Contemporary Short French Fiction

21F.347
Spring 2016
Tuesday 7-10pm
Prof. Bruno Perreau*
Contemporary Short French Fiction
Social and Literary Trends since 1990
This course examines literary trends in France since 1990. It studies the impact of the
dominant social, political, economic, and cultural events of the past 20 years on fiction
and writing. Themes include the legacy of France’s colonial experience, the reexamination of its wartime past, memory and the Holocaust, the specter of AIDS,
changing gender relationships, new families, the quest for personal identity, and
immigration narratives.
The class is based on the close study of four main short novels: Annie Ernaux, Je ne suis
pas sortie de ma nuit; Nina Bouraoui, Avant les hommes; Marc Vilrouge, Air conditionné;
Jean Echenoz, Ravel. Other authors include Hervé Guibert, Philippe Forest, Christophe
Honoré, Christine Angot, Chloé Delaume, Rachid O., Lydie Salvayre, Marie N’Diaye,
Régis Jauffret, Patrick Modiano, Tonino Benacquista, Ariel Kenig, Patrick Modiano, etc.
Course taught in French.
* Bruno Perreau is the Cynthia L. Reed Professor, and Associate Professor of French studies at MIT. He was
a member of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), Jesus College (Cambridge), and Stanford
Humanities Center. He is also Non-Resident Faculty at the Center for European Studies, Harvard. Perreau is
the author of The Politics of Adoption. Gender and the Making of French Citizenship (MIT Press, 2014), as well as
six French-language books on American and French political institutions, gay parenting, and queer studies.
His new book Queer Theory. The French Response will be published by Stanford University Press in 2016.
Contacts:
[email protected]
https://mit.academia.edu/BrunoPerreau
617 803 5458
Grading policy
Sessions will be divided between:
•
One-hour analysis of the main weekly reading, focusing closely to the text
•
One-hour debate on the weekly theme, including students’ presentations
•
One-hour for other activities: screenings, writing exercises, etc.
Final grade will be determined from four types of required exercises:
•
One grade will be based on one oral presentation (30%), individually or in
groups (of no more than 2 students). The oral presentation will introduce the
social or political issue associated with the main reading. It will be limited to 15
minutes maximum. Students will also have to speak to the class during their oral
presentation (not to read a pre-written text).
•
One grade will be based on weekly short-answer papers (20%). It will consist of a
half-page maximum analysis of the main reading.
•
One grade will be based on the writing of a short story (40%), comprised
between 5 and 6 pages. Students are strongly encouraged to submit a 1-page
outline before they start writing. The short story will be submitted two weeks
before the end of classes.
•
One grade will be based on class participation (10%): the evaluation will be
based on 1° attendance, 2° the demonstration that the students have done the
weekly readings, 3° the quality (and not only the quantity) of their oral output.
Deadlines
- Beginning of classes: February 2
- End of classes: May 10
- Choice of oral presentation: February 9
- Novel Outline:
- Novel:
Materials
All documents (book chapters, articles and pictures) will be downloadable from Stellar
Website. Thanks to the support of the French fund at MIT, the four main books will be
given to the students. Movies will be screened during the classes. When impossible,
copies will be lent to the students.
Reminder
No students will be accepted in class beyond week 2. Auditing is not permitted unless a
direct link between the auditor's research and/or professional project and the class is
established.
The class has a maximum enrollment of 18 students. An advanced level of French,
spoken and written, is required. Upon request, this level will be evaluated by instructors
of French at MIT.
Using laptops, tablets, and cell phones is limited to searches related to the class.
Course organization
Séance introductive I. Qu’est ce que la littérature?
2 février 2016
Marguerite Duras, Écrire (1993)
Tonino Benacquista, « Transfert » in La boîte noire et autres nouvelles (1999)
CYCLE 1. GÉNÉRATIONS : ANNIE ERNAUX.
Séance III. Transmettre : l’après 1989
9 février 2016
Projection : André Téchiné, Ma saison préférée
Séance IV. Une société malade
23 février 2016
Les années VIH, la question du vieillissement démographique
Annie Ernaux, Je ne suis pas sortie de ma nuit (1997)
Question : Expliquez ce que l’auteure a peur de perdre
Séance V. La mémoire et son devoir
1er mars 2016
Collaboration et procès des années 90. Le discours du Vel d’Hiv. Décolonisation et
repentance.
Annie Ernaux, Je ne suis pas sortie de ma nuit (1997)
Question : Comment l’auteure fait-elle ressentir le sentiment du deuil ?
CYCLE 2. IDENTITÉS : NINA BOURAOUI.
Séance VI. La famille réinventée
8 mars 2016
Projection : Agnès Jaoui, Un air de famille (1996)
Séance VII. La France post-coloniale
15 mars 2016
La question du foulard, les politiques migratoires, la jeunesse
Nina Bouraoui, Avant les hommes (2007)
Question : Décrivez l’environnement culturel et social du narrateur
Séance VIII. La France post-sexuelle
29 mars 2016
Le PaCS, le mariage, le queer
Nina Bouraoui, Avant les hommes (2007)
Question : Le personnage de Sami est-il réel ?
CYCLE 3. CRISES : MARC VILROUGE
Séance IX. Le monde du travail
5 avril 2016
Projection : Laurent Cantet, L’emploi du temps (2001)
Séance X. La crise économique
12 avril 2016
La question de l’euro, la crise financière
Marc Vilrouge, Air conditionné (2002)
Question : Identifier un paragraphe du livre qui analyse la crise économique. Partagezvous la vision de l’autre et pourquoi ?
Séance XI. L’individualisme
26 avril 2016
La fin du syndicalisme, l’emploi précaire
Marc Vilrouge, Air conditionné (2002)
Question : Selon le narrateur, comment l’entreprise contrôle-t-elle ses salariés ?
CYCLE IV. VIES REELLES : JEAN ECHENOZ
Séance XII. Création
3 mai 2016
1ere partie : La science et le monde de l’art : XXe-XXIe siècle
Jean Echenoz, Ravel (2006)
Question : En quoi Ravel est-il être décrit comme un artiste ?
2e partie : discussion avec Natacha Chetcuti, auteure et chercheuse en sciences sociales.
Politique et littérature.
Séance XIII. Empires
10 mai 2016
1ère partie : Les États-Unis : modèle et contre-modèle
Jean Echenoz, Ravel (2006)
Question (optionnelle) : En vous appuyant sur le livre, définissez le terme « produit
culturel » ?
2e partie : Bilan et lecture des nouvelles