Dreaming and living. Fantasy and realism in French literature of the 19th century

Classroom

The aim of the course is to present the history of French literature of the 19th century in the

context of two characteristic tendencies - on the one hand, it was the pursuit of the most

truthful and almost scientific mapping of contemporary realities, and on the other hand, an

escape from reality into the realm of dreams and the creation of alternative worlds, fantastic

and disturbing, heralding the actions of the surrealists.

At the outset, the characteristics of Romanticism as the first 19th-century aesthetic trend

will be presented. In this trend apart from engaged literature, oneiric works and works

depicting supernatural phenomena, referring to the reader's imagination and dreamlike

appear.

As an example of a work describing the reality and society of the epoch and at the same time

exploiting the fantastic motif, the novel by Balzac entitled "La peau de chagrin" will be

discussed.

The penetration of fantasy elements into the world presented in the aesthetics of

Romanticism will be presented on the basis of stories by P. Merimée and T. Gautier.

In order to present the main assumptions of the aesthetics of naturalism and the narrative

techniques used by naturalists, Maupassant's short story "Boule de Suif" and another

selected story illustrating the character of fantasy in this author’s works will be analyzed.

The analysis of works maintained in the aesthetics of symbolism will be preceded by a

discussion of the role of dreams and the exploration of the subconscious by poets of that

period. Selected poems by Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Verlaine will be presented as an

example of this type of creativity. Finally, students will become acquainted with prose works

that at the end of the 19th century showed the limitations of literary realism through the use

of i.a. fantastic elements ("Véra" by A. Villiers de l'Isle-Adam).

J. Adamski, Historia literatury francuskiej – zarys [History of French literature - an outline],

Wrocław 1989.

K. Dybeł, B. Marczuk, J. Prokop, Historia literatury francuskiej [History of French literature],

Warszawa 2005.

J. Heistein, Historia literatury francuskiej: od początków do czasów najnowszych [History of

French literature: from the beginnings to the recent Times], Wrocław 1997.

Historie osobliwe i fantastyczne: nowela francuska od Cazotte'a do Apollinaire'a [Strange

and Fantastic Stories: The French Novella from Cazotte to Apollinaire] selection, introduction

and notes J. Parvi, Warszawa, 1975.

B. Mucha, Literatura francuska XIX wieku : wykłady o literaturze i kulturze europejskiej

[French literature of the 19th century: lectures on European literature and culture], Piotrków

Trybunalski 2005.

J. Parvi, Rzeczywitość i fantazja – szkice o literaturze francuskiej XIX wieku [Reality and

fantasy - sketches on French literature of the 19th century], Warszawa 1989.

Literatura francuska [French literature], t. II, XIX i XX wiek, ed. A. Adam, Warszawa 1980.

After passing the seminar, the student:

a) knows and understands:

- at an advanced level, directions and methodology of research on French literature of the

19th century (K_W04);

- at an advanced level, the main issues in the field of French literary studies in relation to

issues related to realism and fantasy in 19th century literature (K_W05);

- principles of analysis and interpretation of French literary texts from the 19th century in

terms of realism and the presence of fantastic elements (K_W09);

- selected facts, processes and phenomena in the field of the history of French literature of

the 19th century, including the chronology of literary trends from this period (K_W10).

b) can:

- plan and prepare oral presentations in Polish, referring to basic theoretical approaches

related to realism and fantasy in French literature of the 19th century (K_U05);

- prepare a written work in Polish, referring to the knowledge acquired during the seminar

(K_U06).

c) is ready to:

- care for cultural heritage, especially in relation to French culture (K_K04);

- compliance with the basic principles of professional ethics and the principles of protection

of intellectual property and copyright (K_K06).

- mandatory attendance (two unexcused absences are allowed per semester); if a student

misses more than two classes, he or she will be asked to discuss the content of the missed

classes;

- preparation and activity during classes (reading texts, participating in discussions and

involvement in group work);

- written test on the knowledge acquired during classes

- semester paper or multimedia presentation (individual or in groups of 2) on a given topic;

- oral examination (depending on the result of the test).