Literary Studies Course - The Socially Engaged Novel in the 20th Century Ip, IIp-OG 3304-1DPXW-KL-046-OG

The objective of this seminar is to analyze several selected 20th-century novels by authors commenting on the most significant social and political transformations in France. Individual classes will focus on the concept of 'littérature engagée' (committed literature) and the writers' responses to the key social, cultural, and political issues of their time. Topics include Vercors and Gary on World War II; Camus and Daoud on colonialism; and Volkoff and Beauvoir on the French intelligentsia's involvement with communism. Furthermore, the course will explore the differences in their perceptions of these phenomena (e.g., Volkoff’s critical stance on communism versus Beauvoir’s approval). Finally, we will examine writers depicting their peers and the disputes between them, such as Beauvoir’s roman à clef about the conflict between Sartre and Camus.

Course coordinators

Kamil Popowicz

Type of course

elective courses
general courses

Mode

Classroom

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

1 characterize the most significant trends in 20th-century French literature,
2 chronologically situate works and their authors,
3 demonstrate familiarity with the themes of the era's most important literary works,
4 independently analyze a fragment of a narrative work in terms of form and content,
5 analyze key 20th-century French novels within their historical context.

Within the scope of the topics specific to this subject, the course achieves the following learning outcomes: K_W04, K_W06, K_W12, K_U02, K_U06, K_K08, K_K09.

Assessment criteria

Assessment method: mandatory attendance, active participation in class, oral presentation, and passing a final test.

Practical placement

none

Bibliography

Gustave Lanson, Paul Tuffrau, Historia literatury francuskiej w zarysie, Warszawa, PWN, 1965
Antoine Adam, Georges Lerminier, Edouard Morot-Sir, Literatura Francuska, Tom II XIX i XX wiek, Warszawa, PWN, 1980
Albert Thibaudet, Historia literatury francuskiej. Od Rewolucji Francuskiej do lat trzydziestych XX wieku, Warszawa, PWN, 1997
Józef Heistein, Historia Literatury Francuskiej. Od początków do czasów najnowszych, Wrocław, Warszawa, Kraków, Ossolineum, 1997

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes: