Questions of General and Comparative Literature

Teacher(s)

Sábado Novau Marta;

Language

French

Main themes

This course aims to introduce students to the questions and methods of research in general and comparative literature. To do so, the course proposes to study and cross-reference works from different linguistic and cultural areas, both in a synchronic and diachronic approach. The comparative approach concerns the choice of the corpus and the type of questioning that general and comparative literature addresses to literary objects. The works are approached on the basis of a common theme which allows for both theoretical and literary reflection. This course may also occasionally call upon texts from other disciplines to enrich the understanding of the works.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

At the end of this course, the student will be able to understand the heuristic and theoretical force of literary works. He/she will be able to question literary texts in a critical and reflexive way, formulate a research problem and compose a corpus of study in a reasoned way. He/she will learn to create links between texts of different kinds and to practise a comparative reading of literary works, characterised by a shift in perspective.

Content

Literature and cinema confronting norms: deviance, resistance, and reinvention
Taking the concepts of “norm” and “abnormality” as its starting point, this course explores how literature and cinema address and examine the dynamics of this pair of concepts that structure our view of the world and human phenomena. To address this issue, the course is organized around three thematic sections. The first examines the phenomenon of “madness” and its treatment from a historical, cultural, and gender perspective in order to understand the process of categorization between mental health and mental illness (Poe, Perkins, Yon). The second section focuses on the representation and problematization of “non-standard” bodies in cinema (Browning, Lynch). Finally, the last section explores the norm/non-norm dichotomy in the field of gender and queer studies in particular (Kafka, Preciado).
This course adopts a diachronic and comparative perspective by bringing together literary and cinematographic works with theoretical and critical texts from philosophy, medicine, sociology, and psychoanalysis. The works studied provide a sensitive perspective on this current societal issue.

Teaching methods

This course will combine lectures and literary interpretation where students will be asked to discuss the texts.

Evaluation methods

The assessment consists of a written exam with several open-ended questions on the works and course content. Students must have a thorough understanding of these topics and be able to produce critical thinking based on what they have learned. 

Other information

This class covers current social issues like mental health, gender issues, and thoughts on disability from a social and cultural perspective. Some sessions might cover sensitive topics. The teaching approach will aim to foster an atmosphere of respect and kindness.

Bibliography

Lectures obligatoires :

• Edgar Allan Poe, “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” (1845) [en ligne, moodle et brochure]
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Le papier peint jaune/La Sequestrée [1892], Paris, Libretto, 2008. [en ligne, si langue originale, moodle et brochure]
• Adèle Yon, Mon vrai nom est Elisabeth, Paris, Éditions du sous-sol, 2025.
• Franz Kafka, Rapport pour une académie (1917) [en ligne, moodle et brochure]
• Paul B. Preciado, Je suis un monstre qui vous parle, Paris, Grasset, 2020.

Corpus filmique : Ted Browning, Freaks (1932); David Lynch, Elephant Man (1980); Orlando, ma biographie politique de Paul B. Preciado (2023).
L'enseignante mettra a disposition des étudiant·es des textes théoriques et critiques qui feront également l'objet de lectures obligatoires pour enrichir la compréhension des oeuvres. 
Les étudiant·e·s sont encouragé·e·s à lire les oeuvres en langue originale.

Teaching materials

• Les oeuvres de lecture obligatoire, les notes de cours et les diaporamas.

Faculty or entity

> FIAL