Module FREN3421: Fin-de-siècle bodies: Decadence and Naturalism

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (French)

FREN3421: Fin-de-siècle bodies: Decadence and Naturalism

Prerequisites

• French Language 2 (FREN2051) plus one or more from: FREN2011, FREN2021, FREN2031, FREN2061 OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Corequisites

• Modern European Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: French Language 4 (FREN3041) or French Language 4 Following Year Abroad (FREN3351). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To explore the importance of the body in late nineteenth-century French literature, considering how literary representations of corporeality are related to the contemporary politicisation of the body;
• To examine how various literary movements engage with contemporary medical and scientific paradigms;
• To assess various theories of embodiment in literature, as well as theories of gender and sexuality.

Content

• In late nineteenth-century France, the body took on heightened political importance. Defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 had exacerbated enduring concerns about the quantity and quality of the French populace, and France itself was represented as a body maimed by the German annexation of its Eastern provinces. Fin-de-siècle French literature engages with this politicisation of the body in various ways: for Naturalism, the writer’s role was analogous to that of the physician, being to study the body politic and diagnose its ills; the Decadent movement, by contrast, subverted the contemporary concern with health and virility, revelling in portrayals of disease, deviance, and debauchery. This module explores a range of texts from the 1870s-90s, considering the various roles played by representations of corporeality, as well as the importance of embodiment to the conception of textuality itself. While based on close analysis of literary material, it will also involve consideration of a variety of theoretical frameworks for analysing the body in literature.

Learning Outcomes

• Critical knowledge and understanding of a range of texts and images, offering an insight into late nineteenth-century culture;
• A grounding in the social history of the early Third Republic of France;
• An understanding of various theorisations of literary representations of the body.

• Critical analysis and close readings of a variety of literary genres;
• Ability to think across disciplines, drawing links between cultural material and social history.

• Critical and analytical thinking
• Essay-writing and oral presentation
• Structuring of arguments
• Independent learning and research

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures and seminars; assessment will be by two summative essays.
• These assessments reflect the intended learning outcomes, namely critical understanding of texts based on close reading, and a broader cultural awareness.
• Teaching will be in English.
• The module will be taught as a long-thin module in Terms 1 and 2.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University