Unit FRENCH LITERATURE II
- Course
- Lingue e culture straniere
- Study-unit Code
- 35307809
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Mariangela Miotti
- Teachers
-
- Mariangela Miotti
- Hours
- 54 ore - Mariangela Miotti
- CFU
- 9
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Letterature straniere
- Sector
- L-LIN/03
- Type of study-unit
- Opzionale (Optional)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries in French Literature: Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism
In accordance with the periodization adopted for the French literature courses in the various years of study — first year: from the eighteenth century to the contemporary age; second year: the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; third year: the Middle Ages — this course in French Literature II aims to introduce students to the in-depth and critical study of French literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as to the artistic and philosophical culture of that historical period.
The course aims to provide students with the historical knowledge needed to place authors and works in their proper context, along with the theoretical and methodological tools required for the literary and linguistic analysis of the texts examined.
Classes are taught in Italian so that all students, including those attending from other degree programmes, can follow the course successfully.
For sixteenth-century poets, reading is the central pillar of literary creation. It is conceived as an erudite practice consisting in “leafing through, by nocturnal and diurnal hand, Greek and Latin examples.”
Starting from this approach, the course will analyse why, for these poets, the aim is not to plagiarize, but to absorb the Ancients — Greeks and Latins — and Italians such as Petrarch, assimilating them in order to make their genius live again in French.
Reading also makes it possible to find the sources of poetic inspiration and to “plunder” Antiquity in order to enrich the French language, which at the time was in competition with Latin.
For Ronsard or Du Bellay, a great poet is necessarily a great reader. True poetry does not spring from nothing, but from a vast literary culture.
These considerations form the basis for the study of the works included in the syllabus by Rabelais, Du Bellay, Louise Labé, and Montaigne.
Students enrolled in the Foreign Languages and Cultures degree programme are required to use the French-language editions of the works on the syllabus, which will be studied and analysed during the classes.
For students from other degree programmes, translations of the texts to be used in preparation for the final oral examination are indicated. - Reference texts
- Short texts by the most important authors of the period covered will be analyzed in class and made available to all students on https://www.unistudium.unipg.it/unistudium/login/index.php, Letteratura francese II.
All students who intend to take the exam must have read and know the texts in the program. Reading the critical editions indicated with their respective introductions is required:
An Anthology of French Renaissance Literature. Edited by Cem Algul, Gautier Amiel, Louise Dehondt, Paul-Victor Desarbres, Raphaëlle Errera, Emma Fayard, Pierre-Élie Flores, Marie Goupil-Fontaine, Anne-Gaëlle Leterrier Gagliano, Louise Millon-Hazo, and Lisa Pochmalicki. Under the scholarly direction of Alicia Viaud, Droz, 2026. The texts discussed in class will be made available on the Unistudium platform.
Rabelais, Gargantua, edited by Guy Demerson, Paris, Seuil, “Points” collection, 1997. This edition presents the text in Middle French with a parallel modern French translation. Only selected chapters will be considered; these will be indicated during the classes and on the Unistudium platform.
Louise Labé, Œuvres, edited by Michèle Clément and Michel Jourde, Paris, Flammarion, 2022.
J. Du Bellay, Les Regrets. Les Antiquités de Rome. Le Songe, edited by François Roudaut, Paris, Le Livre de Poche, “Classiques”, no. 16107, 2002, pp. 157–176. For students of Italian Studies, the edition of Les Antiquités with parallel text edited by Patrizio Tucci, Carocci, 2005, is recommended.
Étienne Jodelle, Cléopâtre captive, in Théâtre tragique du XVIe siècle, text established, introduced, annotated, with notes, glossary, chronology, and bibliography by Emmanuel Buron and Julien Goeury, Paris, Flammarion, 2020, pp. 39–124.
Montaigne, “De la vanité”, Essais, III, 9. Students of Italian Studies will read the chapter in F. Garavini’s translation, Bompiani edition.
For the seventeenth century, students will choose one theatrical work from the following:
Corneille, Le Cid. Avec un choix de documents sur la Querelle du Cid, edited by Boris Donné, Paris, GF Flammarion, 2009.
Molière, Les Précieuses ridicules, complete text with dossier by Jean-Luc Vincent, Paris, Folioplus, 2009.
Racine, Phèdre, edited by Ch. Delmas and G. Forestier, Paris, Folio/Th, no. 23, 1995.
Students are also required to read Mme de Lafayette’s novel La Princesse de Clèves, edited by B. Pingaud, Paris, Gallimard, 2020.
Students of Italian Studies may read Sibilla Aleramo’s translation, Mondadori.
e translation by Sibilla Aleramo, Mondadori.
Students with disabilities and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to University services, can apply for the compensatory tools ensured by law (e.g. textbooks in digital format; teaching materials in accessible formats: presentations, handouts, workbooks, provided if necessary in advance of the lessons), for which consult https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa.
For the request, students are invited to ask the teacher, who will put them in contact with the Disability and/or DSA Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it)
Working and/or non-attending students must know, in addition to the reference texts, all the texts present on the Unistudium platform and are invited to contact the professors before the final exam. - Educational objectives
- The second year of French Literature involves the in-depth and critical study of the French literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, of the main authors as well as of the artistic and philosophical culture of this historical period. The course also aims to provide students with the theoretical and methodological tools necessary for the literary and linguistic analysis of the texts examined. The main knowledge acquired therefore concerns: the knowledge of the main authors, of their works and of the historical context; the knowledge of the distinctive traits of different literary genres, of poetic forms; knowledge of the role of ancient literature and Italian culture in the formation of the French culture of the period; the knowledge of the subjects of literary communication (author, editor, translator) and the history of the text studied over time (translations and circulation of the text). The main skills that provide the ability to apply the knowledge acquired will be: knowing how to situate an author and his work over time; knowing how to read, translate, analyze and comment on the texts studied; know how to use the critical readings proposed by the program and make personal critical considerations.
