Bold, passionate, provocative, and revolutionary: just four of the adjectives that can be used to describe the writers studied on this course. Focusing on Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse (1954), Marguerite Duras’ The Lover (1984) and Annie Arnoux’s The Years (2008), this course will explore how French female writers have approached writing the experience of modern women throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. We’ll think a...
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This course focuses on three extraordinary novels by French female authors: Françoise Sagan, Marguerite Duras, and Annie Arnoux. We will discuss how these writers explore concepts of adolescence, sexual power, and exoticism. We will contextualise these novels against the backdrop of feminist thought and French culture in the last 70 years, seeing how these writers responded to social change and captured female experience through their prose.
We will work through the novels chronologically, the course will focus on how feminist French literature, its subject matter and style have evolved over the last century. Through this careful analysis we will illuminate new aspects of these texts and discuss and debate the ways in which women have explored their experiences through fiction, blurring the boundaries between autobiography and the imagined. We’ll compare and contrast these writers, as well as situate them in context of the past and future of feminist Francophone literature.
What will we cover?
Week 1: French Female Canon: pre-20th Century Female Writers and their Influence; Weeks 2 & 3: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan; Weeks 4 & 5: The Lover by Marguerite Duras; Weeks 6 & 7: The Years by Annie Arnoux; Week 8: 21st Century Feminist French Literature: What Came Next - It is recommended to start reading each novel in the weeks before we study it to get the most out of the sessions.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Have an understanding, and appreciation, of the cultural context which these three key French texts were produced.
Identify key tropes which define this genre of writing.
Analyse different forms of texts and media critically.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is for anyone who is interested in the subject. The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills or language knowledge - just an enthusiasm for literature and a willingness to contribute to discussions. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The class will largely be taught through mini lectures, class discussions and group work.
It is recommended to start reading each novel in the weeks before we study it to get the most out of the sessions.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please buy or borrow: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan, The Lover by Marguerite Duras and The Years by Annie Arnoux .
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other Literature courses on our website at www.citylit.ac.uk under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Fiction.
Dr Megan Beech is a literature scholar and performance poet. She was the winner of the Poetry Society’s SLAMbassadors national youth slam in 2011. She has performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Parliament, the Southbank Centre, Glastonbury Festival and Cheltenham Literature Festival. Her debut collection 'When I Grow Up I Want to be Mary Beard' was published in 2013, and her latest book 'You Sad Feminist' was released in 2017. Her poetry has featured on the Sky One's 'Russell Howard Hour' and the BBC iPlayer series ‘Women Who Spit'. She was featured in The Guardian lists of ‘inspiring young feminists in 2014’ and ‘Must Read Books of the Year 2014’ and Evening Standard's list of 'Ten 21st Century feminist icons'. She has recently finished a PhD at the University of Cambridge.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/20th-and-21st-century-french-women-s-writing262975820th and 21st Century French Women's Writinghttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/https://www.citylit.ac.uk/static/version1765367640/frontend/WilliamsCommerce/citylit/en_GB/Magento_Catalog/images/product/placeholder/image.jpg179179GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Fiction22851177118711881228511771187<p>Bold, passionate, provocative, and revolutionary: just four of the adjectives that can be used to describe the writers studied on this course. Focusing on Françoise Sagan’s <em>Bonjour Tristesse</em> (1954), Marguerite Duras’ <em>The Lover</em> (1984) and Annie Arnoux’s <em>The</em><em> Years </em>(2008), this course will explore how French female writers have approached writing the experience of modern women throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. We’ll think about issues of power, autonomy, sexual awakening, and adolescence in each of our key novels. We’ll also contextualise these novels in the history of women’s writing in France from the philosophy of de Beauvoir to the bold feminist Francophone literature of today. </p><p> </p>00262930220th and 21st Century French Women's Writing179179https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/no_selectionInStockEveningMonOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-01-26T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allJan 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHLT15717917920th and 21st Century French Women's Writing179116179Megan Beech20th-and-21st-century-french-women-s-writing/hlt157-2526<p>Bold, passionate, provocative, and revolutionary: just four of the adjectives that can be used to describe the writers studied on this course. Focusing on Françoise Sagan’s <em>Bonjour Tristesse</em> (1954), Marguerite Duras’ <em>The Lover</em> (1984) and Annie Arnoux’s <em>The</em><em> Years </em>(2008), this course will explore how French female writers have approached writing the experience of modern women throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. We’ll think about issues of power, autonomy, sexual awakening, and adolescence in each of our key novels. We’ll also contextualise these novels in the history of women’s writing in France from the philosophy of de Beauvoir to the bold feminist Francophone literature of today. </p><p> </p>0000-Available|2026-01-26 00:00:00<p>This course focuses on three extraordinary novels by French female authors: Françoise Sagan, Marguerite Duras, and Annie Arnoux. We will discuss how these writers explore concepts of adolescence, sexual power, and exoticism. We will contextualise these novels against the backdrop of feminist thought and French culture in the last 70 years, seeing how these writers responded to social change and captured female experience through their prose.</p><p>We will work through the novels chronologically, the course will focus on how feminist French literature, its subject matter and style have evolved over the last century. Through this careful analysis we will illuminate new aspects of these texts and discuss and debate the ways in which women have explored their experiences through fiction, blurring the boundaries between autobiography and the imagined. We’ll compare and contrast these writers, as well as situate them in context of the past and future of feminist Francophone literature.