Thematic Seminar: Madame de Lafayette—The Mona Lisa of French Literature 3304-2DXW-ST-02-OG

The seminar is conducted in French.
The seminar aims to familiarise participants with the works of Madame de Lafayette. Reading and analysing her works (in full or in part) and selected letters from her correspondence will enable seminar participants to discover lesser-known aspects of the author’s work and to expand their existing knowledge, including that concerning Madame de Lafayette’s most important novel, *The Princess of Clèves*. An important part of the seminar will be the reading of critical texts, which will not only allow us to trace changes in the interpretation of *The Princess of Clèves* or the issue of the anonymity of her works, but will also facilitate a deeper understanding of Madame de Lafayette’s writing and enrich the discussion on selected aspects of the work of this most famous, indeed iconic, French novelist.
A detailed programme for the seminar will be presented at the first meeting.

Course coordinators

Monika Kulesza

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Classroom

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the seminar, the student:

- will know and understand the significance of Madame de Lafayette’s work for French literature and culture and will have acquired in-depth knowledge of her work (K_W01); will be familiar with the concepts discussed in the field of literary theory (K_W02, K_W04); will be familiar with the research methodology concerning Madame de Lafayette’s novels (K_W03, K_W05);

- is able to analyse a literary text and prepare a written piece and a short presentation on a given topic, and to use the relevant terminology (K_U01, K_U02, K_U05), and is able to argue and present their point of view in discussions based on knowledge of the works and the historical and cultural context (K_U06)

- is prepared to deliver presentations and, when writing a paper, is aware of the principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law (K_K05, K_K07).

Assessment criteria

Methods: group work, guided discussion, elements of a lecture

Assessment criteria:

participation in discussions, a written assignment completed in class summarising the knowledge acquired during the seminar

Attendance is compulsory (up to 3 absences are permitted; if there are more, additional work may be required)

Bibliography

Zarys bibliografii :
Mme de Lafayette, Œuvres complètes, éd. Camille Esmein-Sarrazin, Collection Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, 2014.
Esmein-Sarrazin, Camille, La Princesse de Clèves de Madame de Lafayette ou la „Joconde” des lettres françaises, Champion commentaires, 2025
Gevrey, Françoise, L’Esthétique de Madame de Lafayette, Paris, Sedes, 1997
Grande, Nathalie, Stratégies de romancières, de Clélie à La Princesse de Clèves, Paris, Champion, 1999
Rohou, Jean, Siouffi, Gilles, Lectures de Madame de Lafayette, Rennes, PUR, 2015
Zonza, Christian, La Nouvelle historique en France à l’âge classique (1657-1703), Paris, Champion, 2007

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: