Aims

Two-year course, intended for future French or history professors with the aim of giving a detailed course of French-speaking literature of their country.

Main themes

First Part : from the origin to the end of the 19th century
The problem of Belgian literature as part of the French-speaking areas. The literary activity in the Belgian French-speaking part. Young Belgium and the wakening of 1880. The main historical movements of the end of the 19th century and the writers who illustrate that period. Naturalism, symbolism. L'art Nouveau in Brussels : exceptional conjunction of architecture, painting and literature (=30 hours).
Second part : the 20th century
Conditions of the literary activity in the Belgian French-speaking area at the 20th century. The relations with Paris and with the main European movements. Identity problem : from national to regional identity. The main historical movements and the writers who illustrates them : the avant-gardes, the surrealism (in Brussels and in the Province Hainaut), the expressionist theatre, the fantastic realism. The renewal of poetry, of theatre and of the novel as from the 1920 (= 30 hours)
Ex cathedra course.

Content and teaching methods

First part : From the origins to the first world war
Problems of the Belgian literature in Europe and in the French-speaking areas. History and literary activities in the Belgian provinces, before 1830. Complex emergence of a literature. De Coster and the Legend of Ulenspiegel. Lemonnier and naturalism. The melting pot of the 1980-90, young Belgium, Wallonia. The colonial literary production. Symbolism and its best moments (Rodenbach - Maeterlinck - Elskamp...). Verhaeren. The end of the century and the synthesis of arts. The new authors (Crommelynck. De Boschère,...). 30 hours.
Second part : the 20th century
Change of the conditions of the literary activities in Belgium between 1920 and 1960. History and booming of the avant-gardes (surrealism - dadaïsm,...), of expressionism, fantasy art and literature, of paraliterature, of committed literature, of regionalism,...in the inter-war years. Le Manifeste du Lunday (= The Monday Manifesto). Emphasis of some important persons (Baillon - Nougé -Michaux -Ghelderode - Plisnier - Jean Ray - simenon...). Turning point of World War II. Neo-classicism, wild Belgium and magic realism. Turning point of the sixties, Belgitude, Walloon Manifesto. Some greater works (Willems - Vaes - Lilar - Bauchau - Dotremont,...).
Mater course : with some questions and answers at the beginning of the course ; and reading of books by the studiant(s).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Evaluation : Oral exam

Other credits in programs