French 41W—French Literature in Translation
Professor: Dr. David Andrew Jones
Office: 706 Kiely Hall
Phone: 718-997-5996
Office Hours: Wednesdays 3-4, Fridays 12:10-1:10
Email: david.jones@qc.cuny.edu
Goals for the course: This course will provide you with an introduction to French and
Francophone literature of the 20th century. We will study key areas of French cultural and
intellectual life such as Existentialism, Francophonie, and the rise of the Nouveau Roman.
We will study how narration in the novel has evolved from the predominance of an
omniscient third person narrator at the end of the 19th century, to the current predominance
of fragmented and unreliable narration. We will look at the influence that the novels
below have had on the French tradition, as well as on world literature. Students will be
asked to reflect on their role as readers of texts, and how cultural context and rhetorical
analysis are combined in the discipline of literary analysis. As it is a writing-intensive
course, we will also work on improving your expository writing. This course will satisfy
the Reading Literature (RL) and European Traditions (ET) requirements of the PLAS.
Materials: Available at the QC bookstore:
Ben Jelloun, Tahar. The Sand Child. The protagonist of this novel is a female who is
raised as a man and maintains a masculine identity in mid-twentieth-century Morocco.
Discussion will revolve around gender identity, as well as the relationship of Francophone
North Africans to colonial discourse.
Céline, L-F. Journey to the End of the Night. This is one of the first French novels to
use slang and spoken rhythms extensively. We will investigate the novel’s use of
first-person narration, and discuss Existentialism and Realism.
Chamoiseau, Patrick. Texaco. This novel, about a slum in Fort-de-France,
Martinique, allows us to raise questions of language, identity and postcolonial relations.
Djébar, Assia. Fantasia, an Algerian Cavalcade. This novel weaves the narrative of the
conquest of Algeria by the French in 1830 into a contemporary story of a French-speaking
Algerian family at the time of the Civil War (1954-62). The role of French in the
author-narrator’s life is at the forefront. Discussion will involve the role of French in
postcolonial Algeria, woman’s role in French and Algerian society,
Pérec, Georges. Things: A Story of the Sixties. This novel, written in a spare,
descriptive style, will allow us to discuss the roles of Structuralism and the New Novel on
French writing.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea. Sartre’s novel reads almost as a primer on Existentialism,
and as such, discussion will revolve around that topic.
Work: There will be quite a bit of reading for this course, and class discussions will be
based on our readings. Therefore, you must read the assigned pages before each course,
and come to class prepared for discussion. You will keep a reading journal in which, for
each work, you will write about the ways that work has changed your perception of
literature. You will have two 5-page papers during the course of the semester, and you
will have to choose one of the two to rewrite. You will have a third 5-page paper in which
you will describe how the course has helped you to sharpen your critical faculties, and how
it has altered your approach to reading literature. French majors are required to do their
written work in French.
Grade Breakdown:
Reading Journal: 20%
Participation: 10%
3 papers: 50%
Final Exam: 20%
Carefully proofread everything you turn in, and number your pages. There is no
leeway for turning in the written work: it must be submitted on the due date. We
have all lost documents on computers before, and hopefully we have learned from this
experience to backup the work and make printouts as we go along. Computer problems
are not a sufficient excuse for late work. Of course, if there is a documented emergency,
the deadline may be extended.
A word on plagiarism: Unfortunately, with the rise of the internet, cheating on written
assignments has reached epidemic proportions on US college campuses. You may not
copy anything, ever, word for word, in whole or in part, and represent this as your
own work. Generally, you will not be required to do outside research for this course. If
you quote from any source in your work, you must clearly indicate the source according to
the guidelines of the MLA style manual. We will review citation procedures in class.
When faced with a deadline, you may be tempted to use the work of others rather than
create your own. Do not do this! The consequences are severe, and include the
possibility of expulsion from the College.
Please remember that the goals of this
course are defeated if you do not do your own work.
Assignments (Read each section before class)
31 January
Presentations.
