literature. It also explores affinities with the visual arts. The module provides students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the applicable techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry in French studies, in particular through an engagement with questions of aesthetics and genre, the concept of literary theory, and literature’s relation to other discourses (including art history and philosophy).

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Show an understanding of the specificities and the mutations of the sublime and the abject – two major notions of literary and aesthetic history;
2. Assess the relationships between literature, aesthetics and theory in the field studied, as well on a more general scale;
3. Demonstrate an ability for close attentive reading of a variety of compact and intricate French texts;
4. Demonstrate a general familiarity with different types of texts and an awareness of the appropriate historical and cultural backgrounds;
5. Make meaningful contrasts and comparisons between the various texts studied, using both English and French;
6. Show knowledge and critical appreciation of the resources and nuances of the French language;
7. Show ability to gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of secondary and primary sources.

Learning outcomes
1. Enhanced knowledge of the notions of the sublime and the abject, of their links, of their evolution and its reasons, and of their place and specificity in French literature and thought;
2. Awareness both of the aesthetic tradition and of the twentieth-century socio-political context these notions emerge from;
3. Enhanced linguistic competence overall and specifically with reference to the fields dealt with.

Skills outcomes
Cultural awareness.
Ability to analyse and discuss critically literary and theoretical texts.
Oral and written expression.

Syllabus

The first semester will focus on key essays by Boileau, Hugo, Bataille, Kristeva, Derrida and Lyotard. The second semester will focus on a representative number of texts drawn from the following writers: L-F Céline, Bataille, Artaud, Genet, Beckett.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	20	1.00	20.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students will be expected to prepare for seminars and the assessments by a) reading texts, b) preparing group presentations, c) reflecting on specific research questions, d) carrying out bibliographical research
Additionally, in preparation for the assessments, students will be expected to a) hand in practice essay in semester 1, b) be active in seminar discussions, c) give feedback and ask questions after weekly seminar presentations, d) conduct independent research using the library sources

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored in the following ways:
Formal written formative feedback on practice essay during semester 1 and on the first piece of work at the start of Semester 2.
Informal formative feedback on oral presentations in both semesters and on seminar contributions throughout.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1 x 2000 words (in French)	33.00
Essay	1 x 4000 words (in English)	67.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 25/05/2016

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