Dutch Literature II: 19th and 20th century

Teacher(s)

Vanasten Stéphanie;

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

Reflection on the concept of "history of literature": analysis of its methodological and disciplinary foundations (especially Dutch literature);
Presentation of the history of Dutch literature and contextualization bearing in mind the main cultural, philosophical, and political European productions; description of its periodization in the 19th and 20th centuries; synthesis of the major literary productions and confrontation with the analysis of individual movements.
Compulsory readings of literary texts illustrate the course.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of the course, students should be able to : - read and understand texts in Dutch,  from the 19th and 20th century; - explain the main developments of Dutch literature from the 19th and 20th century and relate them to different contexts (linguistic, cultural, philosophical, aesthetic, ideological, social, political) as well as the European literary context; - situate the major authors and literary texts on a timeline (periods, movements, generations) and show the distinctive features of the literary facts by means of the history of literary criticism (aesthetics, genres, themes, poetics, genetics, media, reception, institution etc.) ; - critically discuss the legitimacy and the validity of the periodization used and write (from a historical and cultural perspective) some brief personal comments (essay, dissertation) on a literary text (based on a related academic writing, for instance).

Content

This course is devoted to the study of Dutch literary texts from 1800 until the second half of the 20th century. It constitutes a sequel to LGERM1334. It explores literary movements and genres, major authors, main figures and founding texts in Dutch literature, situates them in their historical contexts (linguistic, political, philosophical, social, cultural, religious) and interrogates their circulation and posterity in the contemporary period. 
Representative texts (or excerpts) illustrate the course and are discussed from various critical theoretical perspectives.

Teaching methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

The course introduces to the literary history of the Dutch-speaking world, using ex cathedra teaching and interactive learning activities (individual and collective research, reading and analytical tasks based on extracts of literary histories and critical readings ; inversed classrooms ; in-class discussions). Students are encouraged to actively participate in classroom (respondents).
The course sessions focus on commented readings of literary texts in Dutch that are representative of the studied periode, and chosen in function of various themes, registers, genres, manifests. These (or other representative) texts, taken up in the anthology (see Moodle), are read and prepared at home by all students.
Exercices and tutorials, under the supervision of a teaching assistant, are proposed in addition to the course and help the students to carry out critical text analyses, to deepen critical methods of analysis and to prepare for final exam.
Special attention will be paid to the use of scholarly and heuristic tools in Dutch literary studies.

Evaluation methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

Continuous assessment (25%): active participation in the course, based on the compulsory preparatory reading of literary texts and learning materials and including the role of respondent. Two compulsory written tasks are expected (students will automatically get a failing mark for this part if assignments are not handed in).
The final assessment consists of a written exam (50%) and an oral exam (25%). The written exam covers the historiographical contents and markings exposed and discussed during the course as well as the studied literary texts. (Extracts from) commented texts consists in an in-depth assessment.The oral exam is based on a personal written task, made beforehand, and consisting of the critical analysis, using at least three scholarly sources, of one or several literary texts (one of them unseen) related to the period studied. It will be established according to the principles of the scientific approach and will show a critical reflection on a problem related to historiographic construction as a scholarly approach in the broader context of Cultural history and the HIstory of Ideas. The quality of personal expression and the student’s mastery of written and spoken Dutch are part of the assessment criteria.
For students who have to resit the exam, the assessment is divided as follows: written exam (60%) and oral exam (40%). For the oral exam, the student is at liberty to decide, after consulting the lecturer(s), to improve the short paper whilst keeping the text or topic submitted in the previous exam session.

Other information

Teaching Materials: 
anthology of chosen literary works ; excerpts of literary histories and scholarly articles (see Moodle, online or University Library) ; hand-outs, powerpoints, audio and video sources, teaching materials on Moodle.

Bibliography

Wim van den Berg en Piet Couttenier, Alles is taal geworden (1800-1900). Amsterdam : B. Bakker, 2009.
Jacqueline Bel, Bloed en rozen (1900-1945). Amsterdam : B. Bakker, 2015.
Hugo Brems, Altijd weer vogels die nesten beginnen. Amsterdam : B. Bakker, 2005. (en ligne)

Faculty or entity

ELAL