German Literature : Introduction to a Critical Approach of Literary Texts

Teacher(s)

Büssgen Antje;

Language

Deutsch

Prerequisites

Level A1 of the Common Europea Framework of Reference for Languages

Main themes

Close in-depth critical study of contemporary canonical texts. This course will introduce strudents to basics of narratology, stylistics and genre theory. Several literary texts (poems, novels, short stories, plays) will be analysed methodically.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Acquiring a method of analysis for one or more literary genres though the analysis of canonical contamporary texts (19th, 20th, 21st century). This course will provide students with basic scholarly methods and tools enabling him/her to approach a literary text critically (poems, novels and short stories, plays).

Content

This course offers an introduction to the scientific analysis of literary texts of different genres. The aim is to explain the specific characteristics of the different literary genres (prose, poetry, drama) and to examine the type of system each genre represents for the work of an author in order to develop a topic or theme. The first sessions will therefore be devoted to the following questions: What is a literary text? In which way(s) do literary texts differ from any other type of text?

Teaching methods

Introduction to the different topics by the lecturer; literary analysis of short texts or excerpts (= required reading to be prepared individually before each class).

Evaluation methods

Continuous assessment of the work done in the course (preparation of compulsory readings from week to week, regular learning of thematic vocabulary, written exercises for the practical course: 20%). Final assessment in the form of a written exam: 80%. The evaluation and access to the final exam are conditioned by regular and active presence in the course and by the productions related to it. More than three unjustified absences from the course make access to the examination impossible.
The personal written work (final exam) is done individually, referring to specific contents discovered during the four-month period in the course and in the practical work. In case of failure, the September session consists of a reworking of the work submitted in January.
Working language: German.

Online resources

Scripts, text extracts, vocabulary lists, detailed bibliography on Moodle

Bibliography

Benedict Jeßing / Ralph Köhnen: Einführung in die Neuere deutsche Literaturwissenschaft. 4., aktualisierte und überarbeitete Aufl., Stuttgart: Metzler 2017.
= ouvrage de base à acheter.
Benedict Jeßing: Arbeitstechniken des literaturwissenschaftlichen Studiums. Stuttgart: Reclam 2001. 

Teaching materials

• Cf. ressources en ligne et bibliographie.

Faculty or entity

ELAL