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Romanticism to Decadence: French Novels (FREN20003)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5Not available in 2026
About this subject
Overview
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In this subject students will study a selection of novels from the 19th century, analysing their narrative structures, and developing an awareness of their social and political contexts. Various theories of narrative will be used to facilitate an understanding of the evolution of the French novel from Romanticism to Decadence. At the end of this subject students should be able to analyse the narrative structure of various novels and have a better understanding of nineteenth-century French literature.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Gain an appreciation of academic French through the confident use of sophisticated oral and written French at level B2/C1 of the Common European Framework for Languages
- Gain an overview of one specialised field (19th Century France) in at least one of the three core areas of French literature, linguistics, and cultural studies
- Consolidate their understanding of the wider literary or linguistic methods used in the specialist fields of French Studies (i.e close reading, essay writing) as well as of general research and analytical skills
- Reflect on their identity as a bicultural and bilingual person and as a global citizen
- Write small research essays in the field of French Studies and to locate relevant research literature in both French and English
- Make good use of learning and research technologies in French and English.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Analyse the narrative structure of a series of 19th and 20th century novels
- Demonstrate critical awareness of the social, political and ideological context of these novels.
Last updated: 13 March 2026