Modern French literature

What is the course about?

This in-college literature course offers a rich encounter with works of 20th and 21st century French literature. It treats classic texts in detail and allows students to study a range of political, cultural, and literary contexts and their role in shaping the work of various writers from the canon of modern French writing.

What will we cover?

Focusing on influential works by major authors, the course will cover key texts of 20th and 21st century French
literary culture.

• Blaise Cendrars, Prose of the Trans-Siberian (1913)
• Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night (1932)
• Jean Genet, The Thief’s Journal (1949)
• Maurice Blanchot, The Instant of My Death (1994)
• Patrick Modiano, Dora Bruder (1997)
• Annie Ernaux, The Years (2008)


All texts are available in paperback in both the original French and in translation through established publishers such
as Gallimard, Penguin, Vintage, Oxford and Norton.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

Students will develop their general literary, historical, and critical knowledge of French writing and culture through
varied reading on modern French literature in translation.

Students will develop understanding of specific 20th and 21st century French texts and authors in detail, acquiring a knowledge of specific literary, historical, philosophical, and political contexts for modern French literature.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

No previous knowledge or experience of literature is necessary. However, learners will, ideally, need the following
skills and attributes:
- An enthusiasm for reading and discussing a range of texts in large and small groups.
- A willingness and ability to do some reading and preparation outside the class. You will be expected to read the
selected texts for each session.
- An interest in, and ability to listen to, the responses of other students to the work discussed.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The class will be held in 2-hour sessions over 8 weeks. The first 30 minutes will be an interactive lecture on the text, writer, themes, and contexts. The remaining time will be a round table and small group discussion of the texts in detail.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Electronic copies, where available, will be emailed by the tutor.
All are available online except the Modiano and the Ernaux so you will have to buy or borrow those texts.

-Blaise Cendrars, Prose of the Trans-Siberian (1913)
-Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night (1932)
-Jean Genet, The Thief’s Journal (1949)
-Maurice Blanchot, The Instant of My Death (1994)
-Patrick Modiano, Dora Bruder (1997) You will need to buy or borrow this text.
-Annie Ernaux, The Years (2008) You will need to buy or borrow this text.


All texts are available in paperback in both the original French and in translation through established publishers such
as Gallimard, Penguin, Vintage, Oxford and Norton.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

This tutor is also teaching HLT156 Great Essayists this term. Look up other fiction courses in Literature under History, Culture and Writing/Literature at www.citylit.ac.uk.