</p><p>Bold, passionate, provocative, and revolutionary: just four of the adjectives that can be used to describe the writers studied on this course. Focusing on Françoise Sagan’s <em>Bonjour Tristesse</em> (1954), Marguerite Duras’ <em>The Lover</em> (1984) and Annie Arnoux’s <em>The</em><em> Years </em>(2008), this course will explore how French female writers have approached writing the experience of modern women throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. We’ll think about issues of power, autonomy, sexual awakening, and adolescence in each of our key novels. We’ll also contextualise these novels in the history of women’s writing in France from the philosophy of de Beauvoir to the bold feminist Francophone literature of today. </p><p> </p><p>Week 1: French Female Canon: pre-20th Century Female Writers and their Influence; Weeks 2 & 3: <em>Bonjour Tristesse by Fran</em>ç<em>oise Sagan; </em><em> </em>Weeks 4 & 5: <em>The Lover </em>by Marguerite Duras; Weeks 6 & 7: <em>The Years</em> by Annie Arnoux; Week 8: 21st Century Feminist French Literature: What Came Next - It is recommended to start reading each novel in the weeks before we study it to get the most out of the sessions. </p><ul><li>Have an understanding, and appreciation, of the cultural context which these three key French texts were produced.</li><li>Identify key tropes which define this genre of writing.</li><li>Analyse different forms of texts and media critically.</li></ul><p> </p><p>This course is for anyone who is interested in the subject. The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills or language knowledge - just an enthusiasm for literature and a willingness to contribute to discussions. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.</p><p> </p><p>The class will largely be taught through mini lectures, class discussions and group work. </p><p>It is recommended to start reading each novel in the weeks before we study it to get the most out of the sessions. </p><p>Please buy or borrow: <em>Bonjour Tristesse by Fran</em>ç<em>oise Sagan, </em><em>T</em><em>he Lover </em>by Marguerite Duras and <em>The Years</em> by Annie Arnoux . </p><p> </p><p>Look for other Literature courses on our website at www.citylit.ac.uk under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Fiction.</p>LiteratureFictionvirtual179179116HLT157NONEMon26/01/26 - 16/03/2618:00 - 19:3018:0019:308 sessions (over 8 weeks)85-10 weeksEveningWeekdayOnlineOnlineMegan BeechBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-01-26T00:00:00+00:00Jan 2026Culture, history & humanities17917920th and 21st Century French Women's Writing20th-and-21st-century-french-women-s-writing/hlt157-2526<p>Bold, passionate, provocative, and revolutionary: just four of the adjectives that can be used to describe the writers studied on this course. Focusing on Françoise Sagan’s <em>Bonjour Tristesse</em> (1954), Marguerite Duras’ <em>The Lover</em> (1984) and Annie Arnoux’s <em>The</em><em> Years </em>(2008), this course will explore how French female writers have approached writing the experience of modern women throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. We’ll think about issues of power, autonomy, sexual awakening, and adolescence in each of our key novels. We’ll also contextualise these novels in the history of women’s writing in France from the philosophy of de Beauvoir to the bold feminist Francophone literature of today. </p><p> </p>0000-Available|2026-01-26 00:00:00<p>This course focuses on three extraordinary novels by French female authors: Françoise Sagan, Marguerite Duras, and Annie Arnoux. We will discuss how these writers explore concepts of adolescence, sexual power, and exoticism. We will contextualise these novels against the backdrop of feminist thought and French culture in the last 70 years, seeing how these writers responded to social change and captured female experience through their prose.</p><p>We will work through the novels chronologically, the course will focus on how feminist French literature, its subject matter and style have evolved over the last century. Through this careful analysis we will illuminate new aspects of these texts and discuss and debate the ways in which women have explored their experiences through fiction, blurring the boundaries between autobiography and the imagined. We’ll compare and contrast these writers, as well as situate them in context of the past and future of feminist Francophone literature.</p><p>Bold, passionate, provocative, and revolutionary: just four of the adjectives that can be used to describe the writers studied on this course. Focusing on Françoise Sagan’s <em>Bonjour Tristesse</em> (1954), Marguerite Duras’ <em>The Lover</em> (1984) and Annie Arnoux’s <em>The</em><em> Years </em>(2008), this course will explore how French female writers have approached writing the experience of modern women throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. We’ll think about issues of power, autonomy, sexual awakening, and adolescence in each of our key novels. We’ll also contextualise these novels in the history of women’s writing in France from the philosophy of de Beauvoir to the bold feminist Francophone literature of today. </p><p> </p><p>Week 1: French Female Canon: pre-20th Century Female Writers and their Influence; Weeks 2 &amp; 3: <em>Bonjour Tristesse by Fran</em>ç<em>oise Sagan; </em><em> </em>Weeks 4 &amp; 5: <em>The Lover </em>by Marguerite Duras; Weeks 6 &amp; 7: <em>The Years</em> by Annie Arnoux; Week 8: 21st Century Feminist French Literature: What Came Next - It is recommended to start reading each novel in the weeks before we study it to get the most out of the sessions. </p><ul><li>Have an understanding, and appreciation, of the cultural context which these three key French texts were produced.</li><li>Identify key tropes which define this genre of writing.</li><li>Analyse different forms of texts and media critically.</li></ul><p> </p><p>This course is for anyone who is interested in the subject. The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills or language knowledge - just an enthusiasm for literature and a willingness to contribute to discussions. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.</p><p> </p><p>The class will largely be taught through mini lectures, class discussions and group work. </p><p>It is recommended to start reading each novel in the weeks before we study it to get the most out of the sessions. </p><p>Please buy or borrow: <em>Bonjour Tristesse by Fran</em>ç<em>oise Sagan, </em><em>T</em><em>he Lover </em>by Marguerite Duras and <em>The Years</em> by Annie Arnoux . </p><p> </p><p>Look for other Literature courses on our website at www.citylit.ac.uk under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Fiction.</p>LiteratureFictionconfigurable
11881187Fictionhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature/fiction1/2/285/1177/1187/11881/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Fiction
