FJ0B030 French short stories from the 19th to the 21st centuries

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2027
Extent and Intensity
0/2. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Irina De Herdt, MA, PhD (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Petr Dytrt, Ph.D.
Department of Romance Languages and Literatures – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Romance Languages and Literatures – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites (in Czech)
FJ1A002 Practical French II
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 13 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Abstract

This course aims to familiarize students with the genre of the short story in the French tradition. It offers a chronological overview, from the early 19th century to the present day, which will consolidate the knowledge of literary history acquired in first- and second-year literature courses. Reading short stories in their entirety will enable students to (1) develop their reading skills in general, and their close reading skills of literary texts in particular; (2) express and share their reading experience, both orally and in writing; (3) acquire and use tools for narratological, stylistic, and pragmatic analysis; (4) establish relevant links between different texts; (5) reflect on how literature allows us to think about certain human experiences.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students will be able to : (1) identify the distinctive features of the short story genre in France; (2) understand its historical development from the early 19th century to the present day; (3) read and analyze short fiction texts in detail; (4) reflect on and express themselves about their reading experience, both orally and in writing.

Key topics
  1. Introduction : la nouvelle dans la tradition française

LE XIXe SIECLE : L’âge d’or de la nouvelle

  1. Prosper Mérimée, « Mateo Falcone » (1829)
  2. Gustave Flaubert, Trois contes, « Un Cœur simple » (1877)
  3. Guy de Maupassant, « La petite Roque » (1885)

LA PREMIÈRE MOITIÉ DU XXe SIÈCLE

  1. Jean Giono, Solitude de la pitié, « Solitude de la pitié » (1932)
  2. Louis Aragon, « Le Pénitent » (1943)

LA NOUVELLE COMME PARABOLE PHILOSOPHIQUE

  1. Jean-Paul Sartre, Le Mur, « La Chambre » (1939)
  2. Albert Camus, L’Exil et le royaume, « La Femme adultère » (1957)

FORMES BRÈVES ET LE TRIOMPHE DE LA LITTÉRATURE AUTONOME

  1. Nathalie Sarraute, Tropismes, « X », « XII » (1939)
  2. Samuel Beckett, Nouvelles et textes pour rien, « I » (1955)
  3. Alain Robbe-Grillet, Instantanés, « La plage » (1962)
  4. Georges Perec, Le Voyage d’hiver (1979)

L’EXTRÊME CONTEMPORAIN

  1. Le Clézio, La Ronde et d’autres nouvelles, « La Ronde » (1982)
  2. Philippe Claudel, Les petites mécaniques, « L’autre » (2003)
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Interactive, seminar-style teaching in which active participation of the students is required.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
Active participation and attendance are required (maximum 2 absences allowed). Weekly reading and research expected in preparation of the course. Oral exam: identification and commentary on an excerpt from a short story read; presentation of a short story chosen by the student.  
Language of instruction
French
Further Comments
The course is taught every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2026.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2027, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2027/FJ0B030