FREN 4620-001 Genre St in FREN LIT: Fairy Talkes (Jones)

FREN 4620
Utah State University
Automne 2016
Le Grand siècle et les Contes de Charles Perrault
Dr. Christa Jones -- TR 1 h 30 – 2 h 45 Old Main 207
Heures de bureau : mardi 9 h 30 à 11 h 00 ou sur RDV (Old Main 202F)
 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This class is an introduction to the genre of the French literary fairy tale in both film and text.
The class centers primarily on seventeenth century classic contes de fées, a term coined by
Baroness Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy in 1697 (Zipes Irresistible 22). We will start with an
introduction to the History of absolutist, seventeenth century France and discuss key players on
the political and literary scene. To better understand the literary and cultural scene, we will look
read fables by La Fontaine and excerpts from texts by moralists Jean de La Bruyère and François
de la Rochefoucauld, and novelist Madame de Lafayette. We will discuss the concept of French
classicism and key notions such as honnête homme, bienséance, vertu, etc. and debates (la
querelle des Anciens et des Modernes). A close reading and discussion of Perrault’s classic tales,
first published in Histoires ou Contes du temps passé (1697) will be followed by contemporary
film adaptations and parodies that provide fertile ground for comparative discussions and
analyses. In the course of the semester, we will investigate why it is, as fairy tale scholar Jack
Zipes famously puts it, that these tales continue to ‘stick,’ and we will examine folktale types and
gender stereotypes. Using intertextuality, we will see to what extend these stereotypes are (or
not) perpetuated today. We will mostly focus on Perrault’s tales but also read Madame Le Prince
de Beaumont’s La Belle et la Bête and tales by the Comtesse de Ségur. We will discuss how
authors have used fairy tales to impart moralités, perpetuate or undermine gender stereotypes and
how these tales today are now being constantly rewritten in texts (by a number of contemporary
French authors and filmmakers), reflecting societal change and calling into question socially
acceptable gender-specific human behavior. To this end, we will discuss Charles Perrault’s tales
against contemporary textual variants such as Amélie Nothomb’s Barbe bleue and film
adaptations by filmmakers such as Catherine Breillat’s Barbe bleue, Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre
Bacri (Au bout du conte, 2013), or Cory Edwards (La véritable histoire du Chaperon rouge,
2010). On the basis of these comparisons, we will see that contemporary filmmakers and writers
continue to create modern, often subversive versions that are part of a Perrault counter-tradition.
The transformation of popular fairy tales into films (such as George Méliès’s adaptations of
Perrault’s tales, Jacques Demy’s Peau d’Âne, or Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête) will be
examined to grasp the significance of the transformations of the genre within the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries. This class will be conducted in French and will allow you to discover
original French classicist texts as well as contemporary remakes and retellings of tales. It
features numerous film adaptations and has a strong emphasis on oral comprehension, reading,
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communication, and writing. You will have the opportunity to write weekly short position papers
(1-2 pages) in French regularly to practice your writing skills and sharpen your analytical skills.
Participation in class is vital. I expect you to do all of the readings, as announced on Canvas.
This syllabus is subject to change and will be updated on Canvas on a weekly basis. If you
missed a class, check the announcement section on Canvas as well as the syllabus to find out
what was covered in class. Homework and other assignments will be published on Canvas.
 COURSE REQUIREMENTS
o Regular attendance, participation, homework (short reaction papers, written in French)
and other assignments (mostly reading and/or watching films outside of the classroom;
films will be made available in the language lab in Old Main 004)
o one 15-minute presentation on based on a list of topics distributed in class OR of a
popular French fairy tales or film adaption of your choice
o 2 graded short essays written in French comparing a fairy tale and a film adaptation (2
pages, details TBA on Canvas)
o a 9 to 10-page research paper (written in French OR in English) contrasting different
versions of a fairy tale. Your final project could also be a creative essay, parody, fairy
tale retelling, or contemporary interpretation of a classic fairy tale
 COURSE OBJECTIVES
o Develop critical thinking and analytical skills by close readings of fairy tales and film
adaptations and critical assessment thereof in historical and contemporary contexts
o Practice and improve French by participating in group discussions
o Transform theoretical comprehension into creative and scholarly expression
o Present ideas clearly in oral presentations, regular writing assignments and group
activities/discussions
 GRADING
o attendance, participation, homework: 25 %
o IDEA center: 5%
o exposé oral: 20%
o final research paper: 30%
o two 2-page essays: 20%
 GRADING SCALE
A (100-93)
A- (92-90)
B- (82-80)
C+ (79-78)
D+ (69-68) D (67-60)
B+ (88-89)
B (87-83)
C (77-73)
C- (72-70)
F represents a grade below 60
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 MATERIALS
o For this class, you will need to purchase two books at the Campus Book store:
Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont’s La Belle et la Bête et autres contes (Paris:
Éditions Larousse, 2011) and Charles Perrault’s Contes (Paris: Éditions Larousse 2009).
Supplementary readings and films will be made available in the language lab (OM 004).
 FRENCH TUTORS
o There will be two French tutors this semester: Logan Thackeray and Kelcie Morris. You
should try to meet with them at least once a week to read and discuss fairy tales and get
help with your homework or other assignments. Logan’s tutoring schedule is Tuesday
and Thursday from 2-3pm in Old Main 004; email: [email protected]. Kelcie’s
tutoring hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 11 in Old Main 004; email:
[email protected]. Contact either Kelcie or Logan if you have a scheduling
conflict to see if you can meet them at a different time.
 PLAGIARISM
o Plagiarism includes knowingly “representing, by paraphrase or direct quotation, the
published or unpublished work of another person as one's own in any academic exercise
or activity without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged
used of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term
papers or other academic materials.” The penalties for plagiarism are severe. They
include warning or reprimand, grade adjustment, probation, suspension, expulsion,
withholding of transcripts, denial or revocation of degrees, and referral to psychological
counseling. * Do not plagiarize – do your own work. *
 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
o The Americans with Disabilities Act states: “Reasonable accommodation will be
provided for all persons with disabilities in order to ensure equal participation within the
program.” If a student has a disability that will likely require some accommodation by the
instructor, the student must contact the instructor and document the disability through the
Disability Resource Center (797-2444), preferably during the first week of the course.
Any request for special consideration relating to attendance, pedagogy, taking of
examinations, etc., must be discussed with and approved by the instructor.
 IMPORTANT DATES
o Sep 2: last day to add without instructor’s signature
o Jan 19: last day to receive tuition refund
o Jan 19: last day to add classes (includes audits)
o Jan 19: last day to drop without Notation on Transcript
o For complete listings, go to Fall 2016 Registration Calendar:
http://catalog.usu.edu/content.php?catoid=12&navoid=3970
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Le Programme
Semaine du 29 août (1)
ma 30/8/16
Introduction et présentation du cours
je 1/9/16
Le règne du Roi-Soleil Louis XIV ; L’histoire de France p. 58-59 ;
Si Versailles m’était conté (réal. Sacha Guitry 1954) ; La Fontaine : « La
Grenouille qui se veut faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf »

