Questions of General and Comparative Literature [ LFIAL2230 ]

Site ICampus course at : http://www.icampus.ucl.ac.be/

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1. Introduction to the history of the discipline, its theoretical framework, methodologies and subfields through the teaching of specific research instruments.

2. Provide an example of a completed study in comparative literature.

Analyze one period and one or more streams of European literature using a comparative perspective. Provide students with a basic understanding of this period and streams of literature, placing the latter in the broader context of the connections that European culture has progressively established across different countries, constituting a unique civilization sharing common evidence, references and connivances. Familiarize students with the aims, essence and methodologies of comparative research, and introduce them to the theoretical foundations of the comparative approach. Students are expected to demonstrate that they have acquired the skills taught during the course and that they have mastered the historical background and literary material characterizing the period and the streams of literature analyzed throughout the course.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

The writing assessment of this course consists of a comparative commentary in French. It will analyse the novels of the bibliography (see below) through the theoretical perspective of the course.
The paper will be submitted on the first day of the exam session of January (and/of September). Two versions will be submitted: a printed version in the teacher's pigeonhole (Erasme College, 3rd floor, B-wing) and an electronic version (PDF) posted on ICampus (tab 'Travaux').
The evaluation mode is the same for each session.

1) Formal lectures
2) Required reading consisting of 3 novels (see the list below) and theoretical works
3) Individual exercise and collective correction in order to prepare oneself to the examination
4) Required participation to the study day "India as emerging country"(Thursday, October 29th 2015)

The excesses of globalization will be the focus of the 2015-2016 general and comparative literature course. Globalization is a major paradigm of the contemporary world. In this sense, it is relevant to analyse how the literary creation uses this paradigm in order to represent the experience of the contemporary man. More precisely, this course intends to study how some contemporary novels describe in their fictional world the threats and the excesses of globalization (terrorism; arms, drug or human trafficking'). While considering the textual strategies and issues related to the representation of these excesses, this course aims to model the imaginary of globalization through the big fears this process induces in the human mind.

Required reading
AGUALUSA José Eduardo, La Guerre des anges, traduit du portugais par Geneviève Leibrich, Paris, Métailié, 2007, 276 p.

ASLAM Nadeem, Le Jardin de l'aveugle, traduit de l'anglais par Claude et Jean Demanuelli, Paris, Seuil, 2015 (Points), 504 p.

HOUELLEBECQ Michel, Plateforme, Paris, J'ai Lu, 2010, 350 p.

The required reading may also be read in the original language if the language skills of each student permit.