To know the main debates, questions and stakes of the modern and contemporary literary theory.
- how to consider the link between literature and language beyond the hitherto structured framework of mimesis ? What does the notion of "a crisis in representation" involve? Link with linguistic theory. Concepts of signifiers, letters, devices and writing;
- how to consider the link between literature and society through the autonomy of a work? The question of the audience, the concepts of discourse and dialogism; literature as discourse among discourse;
- how to consider the link between literature and subjectivity outside an expressive conception of writing, where the text is devised as personal expression? The question of singularity, the
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | Literary aesthetics is less of a particular area in literary studies than a general paradigm (a definition of literature as art of language) which shapes contemporary ways of understanding works of literature. This paradigm, which complements that of literary history (cf. ROM 2720), deals with literature from the viewpoint of the effects it produces as discourse, considering it as a form of knowledge in its own right. By the end of the course, students will be able to: - define and put this paradigm in context: the conditions under which it emerged, the postulates on which it is based and its inclusion in the social sciences; - put in context their own abilities in literary analysis (gained in the Bachelor's programme) in the light of this paradigm; - and, most importantly : tackle the main issues and make use of the principal concepts in literary aesthetics when studying works of literature, to show how they raise questions about their period and the human condition. |
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”.
Examples of subjects (2 or 3 subjects are planned each year) : Proustand the crisis of representation, Diderot and the discourse of the Master, the aesthetics of shock (Annie Ernaux, Nicole Malinconi, etc.), For the Love of language (Fernand Crommelynck, Marguerite Duras), the technical and the symbolic, Logic of the verb / Logic of the image, Silence writings, etc.
