Learning objectives
The student will acquire the basic concept of the critical method of René Girard, through the analysis of “Mensonge romantique et vérité romanesque ». He will learn to situate them in the context of twentieth and twenty-first century critics. He will then be encouraged to use them to interpret some works of Balzac and Proust.
During the course, the student will also learn how to understand and analyze literary
texts both from the formal point of view and that of content;
- to put them in relation to the author’s poetic output;
- to investigate in depth some of the topics covered in an independent and original way;
- to formulate, communicate and discuss (in Italian) contents, analyses and opinions concerning the
texts under examination.
Student will also refine their ability to
- identify the formal and generic characteristics of the texts, and to relate them to the cultural background of the time ;
- find independently additional information and bibliography on the topics using both print and digital resources;
- make motivated judgments based on a careful decoding of the text;
- extend also to other texts the critical reading skills acquired during the course, addressing the relationship between an author’s poetry and the aesthetic trends of his time.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of French
Course unit content
The course will explore the critical method of René Girard. It will place it in the context of literary theory of the twentieth and twenty-first century. It will then reviews its application to some novels of Balzac and Proust.
Full programme
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Bibliography
René Girard, « Mensonge romanesque et vérité romantique » ,Fayard/Pluriel ; Marcel Proust , « Du coté de chez Swann », Folio ; Honoré de Balzac, « Les Secrets de la princesse de Cadignan », https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Les_Secrets_de_la_princesse_de_Cadignan .
Teaching methods
The course consists of lectures, during which the presentation of historical and literary contents will be supplemented by commentary and analysis of extracts from texts in the original language.
Assessment methods and criteria
The knowledge acquired during the course will be assessed through an oral exam . Students will be asked to comment passages in the texts studied in the original language. The following knowledge and skills will be assessed:
- knowledge about the authors and works covered in the course and their accurate insertion into historical and cultural contexts;
- the ability to express content using the appropriate terminology of literary studies;
- an adequate level in the ability to analyze and rework the basic contents in an autonomous way.
A fail is determined by the absence, demonstrated by the student during the oral examination, of the ability to understand the basic contents of the course, the lack of autonomous preparation and the inability to solve problems related to information retrieval and the decoding of complex texts, as well as the formulation of independent judgments.
A pass (18-23/30) is determined by the ability, demonstrated by the student, to have acquired the basic content of the course, a sufficient level of autonomous preparation, an acceptable ability to solve problems related to information retrieval and the decoding of texts, as well as the formulation of independent judgment. Middle-range marks (24-27/30) are assigned to those student who produce evidence of more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) levels in the evaluation indicators listed above. Upper-end marks (from 28/30 to 30/30 cum laude) are awarded on the basis of the demonstration of a very good to an excellent level in the evaluation indicators listed above.
Other information
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