The course French Literature II-III provides, in its introduction, a general overview of the literary and cultural trends prevalent in 18th-century France. The monographic section will focus on the development of the roman-mémoires and the emergence of the contes philosophiques, which will be analyzed through the works of Abbé Prévost and Voltaire.

• 18th-century French literature: historical context, literary, cultural, and philosophical movements, major authors

• The novel and philosophical tale in the 18th century: 'old' and 'new' forms and their development

• The roman-mémoires. Prévost, Manon Lescaut (1731): introduction, reading, and commentary

• The conte philosophique. Voltaire, Candide (1759): introduction, reading, and commentary

To take the French Literature II exam, it is necessary to have previously passed the French Literature I exam. Those taking the exam as part of their third-year literature courses must have already passed both French Literature I and French Literature II.

Knowledge and Understanding: Students will acquire basic methodological tools to investigate and understand the key developments in 18th-century French literature.

Applied Knowledge and Understanding: Students will be able to apply basic knowledge and skills to appropriately analyze specific case studies related to 18th-century France, demonstrating historical-literary contextualization and comprehension of the proposed texts.

Judgment Autonomy: Students will demonstrate the ability to navigate the literary landscape of 18th-century France, formulating evaluations, hypotheses, and interpretations of authors and literary texts, as well as the contexts of the works examined, both in the institutional and monographic parts of the course.

Communication Skills: Students will possess adequate language proficiency and the ability to use specialized vocabulary relevant to the discipline, in order to correctly convey information and solutions regarding the case studies examined.

Learning Ability: Students will be able to independently advance their study of 18th-century French literature and apply the knowledge and skills acquired to other texts and periods of French literature, progressively reaching the level required for further studies in the master's degree program.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Lectures in Italian and French, enriched by student contributions and debates led by the instructor.

There is also the possibility of inviting external speakers to address topics covered during the course.

Innovative teaching methods

Flipped classroom proposals, practical work, and student presentations.

Attendance

The study of preparatory materials (see the "Course books" section) is required.

The status of attending student will be granted to those who participate in at least 70% of the classes (= 28/40 hours).

Course books

Second-year students (French Literature II) are required to study:

• Michela Landi (a c. di), Letteratura francese. Dalle origini al Settecento, Firenze, Le Monnier Università, 2021 (parte terza "Il Seicento" and parte quarta "Il Settecento"). The following sections should be excluded from the study of the indicated chapters, although reading them is strongly recommended:

- for parte terza "Il Seicento": 7 (Filosofia, religione e scienza: da Cartesio a Fontenelle), 11 (Moralità della lingua: dal preziosismo alla logica di Port-Royal), 12 (L'oratoria e la pedagogia cristiana)

- for parte quarta "Il Settecento": 5 (Moralisti settecenteschi: Vauvenargues, Chamfort, Joubert), 8 (Storie naturali. Le nuove frontiere dell'epistemologia moderna), 12 (I pensatori radicali), 14 (Nuova estetica sentimentale: dramma borghese, «comédie larmoyante», teatro antifilosofico), 16 (Il teatro rivoluzionario), 17 (Scritture della Rivoluzione), 18 (Il «Tournant des Lumières»: da Diderot a Goethe)

Note: For students of French Literature III who have already taken the French Literature II exam in the academic year 2023/24, specific bibliographic indications will be provided instead of Michela Landi's manual.

Additionally, students are required to read in full and in the original language:

• Prévost, Manon Lescaut, édition d'Audrey Faulot, Érik Leborgne et Jean Sgard, Paris, Flammarion, 2022 (see https://editions.flammarion.com/manon-lescaut-bac-2024/9782080273352)

• Voltaire, Candide, édition de Jean Goldzink, Paris, Flammarion, 2007, rééd. 2024 (see https://editions.flammarion.com/candide/9782080444875)

A collection of critical essays to be studied for the exam will be made available to students on Moodle during the course.

Assessment

The oral exam will be conducted partially in French. The final grade will take into account any participation by students in the activities proposed by the instructor (flipped classroom, practical work, presentations). The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths and aims to assess the depth of knowledge of the subject, reasoning and argumentative skills, as well as the appropriate use of specialized vocabulary by the candidates. Based on these criteria, grades may be classified as excellent (28-30/30, with possible honors), good (25-27/30), fair (22-24/30), or sufficient (18-21/30). Exams that are significantly lacking in basic knowledge, presentation skills, and the use of appropriate vocabulary will be considered insufficient.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Individual study.

Attendance

The study of preparatory materials (see the "Course books" section) is required.

Students who do not attend the classes are required to contact the instructor well in advance for informational and introductory purposes.

Course books

To give non-attending students the opportunity to make up for what is covered during the lectures through independent study, the following materials are provided, corresponding to the same content as the course syllabus, to promote full understanding:

• Michela Landi (a c. di), Letteratura francese. Dalle origini al Settecento, Firenze, Le Monnier Università, 2021 (chapters "Il Seicento" and "Il Settecento", full study). Note: For students of French Literature III who have already taken the French Literature II exam in the academic year 2023/24, specific bibliographic instructions will be provided instead of Michela Landi's manual.

Additionally, students are required to read in full and in the original language:

• Prévost, Manon Lescaut, édition d'Audrey Faulot, Érik Leborgne et Jean Sgard, Paris, Flammarion, 2022 (see https://editions.flammarion.com/manon-lescaut-bac-2024/9782080273352)

• Voltaire, Candide, édition de Jean Goldzink, Paris, Flammarion, 2007, rééd. 2024 (see https://editions.flammarion.com/candide/9782080444875)

A collection of critical essays to be studied for the exam, along with any additional materials to be prepared, will be compiled and made available to non-attending students in a dedicated folder on Moodle.

Assessment

The oral exam will be conducted partially in French. The final grade will take into account any participation by students in the activities proposed by the instructor (flipped classroom, practical work, presentations). The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths and aims to assess the depth of knowledge of the subject, reasoning and argumentative skills, as well as the appropriate use of specialized vocabulary by the candidates. Based on these criteria, grades may be classified as excellent (28-30/30, with possible honors), good (25-27/30), fair (22-24/30), or sufficient (18-21/30). Exams that are significantly lacking in basic knowledge, presentation skills, and the use of appropriate vocabulary will be considered insufficient.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.