2. Professors
  3. SILVESTRI Agnese
  4. Teaching

FRENCH LITERATURE I (FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS)

Agnese SILVESTRI FRENCH LITERATURE I (FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS)

TU12200007
DEPARTMENT OF HUMANISTIC STUDIES
EQF6
FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
2025/2026



YEAR OF COURSE 1
YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2025
AUTUMN SEMESTER
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
954LESSONS
AGNESE SILVESTRI T Curriculum
Objectives
THIS COURSE WILL:
-PROVIDE A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE FRENCH NOVEL THROUGH THE ANALYSIS OF THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE WORKS;
-TEACH HOW TO COLLOCATE SUCH WORKS IN THE IDEOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS OF THEIR TIME;
-TEACH HOW TO RECOGNISE THE STYLISTIC AND RHETORICAL ARTIFICES USED IN NARRATIVE;
-CRITICALLY APPROACH AESTHETICAL WORKS WHICH DEFINE ARTISTIC AND LITERARY MOVEMENTS

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
STUDENTS WILL:
-KNOW ABOUT THE MAIN ASPECT OF THE FRENCH LITERARY HISTORY (17TH TO 20TH CENTURIES);
-KNOW ABOUT THE MAIN STRUCTURES, FORMS AND TENDENCIES OF FRENCH NOVEL;
-KNOW ABOUT SOME STYLISTIC AND LITERARY DEVICES CHARACTERIZING THE AUTHORS AND THE WORKS THEY STUDIED;
-KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS OF THE WORKS THEY STUDIED;
-UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LITERARY WORKS AND THEIR HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES;
-UNDERSTAND THE USE OF THE MAIN TOOLS FOR THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LITERARY TEXTS

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO
-RECOGNISE THE EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURES, FORMS AND TENDENCIES IN THE HISTORY OF FRENCH NOVEL
-IDENTIFY ELEMENTS OF CONTINUITY OR FRACTURE IN LITERARY WORKS WITH RESPECT TO LITERARY TRADITION;
-ANALYZE SOME STYLISTIC AND LITERARY DEVICES CHARACTERIZING LITERARY WORKS;
-ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LITERARY WORKS AND THEIR HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES;
-CONNECT A LITERARY WORK WITH OTHER TEXTS BELONGING TO A WIDER CULTURAL CONTEXT;
- AUTONOMOUSLY RE-ELABORATE THE STUDIED MATERIAL.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO
-CREATE HYPOTHESIS, IDENTIFY LOGICAL CONNECTIONS, DISCUSS, COMPARE AND EVALUATE LITERARY TEXTS;
-SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHIC AND LITERARY SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LITERARY WORKS;
-LOCATE AND CONSIDER LITERARY PHENOMENA IN RELATION TO THEIR CULTURAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXTS AS WELL AS TO THEIR EVOLUTION IN TIME

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO
-DISCUSS IN ITALIAN ABOUT TEXTS WRITTEN IN FRENCH;
-PRESENT AND DISCUSS IN A WRITTEN OR VIRTUAL FORM THE RESULTS OF THEIR OWN RESEARCH OR REFLECTIONS

LEARNING SKILLS
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO
-USE TRADITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC TOOLS AND ONLINE DATABASES
-CARRY OUT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET LITERARY AND PARALITERARY TEXTS OF A CERTAIN COMPLEXITY
-CONTINUOUSLY UPDATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE AND THE CORRECT IT TOOLS
Prerequisites
A BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF FRENCH IS RECOMMENDED TO READ THE TEXTS IN THEIR ORIGINAL LANGUAGE.
Contents
1.INTRODUCTION TO THE NOTION OF NOVEL GENRE AND OF BASIC METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS (2H)
2.AESTHETICAL NOTION OF BAROQUE, THE PHENOMENON OF PRÉCIOSITÉ (MLLE DE SCUDÉRY),, REALISM IN THE BAROQUE NOVEL (SCARRON, FURETIÈRE) (4 H)
3.LOUIS XIV’S ABSOLUTISM AND THE AESTHETICAL NOTION OF CLASSICISM; (2 H)
4.JANSENISM; MADAME DE LAFAYETTE (2 H)
5.LETTER NOVEL IN THE 18TH CENTURY; THE RÉGENCE, (2 H)
6.LACLOS, «LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES (8H)
7.19TH CENTURY, IL XIX SEC., CLAIRE DE DURAS, «OURIKA» (8 H)
8.FROM REALISM TO NATURALISM: BALZAC “ILLUSIONS PERDUES – UN GRAND HOMME DE PROVINCE À PARIS”; FLAUBERT, ZOLA (10 H)
9.THE CRISIS OF NOVEL GENRE ACROSS XXTH CENTURY (2H)
10.PROUST “DU CÔTÉ DE CHEZ SWANN” (8 H)
Teaching Methods
TEACHER-LED CLASSES (54 HOURS). TEACHER-LED CLASSES IN ITALIAN. ANALYSIS OF EXTRACTS FROM THE TEXTS INCLUDED IN THE READING LIST. ACTIVE LECTURE, INTERACTIVE LESSONS, COLLABORATIVE AND COOPERATIVE TASKS. STUDENTS ARE WARMLY INVITED TO ATTEND.
Verification of learning
FINAL ORAL TESTING IN ITALIAN. ALL THE STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED FLUENCY IN THE EXPOSITION OF SPECIFIC CONCEPTS, ABILITY OF ORGANIZING A COMPLEX SPEECH ABOUT PROBLEMS, AUTHORS AND WORKS DISCUSSED IN THE COURSE. STUDENTS’ ABILITY OF SPEAKING ABOUT THE MAIN THEMES OF FRENCH NOVEL’S EVOLUTION AND ANALYSING LITERARY TEXTS WILL ALSO BE TESTED. THE KNOWLEDGE OF CRITICAL WORKS/ESSAYS LISTED IN THE PROGRAMME IS ALSO NEEDED. LITERARY WORKS MUST BE READ IN ITALIAN AND IN FRENCH. ATTENDING STUDENTS CAN TAKE OPTIONAL PARTIALS BEFORE THE FINAL ORAL EXAM.
THE EVALUATION WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT :
- THE QUALITY OF PRESENTATION, CORRECT USE OF APPROPRIATE SCIENTIFIC LANGUAGE
- THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF INFORMATION
- THE ABILITY TO CREATE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT TOPICS BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE PROGRAMME
- INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT

