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Semester 2

Contemporary French Crime Fiction (Ordinary) (ELCF09010)

Subject

European Languages and Cultures - French

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

In order to be eligible to take 3rd/4th Year Options, Visiting Students should have the equivalent of at least two years of study at University level of the appropriate language(s) and culture(s).

Course Summary

This option will look at the evolution of crime writing in France, from George Simenon to writers such as Maud tabachnik. It will examine crime writing as a literary genre, its history and its social relevance.

Course Description

Through close analysis of a selection of texts, the course aims to encourage students to engage knowledgeably and critically with texts and ideas relating to literature, history of ideas and cultural issues. Topics to be studied include the following: social context, intertexuality, narrative voice and subjectivity, the acquisition of knowledge and the search for identity, linguistic and cultural signifiers, perception and narration, class and gender, justice and the law, reflexivity and narrative play; satire and pastiche; ambiguity and polyvalence. Classes will focus on individual texts but include comparative elements. Students will be expected to do independent research on various topics, which will then be presented in class, to lead discussions and to submit a full-length essay at the end of the option.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

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