2018/19 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

FREN3680 The French Novel in the Nineteenth Century: From the Mill to the Mine

20 creditsClass Size: 24

Module manager: Dr Paul Rowe
Email: p.rowe@leeds.ac.uk

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

Year running 2018/19

Pre-requisite qualifications

Successful completion of Level 2 French or an equivalent level of competence

Module replaces

FREN3351 Romantic Realism and FREN3052 Art or Science

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

In the nineteenth century, French novelists strove to establish their genre as the pre-eminent serious literary form, whether as a way of treating great social, philosophical, even 'scientific' questions, or as an aesthetic object in its own right.In this module, students will study four novels which have achieved canonical status in French culture: Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir, which opens with a description of a mill town in the Jura, Balzac's Le Père Goriot, Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and Zola's Germinal, which explores life in the mines of Northern France.They will develop an understanding of the different aesthetics exemplified by the four texts; of how narrative techniques evolved over the century; and explore the treatment in the novels of a range of themes, for example social and economic change, and the relationships between the individual and society, between the sexes, and between the classes.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students will have acquired some understanding of the nature and main features of the French novel in the nineteenth century.

They should be able to describe and evaluate representative themes and the principal techniques and stylistic features of the key figures, and have some grasp of the forces at work in French society during the period, as well as their interpretation in fiction.

Skills outcomes
- Improved written and oral communication, and reading comprehension, in the French language;
- Improved research skills.

Syllabus

In semester one, students will study Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir (1830) and Balzac's Le Père Goriot (1834), both of which analyze contemporary social life by following the course of ambitious young provincials attempting to conquer the capital.

In semester two, Flaubert's Madame Bovary (1857) focuses on the fate of a young provincial woman, seeking relief from her dull existence in a series of affairs. Finally, in Zola's Germinal (1885), attention shifts to the fate of the working class, as the text seeks to explore the impact of the environment on the individual in a manner analogous to a scientific experiment.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	8	1.00	8.00
Seminar	12	1.00	12.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

- Reading the set texts and secondary material
- Preparing class presentations
- Researching for and writing essays.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Progress is monitored through contributions to seminars and through performance on the semester 1 essay, for which written and oral feedback is provided at the start of semester 2.

Students are also encouraged to consult the academic tutor about their plans for both assessed essays.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	3,000 words in English	50.00
Essay	3,000 words in French	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Students must write one of the two essays in French. A range of titles will be provided, but students may write on alternative topics, subject to approval by email from the module leader of the finalised title.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 17/09/2018

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