STUDENT ACHIEVES THE MAXIMUM MARK IF THEY ARE ABLE TO DEAL WITH ORIGINAL (OR NOT EXPRESSLY DEALT WITH IN CLASS) TOPICS AND TO PRESENT THEIR CONSIDERATIONS USING EXAMPLES TAKEN FROM LITERARY WORKS EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT EXPRESSLY INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAMME.

ATTENDING STUDENTS CAN TAKE ONE OPTIONAL PARTIAL BEFORE THE FINAL ORAL EXAM. THE OUTCOME OF THE PARTIAL CORRESPONDS TO 45% OF THE THE FINAL MARK (OUT OF 30). THE FINAL MARK IS ATTRIBUTED DURING THE ORAL EXAM (FINAL). THE PARTIAL IS ONLY VALID FOR THE FIRST AVAILABLE EXAM SESSION. AFTER THAT, STUDENTS MUST STUDY AGAIN THE ENTIRE PROGRAMME FOR THE ORAL EXAM.
Texts
•GUIDO MAZZONI, TEORIA DEL ROMANZO, IL MULINO, “SAGGI”, 2011 (P. 73-87; 112-123; 162-164; 177-195; 205-223; 228; 237-241; 275-278; 293-300; 313-316; 321; 325-329)
•BENEDETTA PAPASOGLI, I MORALISTI CLASSICI, LATERZA, 2008 (P. 59-63;70-78)
•JEAN ROUSSET, «LA PRINCESSE DE CLÈVES» IN FORMA E SIGNIFICATO, EINAUDI, 1976, (P. 36-61)
•ALBERTO BERETTA ANGUISSOLA, “IL PIÙ SPAVENTOSAMENTE PERVERSO DEI LIBRI”, IN LACLOS, LE AMICIZIE PERICOLOSE, TORINO, EINAUDI, 1989, (P.V-XXIV)
•BENEDETTA CRAVERI, “LA DUCHESSA DI DURAS O L’ARMONIA INFRANTA”, IN MADAME DE DURAS, OURIKA, MILANO, ADELPHI, 2009 (P. 65-81; 87-93; 104-108; 119-120 ; 134-148 ; 157-169)
•MARIOLINA BONGIOVANNI BERTINI, «INTRODUZIONE» A BALZAC, LA COMMEDIA UMANA, MONDADORI, «MERIDIANI», VOL. II, ( P.7-15; 34-47; 62-73)
•ROBERTA CAPOTORTI, LEGGERE PROUST, CAROCCI, 2022 (P. 27-33; 39-44)
•BERETTA ANGUISSOLA, “PROUST: GUIDA ALLA RECHERCHE”, CAROCCI, 2018, (P. 73-100)




NOVELS
•MADAME DE LA FAYETTE, LA PRINCESSE DE CLÈVES, LIBRAIRIE GÉNÉRALE FRANÇAISE, «LE LIVRE DE POCHE », 2021

•LACLOS, “LE RELAZIONI PERICOLOSE”, FELTRINELLI, 2013

•CLAIRE DE DURAS, « OURIKA », ED. B. CRAVERI, ADELPHI, 2009

•BALZAC, “LE ILLUSIONI PERDUTE” (II PARTE, UN GRAND’UOMO DI PROVINCIA A PARIGI), ED. F. FIORENTINO, BUR, 1995.

•MARCEL PROUST, “ALLA RICERCA DEL TEMPO PERDUTO. DALLA PARTE DI SWANN (”UN AMORE DI SWANN”) EDIZIONE A CURA DI LUCIANO DE MARIA ; TRADUZIONE DI GIOVANNI RABONI, OSCAR MONDADORI, (1987), RISTAMPA 2011
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