Dutch Literature II: 19th and 20th century

Teacher(s)

Vanasten Stéphanie;

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

Level B2 of the Common Europea Framework of Reference for Languages

Main themes

Reflection on the concept of "history of literature": analysis of its methodological and disciplinary foundations (especially Dutch literature);
Presentation of the history of Dutch literature and contextualization bearing in mind the main cultural, philosophical, and political European productions; description of its periodization in the 19th and 20th centuries; synthesis of the major literary productions and confrontation with the analysis of individual movements.
Compulsory readings of literary texts illustrate the course.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of the course, students should be able to : - read and understand texts in Dutch,  from the 19th and 20th century; - explain the main developments of Dutch literature from the 19th and 20th century and relate them to different contexts (linguistic, cultural, philosophical, aesthetic, ideological, social, political) as well as the European literary context; - situate the major authors and literary texts on a timeline (periods, movements, generations) and show the distinctive features of the literary facts by means of the history of literary criticism (aesthetics, genres, themes, poetics, genetics, media, reception, institution etc.) ; - critically discuss the legitimacy and the validity of the periodization used and write (from a historical and cultural perspective) some brief personal comments (essay, dissertation) on a literary text (based on a related academic writing, for instance).

Content

This course is devoted to the study of Dutch literary texts from 1830 until the second half of the 20th century. (It constitutes a sequel to LGERM1334.) It introduces the founding texts in Dutch-language literature and culture of the period by situating them in their various historical contexts (linguistic, political, aesthetic, philosophical, social, cultural, religious), and interrogates their emergence, circulation and posterity in the contemporary period. The (major) authors, main figures or forgotten, literary movements, texts and genres are considered and studied, while problematizing their positioning (consecration, canonization, invisibilisation). Representative texts (or excerpts) illustrate the course.

Teaching methods

The course introduces the historiographic content and markers, using (self-learning and) interactive learning activities (short individual and collective research tasks, reading assignments based on excerpts of literary histories and critical readings ; inversed classrooms ; in-class discussions). Students are encouraged to actively participate in classroom.
The lectures focus on the analysis and guided readings of literary texts in Dutch that are representative of the studied period, and chosen in function of various themes, registers, genres, programmes. These texts, included in the anthology (see Moodle), are read and prepared at home by all students.
Following an inductive method, we will explore various questions that the works studied can raise in response to the discourse of their epoch and of our time. The approach is complemented by textual exploration from various critical (inter)disciplinary and theoretical perspectives in order to shed light on certain issues addressed.
Exercices and tutorials, under the supervision of a teaching assistant, are offered in addition to the lectures and help students to carry out readings and critical text analyses, to appropriate the material, to transfer the questions raised to other texts and discourses of the time, to deepen critical methods of analysis and to prepare for the final exam.
Special attention will be paid to the use of scholarly and heuristic tools in Dutch literary studies.

Evaluation methods

Formative and Continuous assessment (20%): active participation of the student in the course, based on the compulsory preparatory reading of literary texts and historiographic learning materials and including the role of respondent. Regular attendance at compulsory tutorials and workshops is expected. Two compulsory written tasks are expected (students will get a fail mark for this part if the two assignments are not handed in).
The final assessment in June consists of a written exam (50%) and an oral exam (30%):

• The written exam (50%) covers the historiographical contents and markers presented and discussed during the course as well as the studied literary texts and inquiries. (Excerpts from) annotated texts are the object of an in-depth assessment. 
• The oral exam (30%) is based on a personal written work, handed in beforehand, and consisting of a critical analysis, with the help of at least three scholarly sources, of one or several literary texts (one of them not discussed during the course) related to the period studied. It should be established according to the principles of scientific inquiry and academic bibliographic conventions and demonstrate a critical reflection on a chosen problem and on the historiographic construction as a scholarly approach in the broader context of Cultural History and the History of Ideas. 

The quality of the language, especially in writing, and the student’s mastery of written and spoken Dutch are part of the assessment criteria. Too many mistakes can lead to a fail mark.
The person written work will be drawn up in compliance with the specific instructions set out and in accordance with the practices of academic and scientific integrity. The use of any source of information (including generative artificial intelligence) that is not duly referenced and systematically indicated for each part of the work concerned, and that prevents the examiner from verifying the student's prior learning, personal skills, process and approach, is forbidden, with due respect for the principle of authenticity.
For students who have to resit the exam, the assessment is divided as follows: written exam (60%) and oral exam on the basis of a new paper (40%). For the oral exam, the student is at liberty to decide, after consulting the lecturer(s), to improve the short paper whilst keeping the text(s) or topic submitted in the previous exam session.
In order to achieve the minimum pass mark for this course, taking the various learning activities into account, a score of at least 8/20 must be obtained for each of the two parts of the summative evaluation (written exam, oral exam). If the student has obtained a mark of less than 8/20 for (one of) these parts, then the final mark for the entire exam session cannot exceed 9/20.

Other information

Teaching Materials: 
anthology of chosen literary works ; excerpts from literary histories and scholarly articles introducing the period (see Moodle, online or University Library) ; hand-outs, powerpoints, audio and video sources, teaching materials on Moodle.

Online resources

see Moodle
www.dbnl.org

Bibliography

Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur. Amsterdam : Bert Bakker, 2006-2013 (en ligne, www.dbnl.org), en particulier:

• Wim van den Berg en Piet Couttenier, Alles is taal geworden (1800-1900). Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2009. 
• Jacqueline Bel, Bloed en rozen (1900-1945). Amsterdam : Bert Bakker, 2015. 
• Hugo Brems, Altijd weer vogels die nesten beginnen. Amsterdam : Bert Bakker, 2006.

Une bibliographie secondaire détaillée pour la période est mise à disposition sur Moodle.

Faculty or entity

> ELAL