One of the main aims of this Course of Study is to provide students with advanced knowledge of two foreign literatures related to the two languages of their choice, paying special attention to intercultural and transcultural dynamics. The course also aims at refining their ability to interpret cultural phenomena, using the tools and methodologies of literary, cultural and historical analysis. French Literature II is among the core courses of the "Foreign Literatures" area. It allows students to deepen their knowledge of seventeenth and eighteenth century French literature, with special attention to intercultural dynamics and the theoretical-methodological debate; it helps students master the tools and methodologies of literary, cultural and historical analysis. At the end of the module, students will reach a good critical ability in the interpretation of exemplary texts in the original language, as well as the necessary competence for oral rewording, translation, rewriting and adaptation in Italian of the texts themselves. Requirements: French Literature I.
teacher profile teaching materials
This program aims to outline a journey through French literature and culture from the 17th to the 18th century, highlighting the transformations that mark the evolution of classicism toward Enlightenment modernity. The first part of the course focuses on tragedy and its ethical and political function within monarchical France, with particular attention to the codified forms of classical theatre and the vision of social and moral order they convey. This is followed by an exploration of the emergence of the modern novel, seen as a space for psychological investigation and social critique, where new forms of subjectivity appear and tensions arise between the individual and collective norms. The second part of the course is devoted to 18th-century philosophical literature: tales, dialogues, and short texts in which narrative fiction is interwoven with moral reflection, criticism of prejudice, religious fanaticism, and power structures. Overall, the program offers a coherent itinerary aimed at identifying the major historical and conceptual turning points of French literature under the ancien régime, emphasizing its role in the construction of European modernity.
- Federico Corradi, Introduzione al Seicento francese e al Classicismo, Roma, Nuova cultura.
- Francesco Fiorentino, Il teatro francese del Seicento, Roma - Bari, Laterza.
- Gianni Iotti, La civiltà letteraria francese del Settecento, Roma - Bari, Laterza.
Texts
- Racine, Iphigénie, présentation de Marc Escola, Paris, Flammarion.
- Madame de Lafayette, La Princesse de Clèves, Paris, Flammarion.
- Voltaire, Zadig et autres contes, sous la direction de Frédéric Deloffre, Paris, Gallimard, Folio classique.
- Diderot, Supplément au voyage de Bougainville, édition de Michel Delon, Paris, Gallimard, Folio classique.
- Diderot, La Religieuse, Paris, Flammarion.
Essays
- Paul Hazard, La Crise de la conscience européenne (1680-1715), Paris, LGF, Le livre de poche.
- Roland Barthes, Sur Racine, Paris, Seuil: or Georges Forestier, "Per una poetica del tragico raciniano", in Tre saggi su Racine, a cura di Benedetta Papasogli, Pisa, Pacini, 2011, pp. 15-54.
- Linda Gil, Violaine Géraud, Fabienne Boissieras, Voltaire: Zadig, Candide, L'Ingénu, Nauilly, Atlande pp. 1-155; or Maria Laura Lanzillo, Voltaire. La politica della tolleranza, Roma-Bari, Laterza.
- Michel Delon, Le Savoir-vivre libertin, Paris, Hachette; or Colas Duflo, Diderot. Du matérialisme à la politique, Paris, CNRS.
Programme
French Literature of the 17th and 18th CenturiesThis program aims to outline a journey through French literature and culture from the 17th to the 18th century, highlighting the transformations that mark the evolution of classicism toward Enlightenment modernity. The first part of the course focuses on tragedy and its ethical and political function within monarchical France, with particular attention to the codified forms of classical theatre and the vision of social and moral order they convey. This is followed by an exploration of the emergence of the modern novel, seen as a space for psychological investigation and social critique, where new forms of subjectivity appear and tensions arise between the individual and collective norms. The second part of the course is devoted to 18th-century philosophical literature: tales, dialogues, and short texts in which narrative fiction is interwoven with moral reflection, criticism of prejudice, religious fanaticism, and power structures. Overall, the program offers a coherent itinerary aimed at identifying the major historical and conceptual turning points of French literature under the ancien régime, emphasizing its role in the construction of European modernity.
Core Documentation
Literary History- Federico Corradi, Introduzione al Seicento francese e al Classicismo, Roma, Nuova cultura.
- Francesco Fiorentino, Il teatro francese del Seicento, Roma - Bari, Laterza.
- Gianni Iotti, La civiltà letteraria francese del Settecento, Roma - Bari, Laterza.
Texts
- Racine, Iphigénie, présentation de Marc Escola, Paris, Flammarion.
- Madame de Lafayette, La Princesse de Clèves, Paris, Flammarion.
- Voltaire, Zadig et autres contes, sous la direction de Frédéric Deloffre, Paris, Gallimard, Folio classique.
- Diderot, Supplément au voyage de Bougainville, édition de Michel Delon, Paris, Gallimard, Folio classique.
- Diderot, La Religieuse, Paris, Flammarion.
Essays
- Paul Hazard, La Crise de la conscience européenne (1680-1715), Paris, LGF, Le livre de poche.
- Roland Barthes, Sur Racine, Paris, Seuil: or Georges Forestier, "Per una poetica del tragico raciniano", in Tre saggi su Racine, a cura di Benedetta Papasogli, Pisa, Pacini, 2011, pp. 15-54.
- Linda Gil, Violaine Géraud, Fabienne Boissieras, Voltaire: Zadig, Candide, L'Ingénu, Nauilly, Atlande pp. 1-155; or Maria Laura Lanzillo, Voltaire. La politica della tolleranza, Roma-Bari, Laterza.
- Michel Delon, Le Savoir-vivre libertin, Paris, Hachette; or Colas Duflo, Diderot. Du matérialisme à la politique, Paris, CNRS.
Reference Bibliography
See above.Attendance
Class attendance is not mandatory.Type of evaluation
The minimum grade is 18, and the maximum is 30 cum laude. The criteria for grade assignment are as follows: - Range 18–22: Sufficient knowledge of the course content; limited ability to engage in independent discussion; limited familiarity with basic tools for textual analysis; limited understanding of the historical-cultural context and the issues addressed in the texts. - Range 23–26: Fair knowledge of the course content; fair ability to engage in independent discussion; fair understanding of basic tools for textual analysis; fair knowledge of the historical-cultural context and the issues present in the texts. - Range 27–30: Good to very good knowledge of the course content; good to excellent ability to engage in independent discussion; good to excellent command of basic tools for textual analysis; good to excellent understanding of the authors’ poetics included in the syllabus, as well as of the historical-cultural context and the issues addressed in the texts. - 30 cum laude: Laude is awarded when knowledge of the content, ability to discuss independently, mastery of basic textual analysis tools, understanding of the authors’ poetics, and awareness of the historical-cultural context and the issues addressed in the texts are all of an excellent level.