Issues in medieval literary history

lrom2221  2018-2019  Louvain-la-Neuve

Issues in medieval literary history
5 credits
22.5 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Cavagna Mattia;
Language
French
Prerequisites

- a good knowledge of the basics of Old and Middle French ;
- familiarity with basic notions of literary analysis and genres ;
- successful completion of an introductory course on medieval French literature. 
Main themes
In the series of courses which examine authors and literary history at BAC level, this course has twin objectives :
- to deepen knowledge of medieval French literature ;
- to highlight the special medieval characteristics of a particular topic ;
- to compare this topic with other periods in French literature, particularly the 16th century ;
- to make students aware of interdisciplinarity and the critical perspective.
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1

By the end of the course, students will be able to
- recognise and analyse the literary themes and practices of medieval works
- understand and recognise the constraints linked to literary genres ; they will be able to  detect the borderline cases and the interferences between the genres ;
- make the relation between the different parts of the course and the academic publications from the compulsory reading list
- question the links between literature and medieval society/civilisation
- make use of the contribution of the different disciplines (history, history of art, anthropology, theology, study of manuscripts etc.)
- bring out the relevance of contacts between the linguistic domains (Latin ¿ vernacular languages ; vernacular languages between each other)
- make critical and methodological comparisons between the different periods of French literature.

 

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”.
Content
The theme of 2018/2019 course will be the metamorphosis, considered as a phenomenon affecting both the external appearence and the inner nature of human beings. This theme will allow the class to meditate on the concurring ways of theorising and staging the transformation in the Middle Ages, as well as on the ethical, philosophical and symbolic stakes of the transformation of physical appearence. This will give the opportunity to consider the potential of literary language for evoking problematic concepts, such as the subject disintegration, the illusion of perception, the multiple elements composing human identities. The analysis of textual extracts will be enrich by the contribution of other disciplines such as history and anthropology, in order to ensure a diverse critical approach.
Teaching methods
The course takes the form of lectures with student interaction
Evaluation methods
Oral exam. In addition to showing first-hand knowledge of all required readings, students must demonstrate their ability to analyze a literary text and to frame their approach in a meaningful context that takes into account problems and aspects explored in class.
Other information
The course will be taught in collaboration with Antonella Sciancalepore.
Support : A bibliography and a reading folder are available for students at the beginning of the course. Other documents are uploaded to MOODLE throughout the course .
Bibliography
Les indications bibliographiques seront disponibles sur MOODLE.
Faculty or entity
ROM


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in History

Master [120] in Ancient and Modern Languages and Literatures

Master [120] in French and Romance Languages and Literatures : General


Master [60] in Ancient and Modern Languages and Literatures

Master [120] in French and Romance Languages and Literatures : French as a Foreign Language

Master [60] in French and Romance Languages and Literatures : General