2 February
Céline: 1-49
7 February
Céline: 50-138
9 February
Céline: 139-203
14 February
Céline: 204-279
16 February
Céline: 280-354
21 February
No Class
23 February
Céline: 354-End
28 February
Sartre: 1-40
2 March
Sartre: 41-81
7 March
Sartre: 81-126
9 March
Sartre: 126-178
14 March
Perec: 21-75
16 March
Perec: 76-126
21 March
Paper # 1.
23 March
Midterm Exam
28 March
Ben Jelloun: 1-44
30 March
Ben Jelloun: 45-94
4-6 April
Spring Break.
11 April
Ben Jelloun: 95-165
13 April
Djébar: Intro, 1-46
18 April
Djébar: 47-109
20 April
Djébar: 111-163
25 April
Djébar: 164-227
27 April
Chamoiseau: 1-60
2 May
Chamoiseau: 60-157
4 May
Chamoiseau: 157-202
9 May
Chamoiseau: 202-280
11 May
Chamoiseau: 280-356
16 May
Chamoiseau: 357-End.
Queens College Department of European
Languages and Literatures
Masterpieces of French Literature in Translation
French 41W [1T3RA 1476]
Spring 2008
Instructor: Mark Cohen
Office: 109 King Hall
Hours: T 3:00-5:30 p.m. and by appointment
Email: Mark.Cohen1@qc.cuny.edu
Tel: 718 997-5983
Required Texts and Editions
Voltaire. Candide. Trans. Robert Adams. Norton, 1992.
Stendahl. The Red and the Black. Trans. Catherine Slater. Oxford UP,
1998.
Optional Purchases (will be provided as Etexts)
Montaigne. "On Education"Chap 1.26 from The Essays, trans. Donald Frame (Stanford
UP, 1958).
Molière. The Would-Be Gentleman. In Don Juan and Other Plays. Trans. George Gravely.
Oxford UP, 1990.
Gide. The Immoralist. Trans. Richard Howard. Knopf/Vintage, 1970.
Course Description
This course will survey some outstanding works of French literature in English translation,
from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, illustrating a variety of genres. This course
will satisfy the Reading Literature (RL) and European Traditions (ET) requirements of the
PLAS. In this course, we will study works in their cultural contexts, and will focus on
their style and structure, and their influence on subsequent literature (in French and other
languages). We will address the question of the evolution of genres and ideas over the time
period under consideration. Students will be asked to reflect on their role as readers of
texts, and how cultural context and rhetorical analysis are combined in the discipline of
literary analysis.
Active Reading
FRE41W offers students a practicum in reading and writing in English. Therefore, reading
ALL books discussed is an absolute prerequisite. Prepare reading assignments regularly
for each class in order to be able to keep up with the class discussion. At the beginning of
each class, you will take a short quiz based on the reading assignment of the day. Taking
reading notes as you go long is strongly encouraged.
Attendance and Class Participation
You will receive a participation grade each day. If you are not present, you will receive a
zero in participation. You can drop your two lowest participation grades, so two absences
are allowed but frequent tardiness and absenteeism will be reflected in the final grade.
Active class participation is absolutely necessary since writing assignments will be based
on questions generated during class discussions.
Writing
You will be required to present in the course of the semester 5 writing assignments, or one at
the end of each reading. Each will be expected to be typed double-spaced on a computer
and approximately 3-5 pages in length. In addition to your care to neat formatting, you
should pay special attention to your sentence structure, grammar, choice of vocabulary and
spelling. For at least the first writing assignment that you turn in, you will be expected to
present a second draft with all corrections made. Thereafter you have the option of handing
in essays to be revised; note that you can improve your grade by so doing. To help you
develop your writing skills, we will discuss certain goals for writing an analysis of a
literary text, including but not limited to: the development of a thesis statement; the use of
outlining and organization techniques. We will generate ideas and goals for each
assignment before it is due and review assignments after they are returned, emphasizing for
example, basic style and grammar and citation and annotation skills. Note: French majors
are required to write their assignments in French.
Policy on Tardy Assignments: In general, for any unexcused assignment turned in late, a
penalty of one-half grade will be deducted from the original each day the assignment was
tardy.