Semaine du 5 septembre (2)
ma 6/9/16
Le règne du Roi-Soleil Louis XIV, extraits du film Si Versailles m’était conté
je 8/9/16
Au bout du conte (réalisateurs : Agnès Jaoui et Jean-Pierre Bacri, 2013) ; prof en
déplacement

Semaine du 12 septembre (3)
ma 13/9/16
exposé Cody Hammons : Madame de Lafayette, La Princesse de Montpensier ;
discussion autour du film Au bout du conte ; Le classicisme
je 15/9/16
exposé Richard Poll : Madame de Lafayette, La Princesse de Clèves, Le
Classicisme ; Les moralistes ; La Rochefoucauld Maximes « vertu », « intégrité »,
« société » & La Bruyère Les Caractères (« Des femmes », « De la cour ») ;
devoirs : interpréter la fable « Le loup et l’agneau » de Jean de La Fontaine

Semaine du 19 septembre (4)
ma 20/9/16
Charles Perrault et ses contemporains ; lire « Charles Perrault, classique
inconnu » (Marc Soriano) & « Charles Perrault : Biographie » (p. 8-13)
je 22/9/16
Les contes ; lexique du conte, définitions : le conte populaire, les contes de fées,
le merveilleux, la moralité ; intertextualité ; lire : « Avant d’aborder le texte »
(Contes, Charles Perrault, p. 6, p. 14-27)

Semaine du 26 septembre (5)
ma 27/9/16
« La Belle au bois dormant » (Perrault)
je 29/9/16
« Le Petit Chaperon rouge » (Perrault)

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Semaine du 3 octobre (6)
ma 4/10/16
« Le petit Chaperon rouge » (Joël Pommerat) ; devoirs : visionner La véritable
histoire du Petit Chaperon rouge (réal. Cory Edwards, 2006)
je 6/10/16
visite du Fife Folklore archives (Merrill Cazier Library, Randy Williams et
Jennifer Duncan) ; prof en déplacement

Semaine du 10 octobre (7)
ma 11/10/16 « La Curiosité » (1757, Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont), « La petite souris
grise » (1847, Comtesse de Ségur)
je 13/10/16
« La Barbe bleue » (Perrault)

Semaine du 17 octobre (8)
ma 18/10/16 Amélie Nothomb, Barbe bleue [extraits]
je 20/10/16
PAS DE COURS [Friday Class Schedule]

Semaine du 24 octobre (9)
ma 25/10/16 « Le Maître Chat, ou le Chat Botté » (Perrault) ; Si Perrault m’était conté : Le
Chat botté
je 27/10/16
Les fées (Perrault) ; Pierre Gripari « La fée du robinet »

