Temptations of the Tragic: Love and Death in French Literature

FREN20682 Temptations of the Tragic: Love and Death in French Literature 20 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 2 Vladimir Kapor Unit coordinator Jerome Brillaud Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Middle part of Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 Love, death, murder, incestuous feelings, passions, excess and jealousy are some of the themes woven into the fabric of the texts selected for this module. We will start the semester with one of the best known plays of the French dramatic repertoire, Phèdre (1677) by Jean Racine, a tragedy of forbidden love, fate and power; we will then study Carmen (1845) by Prosper Mérimée, a novella about outlaws, bad omens, passion and crime, which inspired the famous opera; and we will read a novel by Émile Zola, Thérèse Raquin (1867), a tale of desire and murder denounced as “putrid” literature. Introductory lectures will present the main themes, genres and periods, while seminars will focus on questions of moral responsibility, freedom, determinism, tragic heroism and tragic pleasure, or how we find pleasure in reading or watching the pain of others.    Love, death, murder, incestuous feelings, passions, excess and jealousy are some of the themes woven into the fabric of the texts selected for this module. We will start the semester with one of the best known plays of the French dramatic repertoire, Phèdre (1677) by Jean Racine, a tragedy of forbidden love, fate and power; we will then study Carmen (1845) by Prosper Mérimée, a novella about outlaws, bad omens, passion and crime, which inspired the famous opera; and we will read a novel by Émile Zola, Thérèse Raquin (1867), a tale of desire and murder denounced as “putrid” literature. Introductory lectures will present the main themes, genres and periods, while seminars will focus on questions of moral responsibility, freedom, determinism, tragic heroism and tragic pleasure, or how we find pleasure in reading or watching the pain of others.   <ul> <li>To provide an overview of tragic drama and tragic literature </li> <li>To familiarize students with different forms of representation of love, death and tragic passions </li> <li>To provide students with key concepts of tragedy (‘heroism’, ‘fate’, ‘determinism’, ‘moral responsibility’, ‘tragic pleasure’) </li> <li>To be able to analyse and discuss main stylistic issues in key literary and dramatic texts</li></ul>  By the end of this course students will be able to: <ul> <li paraeid="{52cb7807-6491-452e-b57d-5126053a73ff}{185}" paraid="349089023">Analyse and discuss key concepts related to tragedy and tragic passions </li> <li paraeid="{52cb7807-6491-452e-b57d-5126053a73ff}{191}" paraid="1642547886">Demonstrate some knowledge of issues related to moral responsibility, freedom and determinism </li> <li paraeid="{52cb7807-6491-452e-b57d-5126053a73ff}{197}" paraid="698970883">Show some knowledge of three different literary genres from different periods </li> <li paraeid="{52cb7807-6491-452e-b57d-5126053a73ff}{203}" paraid="1301500974">Develop critical skills to analyse literary and dramatic texts </li></ul>  By the end of this course students will be able to:  <ul> <li paraeid="{52cb7807-6491-452e-b57d-5126053a73ff}{235}" paraid="2025982328">Demonstrate a sound knowledge of issues related to freedom, moral responsibility, and tragedy </li> <li paraeid="{52cb7807-6491-452e-b57d-5126053a73ff}{241}" paraid="135045279">Understand historical variations in the representations of tragic passions by authors from different periods and literary traditions </li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to: <ul> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{28}" paraid="1832281198">Think critically about literary representations of passion, love, death, tragedy, freedom and responsibility </li> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{34}" paraid="810422361">Analyse and synthesize a range of texts pertaining to the tragic genre </li> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{42}" paraid="821734157">Develop a coherent and well documented argument   </li></ul>  By the end of this course students will be able to: <ul> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{76}" paraid="741249410">Think critically about literary representations of passion, love, death, tragedy, freedom and responsibility </li> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{82}" paraid="318438335">Analyse and synthesize a range of texts pertaining to the tragic genre </li> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{90}" paraid="672035615">Develop original ideas and engage with tragic theories  </li> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{102}" paraid="1099540961">Improve public speaking and group participation </li></ul>  By the end of this course students will be able to: <ul> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{134}" paraid="1421648240">Develop original ideas and engage with literary and dramatic theories  </li> <li paraeid="{ac78858f-feaa-42ab-9400-19e1e582cbff}{146}" paraid="1660591421">Improve public speaking and group participation </li></ul> Other - Develop original ideas and engage with complex theories - Improve public speaking and group participation - Develop confidence - Manage time effectively 0 Other 100% <figure class="table"><table style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 100%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Assessment task</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Formative or Summative</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Weighting within unit (if summative)</td></tr><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Commentary plan </td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Formative</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Formative</td></tr><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Coursework (commentary)</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Summative</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">40%</td></tr><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Essay plan </td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Formative</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Formative</td></tr><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Exam (essay)</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">Summative</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 0%);border-style:solid;">60%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>RE-SIT ASSESSMENT Essay (coursework)  <table border="1" data-tablelook="480" data-tablestyle="MsoNormalTable"> <tbody> <tr role="row"> <td data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">Feedback method  </td> <td data-celllook="273" role="columnheader">Formative or Summative </td> </tr> <tr role="row"> <td data-celllook="4368" role="rowheader">Written feedback on the commentary </td> <td data-celllook="272">Summative </td> </tr> <tr role="row"> <td data-celllook="4368" role="rowheader">Written and oral feedback on the essay plan </td> <td data-celllook="272">Formative, the essay plan is preparation for the exam </td> </tr> <tr role="row"> <td data-celllook="4368" role="rowheader">Written feedback on the exam </td> <td data-celllook="272">Summative  </td> </tr> </tbody></table>  <span style="line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">This unit is available as free choice with knowledge of the target language. Y Primary sources: Jean Racine, Phèdre Prosper Mérimée, Carmen Emile Zola, Thérèse Raquin   Secondary sources: Marc Escola, Le tragique, Paris: Flammarion, 2002 John D. Lyons, Kingdom of Disorder: The Theory of Tragedy in Classical France, West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 1999 Anthony Nuttall, Why Does Tragedy Give Pleasure, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002  George Steiner, The Death of Tragedy, London: Faber, 1961  Lectures 22 Seminars 11 0 167