Contemporary Women’s Writing In French

Module description

This module will provide students with a detailed knowledge of recent developments in women's fictional writing in French, an area that has continued to expand rapidly since the beginnings of the contemporary feminist movement in France. Through the study of recent fictional texts by women, Contemporary Women's Writing in French pays particular attention to narrative content and technique in order to assess the recurrent themes and forms underlying French women’s writing, and how these may be interpreted. It looks at the representation of gender roles and female embodiment in a variety of social and geographical contexts.  The course includes women writers originating from France, but also from North Africa and Mauritius.  The three generic areas studied will be the fairytale; ‘postcolonial’ women’s writing; and novels dealing explicitly with female sexuality.  Film versions of two of the texts will also be available to view but these do not make up any part of the primary corpus.

Assessment details

One 4000 word essay (100%)

Educational aims & objectives

• To introduce students to the diverse literary, historical and cultural contexts of twentieth-century and twenty-first century women’s writing in French
• To deepen students’ knowledge of the different genres that make up contemporary French women’s writing
• To introduce students to relevant theoretical developments to help elucidate these texts, including feminism and theories of corporeality/sexuality

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will:

• demonstrate sound knowledge of the various contexts of the twentieth- and twenty-first century women’s writing in French
• be able to analyse a generically diverse selection of female-authored texts by placing them in their context and by adopting different theoretical approaches
• have developed a series of transferable skills (essay writing, textual analysis, individual or group presentations)
• have gained an insight into the specificities of women’s writing in French from a female and feminist perspective.

Teaching pattern

Two classes per week.

Suggested reading list

Unless otherwise stated, students are expected to buy their own copy of all core texts.

• Nina Bouraoui, La Voyeuse interdite (Paris: Gallimard, 1991)
• Constance Debré Love Me Tender (Paris: J’ai Lu, 2021)
• Clara Dupont-Monod, S’adapter (Paris: Stock, 2021)
• Ananda Devi, Eve de ses décombres (Paris: Gallimard, 2006)
• Annie Ernaux, Marc Marie, L’Usage de la photo (Paris: Gallimard, 2005)
• Amélie Nothomb, Robert des noms propres (Paris: Albin Michel 2002)
• Leïla Slimani, Chanson douce (Paris: Gallimard, 2016)

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.