By promoting careful analysis of two landmarks of French literature while building skills in language and cultural semantics, oral and written communications, this course aims at helping students weave together literary meaning and cross-cultural belonging. By becoming more familiar with French literary language and mindscapes, students will further their understanding of L’Esprit français, the special relationship between literature and culture, writers and intellectual history in France.
The choice of works and pairings will differ every year according to the instructor’s interests.

Code
CL3046
Name
TWO FRENCH CLASSICS
Credits
4
Pre-requisites
FR2100CCI OR FR2200CCI
Co-requisites
None
Can be taken twice for credit?
No
Discipline
CL (Comparative Literature)
Level
Undergraduate
Type
Regular
CAMS ID
4349
Last update with CAMS
the students will learn how to uncover meaning in a foreign yet somehow familiar language while understanding the peculiarities of the French literary tradition
The exercise of the “explication de texte” or “commentaire de texte” will be introduced as a close reading tool but simplified for a course aimed at mostly second-language learners of French
the students will uncover the historical roots of some French cultural conceptions which are still alive, compare them with their own culture’s, thus creating a reflexive distance with the latter while using their knowledge to understand the specificities of a foreign culture