Explications de Texte Goals: to introduce you to the major currents and authors of French poetry; to expand your critical vocabulary in poetic and literary analysis; and to enhance your ability to present explications de texte both orally and in writing all in the context of today's technology.
Text:
G. Pompidou, Anthologie de la poésie française
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Responsibilities: regular attendance and participation and submission of assigned work on or before the due date. For the first several weeks of the course, you are expected to write a 1-2 page reaction to one or more of the poems assigned. Please note that reacting to one poem is quite sufficient, but you shouldn't feel restricted to merely one if you want to react to more.
A "practice" explication will be due Week 6. Beginning with Week 7, one explication de texte is assigned for each 2-week sequence for a total of 4 explications. You are required to submit any 3 of these and to make an oral presentation on the assigned due dates. Please note that I encourage you to do all 4 explications, since I will include only the best 3 in helping to determine your final grade.
Grades: based on my evaluation of your oral and written work, with particular attention to the evaluative criteria of intent, content, reasoning, language & variety of vocabulary, neatness, effort, and accuracy as well as the contributions you make to the assessment and evaluation of your classmates' work.
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Syllabus
- Week 1: Introduction; Explication de textes
- Week 2:
- pp. 7 - 39
- Ronsard, p. 82: "Mignonne..."
- Week 3:
- D'Orléans, p. 50: "Rondeaux"
- Lamartine, pp. 239-41
- Baudelaire, p. 326: "Parfum exotique"
- Week 4:
- Villon, pp. 60-64
- Malherbe, pp. 113-14: "Paraphrase..."
- Verlaine, p. 381: "Mon rêve familier"
- Week 5:
- DuBellay
- p. 70: "Si notre vie..."
- p. 77: "France..."
- Ronsard
- p. 84: "Marie, levez-vous..."
- p. 85: "Comme on voit...."
- Racine, pp. 198-99
- DuBellay
- Week 6: Vocabulary Exam & Explication on any one of the above
- Week 7: GROUP 1:
- Du Bellay, p. 78: "Heureux qui, comme Ulysse..."
- Ronsard, p. 92: "Quand vous serez..."
- La Fontaine, pp. 161-64
- Week 8:
- Lamartine, pp. 236-39
- Vigny, pp. 246-47, 253-54
- Hugo, pp. 255-56, 275 ("Demain..."), 283-86
- Musset, p. 313
- Week 9: GROUP 2: Baudelaire: pp. 326-27, 332, 333-34, 336-37, 337
- Week 10: Baudelaire: 337-38, 339-40, 343, 351-55
- Week 11: GROUP 3
- Mallarmé, pp. 365-66, 372-75, 377, 378
- Verlaine, p. 391
- Rimbaud, pp. 404, 404-08
- Week 12:
- Valéry, pp. 446, 449 ("Le Sylphe")
- Apollinaire, p. 462
- Week 13: GROUP 4
- Corneille, pp. 143-50
- Molière, pp. 180-82
- Racine, pp. 199-206
- Week 14:
- Corneille, pp. 150-53
- Racine, pp. 206-12
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EXPLICATIONS DE TEXTE
Special note: This course is built on the assumption that the more we communicate with one another about our work, the more effective the learning can be. Toward that end, all explications must be submitted to the entire class electronically no later than noon of the day preceding our actual class meeting, thus allowing all of us to read one another's work prior to coming to class. The threefold purpose of this openness is:
- to promote a professional environment of constructive criticism
- to encourage responsible, serious and professional commentary
- to make it possible for students to follow up one another's comments and engage in further discussion
You may submit and read essays either by email or by accessing the related web site. Please note that this process functions only for students who are registered for this course and have been assigned a course username and password.
Usually, my evaluative comments about these essays will be addressed on an individual basis, thus safeguarding privacy and student sensitivity while also allowing the individual to forward those comments to classmates as (s)he sees fit. However, when I believe that my comments to an individual will be helpful to all students, I will post them to the immediately above link, which you should therefore check periodically.
Poetry Questions
Here are several questions you may want to consider when trying to analyze a poem.- Who is the speaker? What do we know about his/her character?
- Is the poem addressed to a particular individual? Why?
- What seems to be the basic setting or event?
- What seems to be the central theme? Is it stated directly or indirectly?
- What is the point of view?
- What is the time? past? present? future? combination?
- What is some of the figurative language: allegory, comparison, hyperbole, metaphor...
- What is the structure of the poem? Can it be broken into distinct movements?
- What can you observe about the sounds and meter of the poem?
- What is your gut response to a first reading? to a 2nd reading? Differences?
Vocabulaire Critique
Here is a list of helpful vocabulary items for expanding your ability to write about poetry and literature critically. You should also refer to the section on course-related items of interest.QUALITES:
balanced - équilibré
evocative -évocateur
forceful - vigoureux, énergique
inspired - inspiré
lively, spirited - animé
lyrical - lyrique
pleasant - agréable
economical - sobre
stirring - prenant
striking - frappant
DEFAUTS
affected - précieux
bombastic - affecté
coarse - vulgaire
flat, colorless, insipid - plat, insipide
high-flown - ampoulé
inflated - boursouflé
involved - compliqué
overdone - chargé
ponderous - lourd
prosaic, pedestrian - prosaique
slipshod - négligé
tedious - ennuyeux
wordy, verbose - verbeux
EXPRESSIONS
above (as in "quoted above") - ci-dessus, déja cité
contrary to, unlike - à la différence de
figuratively - au sens figuré
in line -- au vers
in a literal sense, literally - au sens propre
throughout - tout au long de
provoke interest - susciter l'intérêt
to be based on - être fondé sur
be concerned with - s'intéresser à
to draw a distinction between - faire la distinction entre
make a comparison with - établir une comparaison entre
to make specific - préciser
to read into - mettre dans une phrase ce qui n'y est pas
to what degree - dans quelle mesure
with respect to - à l'égard de
NOUNS
achievement - accomplissement
antithesis - antithèse
character - caractère (personality)
character - personnage
climax - point culminant
content - fond
form and content - forme et fond
device - procédé
double-entendre
effect - effet
emphasis - accent, force
excerpt - extrait
flashback - retour en arrière
framework - cadre
handling of a subject - traîtement
incisiveness - netteté
insight - pénétration
meaning - signification, sens
mood - état d'âme
narrative - récit
outline - schéma, plan
plot - intrigue
process - processus
rhyme scheme - agencement; disposition des rimes
setting - décor, cadre
shade of meaning - nuance
VERBS
accentuate - mettre l'accent sur
achieve - réaliser (not achever)
consist of - se composer de
convey - communiquer
devote to - consacrer à
draw a conclusion - tirer une conclusion
emerge - se dégager de
highlight - mettre en relief
imply - faire supposer que
ADJECTIVES
ambiguous - équivoque, ambigu
basic - fondamental
biting - mordant
clumsy - gauche, maladroit
colorful - pittoresque
deep-seated - foncier
emotional - affectif (not émotionnel)
entertaining - divertissant, amusant
evocative - évocateur, - trice
exciting - passionnant, émouvant
far-fetched - tiré par les cheveux
gripping, thrilling - saisissant
humorous - humoristique
involved (style) - embrouillé, compliqué
irrelevant - sans rapport avec le sujet, hors de propos
lively - animé, mouvementé, vivant
meaningful - significatif
perfect - achevé
sloppy - négligé
trite - banal
witty - spirituel
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Related Items of Interest
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This HTML document created by: Lew Kamm
On: May 16, 1995
Last Revised:
April 7, 2005