Evaluation Breakdown:
Class Participation: 20%
Reading Quizzes: 20%
Writing Assignments: 40%, lowest grade dropped
Final Exam: 20%
Note: For those planning to major/ minor in secondary education, this course will help you
to satisfy the following NCATE criteria: 2a. demonstrating cultural understanding; 2b.
understanding literary texts and traditions.
Books:
Please buy Candide and The Red and the Black from the bookstore. I will provide you with
an emailed copy of Montaigne’s ‘Of education,’ Molière’s The Would-Be Gentleman and
The Immoralist. You may also purchase them as books if you wish (see above for editions).
Copies of all the set books and a few useful critical works on each author have been placed
on reserve in the library. They may be taken out for one day. Check under the course or
instructor title.
Syllabus
1: T 1/29:
2: TH 1/31:
3: T 2/5
4: TH 2/7:
Introduction
Montaigne, Michel de (1533-1592). The Essays, 1.26 « De l’éducation »
(1580)
Background. Montaigne « Of the Education of Children » ;
“I have never seen a father who failed to claim his son, however mangy or
hunchbacked he was... I have no authority to be believed, nor do I want it,
feeling myself too ill-instructed to instruct others.” pp. 106-109
Montaigne « Of the Education of Children »
“Well, someone who had seen the preceding article1 was telling me at my
home the other day that I should have enlarged a bit on the subject of the
education of children...He will inquire into the conduct, the resources, and
the alliances of this prince and that. These are things very pleasant to learn
and very useful to know.”, pp. 109-115
Montaigne « Of the Education of Children »
“In this association with men I mean to include, and foremost, those who
live only in the memory of books... He who does otherwise seems to say
that it is not yet time to live happily, or that it is no longer time.” pp.115-121
T 2/12
5 : TH 2/14:
NO CLASS
Montaigne « Of the Education of Children »
“ For all this education I do not want the boy to be made a prisoner. I do not
want him to be given up to the surly humors of a choleric schoolmaster...-end, pp. 121-131
[1st draft due Writing Assignment #1 Montaigne]
A
6: T 2/19
7: TH 2/21:
8: T 2/26:
Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622-1673). Le Bourgeois gentilhomme
Background. The Would-Be Gentleman (1670)
Acts I and II
Act III
[Writing Assignment Due #1 Montaigne]
Act IV
9: TH 2/28:
10: T 3/4:
11: TH 3/6
12: T 3/11:
13: TH 3/13:
14: T 3/18:
Act V
[1st draft due Writing Assignment #2 Molière]
Voltaire ( 1694-1778): Candide (1759)
Background for Voltaire’s Candide. Chapters 1-6 ;
Chapters 7-13
[Writing Assignment Due #2 Molière]
Candide Chapters 14-19;
Candide Chapters 20-25
Candide Chapters 26-30 ;
[1st draft due Writing Assignment #3 Voltaire]
Henri Stendahl (1783-1842) : Le Rouge et le noir (1830)
15: TH 3/20 Background for Stendahl’s The Red and the Black;
Book 1 Chapters 1-12
16: T 3/25:
Book 1 Chapters 13-22;
[Writing Assignment due #3 Voltaire]
17: TH 3/27: Book 1 Chapters 23-30
18: T 4/1:
Book 2 Chapters 1-11
19 : TH 4/3:
Book 2 Chapter 12-23
20: T 4/8:
Book 2 Chapter 24-31 ;
21: TH 4/10
Book 2 Chapter 32-End
22 : T 4/15
Review The Red and the Black
23: TH 4/17
Review The Red and the Black
[1st draft due Writing Assignment due #4 Stendahl]
T-TH 4/22-24 NO CLASS
24: T 4/29:
25: TH 5/1:
25: T 5/6:
26: TH 5/8:
28: T 5/13
André Gide: L’immoraliste (1902)
Background The Immoralist (1914);
Preface, pp. 7-11 & Part 1, pp.15-55
[Writing Assignment Due #4 Stendahl]
Part 2, pp. 59-103
Part 2, pp. 59-103
Part 3, 107-124
[1st draft due Writing Assignment #5 Gide]
Wrap up Last Day of Class
Final Writing Assignment Due