Semaine du 31 octobre (10)
ma 1/11/16
« Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre » (Perrault)
je 3/11/16
Adaptations de Georges Méliès ; Cendrillon ou le prince (pas trop)
charmant (réal. Paul J. Bolger, 2007)

Semaine du 7 novembre (11)
ma 8/11/16
« Riquet à la Houppe » (Perrault)
je 10/11/16
visite de Dr. Claudia Schwabe : Les frères Grimm et les Märchen allemands; prof
en déplacement

5
Semaine du 14 novembre (12)
ma 15/11/16 « Le Petit Poucet » (Perrault)
je 17/11/16
Le Petit Poucet (réal. Oliver Dahan, 2001)

Semaine du 21 novembre (13)
ma 22/11/16 « La Belle et la Bête » (Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont)
je 24/11/16
PAS DE COURS (Thanksgiving Break)

Semaine du 28 novembre (14)
ma 29/11/16 « La Belle et la Bête » (Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont)
je 1/12/16
La Belle et la Bête (Jean Cocteau, 1946) ; Journal d’un film, Jean Cocteau

Semaine du 5 décembre (15)
ma 6/12/16
« Peau d’Âne » (Perrault) + Peau d’Âne (réal. Jacques Demy, 1970)
je 8/12/16
conclusion, jeux et divertissements

* Date butoir (deadline) pour les essais (final paper) : mardi 13 décembre (dans mon * casier
OM 204 ou envoyer à [email protected])
Bibliographie sélective
Ariès, Philippe. Centuries of Childhood. A Social History of Family Life. New York: Knopf,
1962.
Barchilon, Jacques and Peter Flinders. Charles Perrault. Boston: Twayne, 1981.
Bottigheimer, Ruth B., ed. Fairy Tales and Society: Illusion, Allusion, and Paradigm.
Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1986.
Collognat, Annie et Marie-Charlotte Delmas, eds. Les Contes de Perrault dans tous leurs états.
Paris: Omnibus, 2007.
Haase, Donald. Fairy Tales and Feminism: New Approaches: Detroit: Wayne State UP, 2004.
Haase, Donald, ed. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairytales. Westwood,
Greenwood Press, 2008.
---. Fairy Tales and Feminism: New Approaches. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 2004.
Kelen, Jacqueline. Une robe de la couleur du temps: Le sens spirituel des contes de fée.
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Paris: Albin Michel, 2014.
Lewis, Philip. Seeing Through the Mother Goose Tales: Visual Turns in the Writings of
Charles Perrault. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1996.
Lüthi, Max. Once Upon a Time. On the Nature of Fairy Tales. Trans. Lee Chadeayne & Paul
Gottwald, New York: Ungar, 1970.
Lüthi, Max. The European Folktale: Form and Nature. Trans. John D. Niles. Philadelphia:
Institute for the Study of Human Issues, 1982.
McGlathery, James M. Fairy Tale Romance: The Grimms, Basile, and Perrault. Urbana:
U of Illinois P, 1991.
Perrault, Charles. Memoirs of my Life. Trans. Jeanne Morgan Zarucchi. Columbia: U of
Missouri P, 1989.
Propp, Vladimir. Morphology of the Folktale. Eds. Louis Wagner and Alan Dundes. Trans.
Laurence Scott. 2nd rev. ed. Austin: U of Texas P, 1968.
---. Theory and History of Folklore. Trans. Adriadna Y. Martin and Richard P. Martin. Ed.
Anatoly Liberman. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1984.
Rowe, Karen E. “Feminism and Fairy Tales.” Women’s Studies. 6 (1979): 237-57.
---. “To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tale.” Fairy Tales and Society:
Illusion, Allusion, and Paradigm. Ed. Ruth B. Bottigheimer. Philadelphia: U of
Pennsylvania P, 1986.
Sur la lune fairy tales. http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/
Tatar, Maria. Off with their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood. Princeton:
Princeton UP, 1992.
Waelti-Walters. Fairy Tales and the Female Imagination. Montreal: Eden Press, 1982.
Weber, Eugen. "Fairies and Hard Facts: The Reality of Folktales." Journal of the History of
Ideas. 42 (1981): 93-113.
Zipes, Jack. Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk and Fairy Tales. London:
Heinemann, 1979.
---. Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion. The Classical Genre for Children and the Process of
Civilization. London: Heinemann, 1983.
---. Zipes, Jack. Beauties, Beasts, and Enchantment: French Classical Fairy Tales. New York:
New American Library, 1989.
---. Fairy Tale as Myth\Myth as Fairy Tale. Lexington: U of Kentucky P, 1994.
---. Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry. New York: Routledge,
1997.
---. The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre. Princeton and
Oxford: Princeton UP, 2002.
---. Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. New York: Routledge,
2006.
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