Questions of General and Comparative Literature

Teacher(s)

. SOMEBODY (compensates Sábado Novau Marta); Roland Hubert (coordinator); 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 Diversity: Reading between Otherness and Similarity
It is widely accepted that diversity is a fundamental component in the interpretation of literary texts and their derivative cultural artefacts, such as cinema. The course will address this issue through several thematic areas that nourish societal debates, sometimes giving rise to controversy around so-called ‘identity’ debates: gender and sexuality; Orientalism and colonialism/decolonial perspectives; globalisation and post-migration.
Literature and cinema are spaces for the production of knowledge that transcend the overly polarised viewpoints of such debates. By highlighting the complexity of modes of expression and how they interrelate, they enable us to pose fundamental guiding questions regarding societal issues. The question that will occupy us can be formulated as follows: are otherness and diversity understood primarily in terms of difference(s) and delimitation, or, on the contrary, in terms of resemblance(s) and similarity?
The first thematic section is entitled ‘Diversity and Intertwined Worlds’. It will be based on the interpretation of texts by Honoré de Balzac, Peter Altenberg, Felicitas Hoppe and Alice Zeniter. The second thematic block, ‘Diversity, Gender and Sexualities’, will examine the works (texts and films) of Kim de l’Horizon, Virginia Woolf and Paul B. Preciado.
Drawing on this selection of readings, the course will present and discuss some of the main approaches to diversity in comparative literature, whilst offering an overview of the evolution of certain literary and cultural theories in the 20th and 21st centuries. Guest speakers will complement this overview, focusing in particular on self-translation, similarity and reinterpretations of antiquity viewed through the lens of diversity. A final session will focus on theoretical and literary texts that take a forward-looking approach to new visions of "living together" (vivre ensemble).

 

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 :
Peter Altenberg, Achanti [Ashantee], 1897 [trad. Miguel Couffon, Paris, Éditions Caractères, 2002]
Honoré de Balzac, Sarrasine, 1830
Felicitas Hoppe, Hagenbeck: Safari, 2004 [trad. Hubert Roland]
Kim de l’Horizon, Hêtre pourpre [Blutbuch], 2022 [trad. Rose Labourie, Paris, Julliard, 2023]
Alice Zeniter, L’art de perdre, 2017 [éd. de poche « J’ai lu » 12 281]
Extraits choisis du Orlando de Virginia Woolf et dossier de lectures théorético-littéraires (Moodle)
Film:
Paul B. Preciado, Orlando, ma biographie politique, 2023

Teaching materials

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

Faculty or entity

> FIAL