Issues in medieval literary history [ LROM2221 ]

- a good knowledge of the basics of Old and Middle French ;
- familiarity with basic notions of literary analysis and genres ;
- successful completion of an introductory course on medieval French literature. 

In the series of courses which examine authors and literary history at BAC level, this course has twin objectives :
- to deepen knowledge of medieval French literature ;
- to highlight the special medieval characteristics of a particular topic ;
- to compare this topic with other periods in French literature, particularly the 16th century ;
- to make students aware of interdisciplinarity and the critical perspective.

By the end of the course, students will be able to
- recognise and analyse the literary themes and practices of medieval works
- understand and recognise the constraints linked to literary genres ; they will be able to  detect the borderline cases and the interferences between the genres ;
- make the relation between the different parts of the course and the academic publications from the compulsory reading list
- question the links between literature and medieval society/civilisation
- make use of the contribution of the different disciplines (history, history of art, anthropology, theology, study of manuscripts etc.)
- bring out the relevance of contacts between the linguistic domains (Latin ' vernacular languages ; vernacular languages between each other)
- make critical and methodological comparisons between the different periods of French literature.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Oral exam. In addition to showing first-hand knowledge of all required readings, students must demonstrate their ability to analyze a literary text and to frame their approach in a meaningful context that takes into account problems and aspects explored in class.

The course takes the form of lectures with student interaction

Organized in a series of lectures, the course  is devoted to the tradition of the « Seven Sages of Rome », with oriental roots, adapted to medieval Europe.  Many French versions, in verse and prose, and original Continuations circulated in the French-speaking area. This fascinating story will give us the opportunity to explore the texts from various points of view : clergie and wisdom, the use of the spoken word and silence, family dysfunction, power  and kingship, justice, tension between Roman pagan world and Christianity, relations between frame and individual tales, interplay of narrative voices '

The bibliography will be available on iCampus

Support : A bibliography and a reading folder are available for students at the beginning  of the course. Other documents are uploaded to iCampus throughout the course.