Questions of Literary aesthetics

Teacher(s)

Piret Pierre;

Language

French

Prerequisites

To be able to decode in a precise and argumentative way a literary text (objective of the courses of Modern Authors from the first cycle);
To know the main debates, questions and stakes of the modern and contemporary literary theory.

Main themes

The emphasis of this course is on the building blocks of literature, that is language as a structure which man has inherited and from which he develops. Analysis of literary experience as discourse raises the following questions:
- how to consider the link between literature and language beyond the hitherto structured framework of mimesis ? What does the notion of "a crisis in representation" involve?  Link with linguistic theory. Concepts of signifiers, letters, devices and writing;
- how to consider the link between literature and society through the autonomy of a work? The question of the audience, the concepts of discourse and dialogism; literature as discourse among discourse;
- how to consider the link between literature and subjectivity outside an expressive conception of writing, where the text is devised as personal expression? The question of singularity, the

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Literary aesthetics is less of a particular area in literary studies than a general paradigm (a definition of literature as art of language) which shapes contemporary ways of understanding works of literature. This paradigm, which complements that of literary history (cf. ROM 2720), deals with literature from the viewpoint of the effects it produces as discourse, considering it as a form of knowledge in its own right. By the end of the course, students will be able to: - define and put this paradigm in context: the conditions under which it emerged, the postulates on which it is based and its inclusion in the social sciences; - put in context their own abilities in literary analysis (gained in the Bachelor's programme) in the light of this paradigm; - and, most importantly : tackle the main issues and make use of the principal concepts in literary aesthetics when studying works of literature, to show how they raise questions about their period and the human condition.

Content

The course will rely on a theoretical orientation, but is developed in an empirical way, by analyzing the selected works.
Examples of subjects:  the crisis of representation, the discourse of the Master, the aesthetics of shock, For the Love of language, the technical and the symbolic, Logic of the verb / Logic of the image, Silence writings, etc.

Teaching methods

Based on advance readings, the course combines lectures with interactions. The aim is to acquire a certain amount of knowledge, but more importantly to develop a methodology for analysis, which presupposes the active presence and participation of students.

Evaluation methods

Presentation of a personal paper during an oral examination.

Other information

Active participation  is required.
A seminar is organised to follow on from ROM 2715 : seminars : literary aesthetics.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) must be used responsibly and in accordance with the practices of academic and scientific integrity. Scientific integrity requires that sources be cited, and the use of AI must always be reported. The use of artificial intelligence for tasks where it is explicitly forbidden will be considered as cheating.

Bibliography

Une bibliographie établie en fonction du programme de l'année est déposée sur moodle.

Faculty or entity

> ELAL