Introduction to French Novel (French 33337) - Spring 2006
Webpage: http://www.personal.kent.edu/~rberrong/fr33337
Instructor: Richard Berrong
Office: 307-E Satterfield
Office hours: 2:30-4:10 MWF
Office phone: 672-1820
e-mail: rberrong@kent.edu
Texts
As in Composition, the texts for this course are on the class website and should
be printed out from there.
Laye: L'Enfant noir
One of Black Africa's most distinguished writers constructs a novel out of his
memories of his childhood and adolescence. The struggle between his devotion
to his parents and his fascination with French culture and the advancement that
it offered. How can he retain his own culture if he goes off to France for the
education he needs to advance in a culture that also fascinates him?
Mme de La Fayette, La Princesse de Clèves
The story of a young woman convinced by her family to marry one man, only to
have another, very attractive man pursues her. How will she deal with this?
Will she fall in love with the second man? Will she give in to him? Remember,
divorce did not exist for Catholics in 16th century France.
Voltaire, Candide
Voltaire wrote in just about every literary genre, with varying success. (His
epic poems and theater are pretty well forgotten, except by graduate students
desperate for a dissertation topic.) His "philosophical tales," as
his called them, of which Candide is the best known, are among his most
successful works, and certainly his best known today. In Candide, Voltaire
makes fun of much that he saw in eighteenth-century European society.
Le Goffic, Le Crucifié de Keraliès
Charles Le Goffic was a major figure in the Breton revival movement in the
second half of the nineteenth century. He wrote in a variety of genres, including
poetry and history, and was elected to the Académie française,
but the work that earned him early attention was this short novel, Le Crucifié
de Keraliès. Past students who read it for an upper-division course
really loved it, so I am trying it out here, since it is a good example of Naturalism
and not, unlike Zola's novels, too long and too difficult for such a class.
Proust: Combray
As we started the course, so we finish it with another novelised recollection
of childhood. Combray is the first part of Marcel Proust's mamouth A
la recherche du temps perdu, a 3000 page work that many consider the great
French novel. Combray deals with the somewhat fictionalized Marcel's
efforts to remember his childhood, and a discussion of different types of memory.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. Students are allowed only three unexcused absences. Thereafter,
for every unexcused absence, a student's final grade will be lowered at the instructor's
discretion. Students are responsible for knowing in advance what qualifies as
an excused absence and must provide proof when they return that their absence
met university policy if they want it to be regarded as excused. The professor
will NOT ask for the proof; the student must provide it on his/her own initiative.
All absences for which such proof is not supplied will be marked as unexcused.
University policy on absences can be found in the KSU Digest of Rules and Regulations,
section 3342-3-06, "Class Attendance and Class Absence." Note especially section
B. 3. c.: "Students shall be responsible for all material covered in class during
their absence. Students are responsible for completing any makeup work resulting
from their absence. In no case is an excuse from class to be interpreted as a
release from class responsability." This means that a student who has been absent,
even for an excused absence, must hand in whatever assignments were due during
his/her absence promptly after his/her return. Since all assignments are specified
in this syllabus, students are responsible for knowing what was due during their
absence.
Grading
Mid-term exam: 20%
Final exam: 30%
Each paper assignment: 25%
Each paper should be 4-6 pages in length, word-processed and double-spaced. They
will be judged on the interest and originality of the argument (do not simply
restate something that the instructor has already presented in class), the
appropriate use of the primary text to support the points of the argument, the
clarity of the organization, and the quality of the French. In short, the points
that were taught in French Composition.
This is a writing intensive class. As a result, students not happy with the grade
they receive on the first version of a paper have the right to rewrite it and
submit a second version, by the deadline specified on the syllabus. If a student
rewrites a paper, he/she will receive the average of the grades on the two versions
submitted as the grade for that paper assignment. A student happy with the grade
he/she receives on the first version of a paper does not have to submit a rewrite.
On the other hand, a student who does not submit a paper by the date of the first
version may still submit a paper by the date of the second version; he/she will
then simply receive the grade for the second paper as the grade for the assignment,
with no option to rewrite it for a better grade.
Students may receive no outside help with any written work submitted for a grade
in this class. This means that they may not ask others to go over their papers.
No assignment will be accepted late without a university-approved excuse. Students
not present for the midterm and final at their scheduled times cannot request
a make-up unless they have a documented excused absence.
Regular participation in class discussions of the literature being read is mandatory. A student who fails to participate regularly will have his/her grade reduced significantly, at the professor's discretion.
Graduating Seniors
Graduating seniors who are department majors are expected to take an Outcomes
Assessment Examination near the end of the semester.
Students with disabilities
University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided
reasonable accomodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you
have a documented disability and require accomodations, please contact the instructor
at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom
adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through
Student Disability Services (contact 330 672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sds for
more information on registration procedures).
Respectful Student Conduct
The Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies follows University regulations regarding student behavior in the classroom. It is expected that each student will be respectful to the instructor as well as to follow classmates.
Use of profanity, rudeness toward fellow students or the instructor, angry outbursts, refusal to participate in classroom activities, repeated tardiness, and leaving the classroom prior to class dismissal are just some examples of disruptive behavior. The instructor will ask the disruptive student to cease and desist and will inform the student of possible suspension and/or dismissal from the class.
Guidelines pertaining to class disruptions are outlined in the Digest of Rules and Regulations to be found in the Kent State University Telephone Directory.
Calendar
(The Professor reserves the right to make alterations.)
16.1: Martin Luther King Day, no class
18.1: Introduction; The French novel from its origins through the 17th century
20.1: L'Enfant noir: I-II
23.1: L'Enfant noir: III-IV
25.1: L'Enfant noir: V-VI
27.1: L'Enfant noir: VII
30.1: L'Enfant noir: VIII
1.2: L'Enfant noir: IX
3.2: L'Enfant noir: X-XI
6.2: L'Enfant noir: XII ; préparation pour La Princesse de
Clèves
8.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 1
10.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 2
13.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 3
15.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 4
17.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 5
20.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 6
22.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 7
24.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 8
27.2: La Princesse de Clèves: Lecture 9
1.3: The French novel in the 18th century; 1st version of first paper due
3.3: Midterm
6.3: Candide: Chapitres 1-8
8.3: Candide: Chapitres 9-15
10.3: Candide: Chapitres 16-20
13.3: Candide: Chapitres 21-24
15.3: Candide: Chapitres 25-30
17.3: The French novel in the 19th century; revision of first paper (optional)
20.3: Le Crucifié de Keraliès: Chapitres 1-2
22.3: Le Crucifié de Keraliès: Chapitres 3-4
24.3 Le Crucifié de Keraliès: Chapitres 5-8
27-31.3: Spring Break, no class
3.4: Le Crucifié de Keraliès: Chapitres 9-11
5.4: Le Crucifié de Keraliès: Chapitres 12-15
7.4: The French novel in the 20th century; 1st version of second paper
due
10.4: Combray: Lecture 1
12.4: Combray: Lecture 2
14.4: Combray: Lecture 3
17.4: Combray: Lecture 4
19.4: Combray: Lecture 5
21.4: Combray: Lecture 6
24.4: Combray: Lecture 7; revision of second paper due (optional)
26.4: Combray: Lecture 8
28.4: Combray: Lecture 9
1.5: Combray: Lecture 10
3.5: Combray: Lecture 11
5.5: Review for final exam
12.5: Comprehensive Final exam: 10:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.