- Prerequisites
- In order to understand and be able to autonomously use the knowledge and tools of historical and literary analysis provided by the teaching, the student must possess a good linguistic-literary knowledge and a good level of French language that allows to understand the texts of the program. The French language of the sixteenth century presents difficulties at the lexical and syntactic level that will be addressed during the lessons. Non-attending students will have to resort to studies on the moyen français (grammars and vocabulary) indicated in the critical bibliography.
- Teaching methods
- The course is organized as follows: lectures in the classroom, supported, if necessary, by multimedia tools. In-depth seminars are planned with specialist scholars of the authors studied. Students with disabilities and/or DSA have consulting the teacher and can request teaching materials as well the use of other facilitation tools. For general information, consult University Services: https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa Students can consult the Dpt contact: Prof.ssa Alessandra Di Pilla (alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it).
- Other information
- Students will regularly find the teaching material used during the lessons on unistudium. This material becomes a full part of the course program. Students with disabilities and/or SLD: for any information on university services, consult the page https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or DSA Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it) Students find the reception hours on the teacher's web page.
- Learning verification modality
- The exam includes a single final oral exam consisting of an interview on the topics discussed during the course and examined in-depth through the texts suggested in the bibliography. To face the test the student must have read all the texts indicated in the program and the test serves to ascertain the level of knowledge, the ability to understand, the critical analysis achieved by the student. The interview will also evaluate the student's ability to communicate what has been acquired, the critical capacity and the language property. The duration of the interview varies according to the progress of the test itself. In general, the student is asked to begin, for each module required by the program, with the analysis of the work that he considers closest to his interests. The other texts of the program can however be the subject of discussion. The exam, unless otherwise requested by the student, takes place in Italian. Students with disabilities and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to University services, can apply for compensatory tools, dispensatory measures and inclusive technologies ensured by law, to be requested and agreed with the teacher well in advance of tests and exams. For general information, consult the page https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or SLD Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it). Individual verbalization with digital signature is carried out.
- Extended program
- An Anthology of French Renaissance Literature. Edited by Cem Algul, Gautier Amiel, Louise Dehondt, Paul-Victor Desarbres, Raphaëlle Errera, Emma Fayard, Pierre-Élie Flores, Marie Goupil-Fontaine, Anne-Gaëlle Leterrier Gagliano, Louise Millon-Hazo, and Lisa Pochmalicki. Under the scholarly direction of Alicia Viaud, Droz, 2026. The texts discussed in class will be made available on the Unistudium platform;
Rabelais, Gargantua, a cura di Guy Demerson, Paris, Seuil, collection Point, 1997, (tale edizione propone il testo in moyen français con testo a fronte in francese moderno; saranno presi in considerazione solo alcuni capitoli, indicati durante le lezioni e sulla piattaforma Unistudium;
J. Du Bellay, Les Regrets. Les Antiquités de Rome. Le Songe, ROUDAUT François (éd.), Paris, Le Livre de poche, « Classiques », n° 16107, 2002, p. 157-176 ; per gli studenti del corso di italiansitica si consiglia l’edizione delle Antiquité con testo a fronte a cura di Patrizio Tucci, Carocci, 2005;
Louise Labé, Œuvres, édition de Michèle Clément et Michel Jourde, Paris, Flammarion, 2022 ;
Montaigne, “De la vanité” [“On Vanity”], Essays, III, 9.
Students of Italian Studies will read the chapter in F. Garavini’s translation, Bompiani edition.
For the 17th century the student will choose a play from the following:
Corneille, Le Cid. Avec un choix de documents sur la Querelle du Cid, éd. Par Boris Donné, Paris, GF Flammarion, 2009 ;
Molière, Les précieuses ridicules, Texte intégral + dossier par Jean-Luc Vincent, Paris, Folioplus, 2009 ;
Racine, Phèdre, éd. Ch. Delmas et G. Forestier, Paris, Folio/Th, n. 23, 1995.
It is also required to read the novel by Mme de Lafayette, La princesse de Clèves, éd. Par B. Pinguad, Paris, Gallimard, 2020; Italian students can read the translation by Sibilla Aleramo, Mondadori.
Critical bibliography:
Jean Rousset, Forme et signification. Essais sur les structures littéraires de Corneille à Claudel, Paris, Corti, 1970.
Per gli studenit di Italianistica, italian version, Torino, Einaudi, 1976;
Jean Rousset, L’intérieur et l’extérieur. Essais sur la poésie et sur le theater au XVIIe siècle, Paris, Corti, 1968.
Based on his/her knowledge, the student will complete his/her preparation with the help of the following literary stories:
F. Lestringant - M. Zink (dir.), Histoire de la France Littéraire, Naissances, Renaissances, Moyen Age -XVIe siècle, Paris, PUF, 2006, capp. 3 e 4 (la parte concernente il Rinascimento)
Sozzi Lionello, Storia europea della letteratura francese. I. Dalle origini al Seicento, Torino, Einaudi, 2013
(recommended for students of the Italian Studies course). - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile