Music, musicians and musicality in French literature of the 19th and 21st centuries 3304-1DZ3O-SL-026
During the classes in the winter semester, the relationship between literature and music in
France from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day will be discussed. Reading
literary texts and musical illustrations will allow students to see the mutual influence of
different fields of art on the aesthetics of works.
At the beginning, students will learn about the methodology of researching the place of
music in literature - we will talk about three types of musicality, the assumptions of the idea
of correspondence and synthesis of arts, the concept of "literary score", elements of "sound
studies".
Theoretical foundations will be the starting point for the analysis of selected literary texts.
The thought about music in the Romantic era will be distinguished on the basis of excerpts
from Chateaubriand's texts. Balzac's novella "Gambara" will show the character of the
Romantic musician and identify the characteristics of Italian and German music, with
particular emphasis on Beethoven's work. The transposition of music into literature will be
presented in selected poems by Teofil Gautier. The value of voice and singing will be
illustrated in the prose and critical works of Stendhal and G. Sand.
Reflection on the synthesis of arts will also include an analysis of selected French symbolist
works and their fascination with Wagner's works.
A reflection on the changing ways of presenting Chopin in literature will play an important
role.
The musical inspirations of the writers of the early 20th century will be discussed on the
example of A. Gide and Proust. Formal searches in the field of musicality will be shown on
the example of works by J. Tardieu and M. Butor. An important reference to the issue of
voice in literature will be the phenomenon of the so-called sound poetry. The music in the
"new novel" ("le nouveau roman") will be presented on the example of R. Pinget's story. A
different perspective on music and its relationship with domination, terror and death will be
shown on the example of reading P. Quignard's texts.
During the summer semester, topics selected by students will be deepened thanks to
additional supplementary reading. The organization of this semester will be subordinated to
the editing of the diploma thesis and preparation for the bachelor's exam.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
After passing the seminar, the student:
a) knows and understands:
- terminology in the field of comparative research, necessary to describe the phenomena of
literary musicality (K_W02);
- directions and methodology of musical and literary research and, at an advanced level,
issues in the field of interdisciplinary comparative studies (KW_04 and KW_05);
- rules regarding the protection of intellectual property and copyright, necessary for the
correct editing of the bachelor's thesis (KW_13).
b) can:
- use basic theoretical concepts in the field of interdisciplinary comparative studies when
planning research (K_U01);
- use basic research skills in the field of interdisciplinary comparative studies (K_U02);
- present their own views, referring to various literary sources and basic critical approaches
from the area of interdisciplinary research, and justify the adopted point of view (K_U04);
- plan and prepare an oral presentation and a written work in French using research tools in
the field of interdisciplinary comparative studies (K_U05 and K_U06);
- prepare a bachelor's thesis in French, referring to the knowledge acquired during the
seminar and acquired independently using various sources (K_U06 and K_U09).
c) is ready to:
- critical assessment of one's own knowledge and skills (K_K01);
- compliance with the basic principles of professional ethics and the principles of protection
of intellectual property and copyright (K_K06).
Assessment criteria
Winter semester:
- mandatory attendance (two unexcused absences are allowed per semester); if a student
misses more than two classes, he or she will be asked to discuss the content of the missed
classes;
- preparation for classes (reading assigned texts) and activity during classes (participation in
discussions, work in groups of several people, short written statements);
- a paper/multimedia presentation based on a scientific article;
- written colloquium;
- essay.
Summer semester:
- presentation of the plan of bachelor's thesis and bibliography (at the beginning of the
summer semester);
- preparation and activity in classes as above;
- editing and submitting the diploma thesis (outline and 15-minute multimedia
presentation);
A detailed schedule of work related to the preparation of the bachelor's thesis will be
presented at the beginning of the course.
Bibliography
J.-M. Bailbé, Le roman et la musique en France sous la Monarchie de Juillet, Paris, Lettres
Modernes, 1969.
F. Claudon, La Musique des Romantiques, Paris, PUF, 1992.
J.-L. Cupers, Ouvertures mélopoétiques. Initiation aux études musico-littéraires, Presses
Universitaires de Provence, 2019.
F. Escal, Contrepoints: musique et littérature, Paris, Klincksieck, 1990.
L. Guichard, La musique et les lettres en France au temps du wagnérisme, Paris, PUF, 1963.
A. Hejmej, Muzyczność dzieła literackiego [The musicality of a literary work], Wrocław,
Fundacja Nauki Polskiej 2002.
A. Hejmej, Muzyka w literaturze. Perspektywy komparatystyki interdyscyplinarnej [Music in
literature. Perspectives of interdisciplinary comparative studies], Kraków, Universitas, 2008.
Musique et littérature: rencontre Sainte-Cécile, A. Locatelli (ed.), Presses universitaires de
Provence, 2011.
I. Piette, Littérature et musique: contribution à une orientataion théorique, Presses
universitaires de Namur, 1987.
F. Sabatier, Miroirs de la musique: la musique et ses correspondances avec la littérature et
les beaux-arts, t. II, XIX-XXe siècles, Paris, Fayard, 2008.
Transpozycje: muzyka w nowoczesnej literaturze europejskiej [Transpositions: music in
modern European literature], ed. A. Hejmej, T. Górny, Kraków, Universitas, 2016.
Selection of literary texts (or fragments of texts), scientific articles, musical works
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: