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School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Revision 1

Revision: Theory and Text 1


 
A. Reading with theory in mind



  1. Read ‘ La Mère Noël’ (PDF Document) by Michel Tournier (taken from his collection of short stories, Le Coq de bruyère (Paris: Folio, 1978)

  2. Read the Tournier: context (Word Document) sheet.

  3. Reread the lectures on the 4 theory topics covered during the year (history and contextualisation; authorship and intentionality; the unconscious; gender and sexuality). Consider each approach in relation to ‘La Mère Noël’. How helpful are these different theoretical approaches? Are some more applicable than others to the analysis of this short story? Can you think of other critical approaches that are also helpful? Please justify your answers with close reference to the text.


 
B. Secondary reading: dealing with different theoretical standpoints



Review the article ‘Teaching Candide-A Debate’, by Theodore E. D. Braun, Felicia Sturzer, and Martine Darmon Meyer, The French Review, Vol. 61, No. 4 (March 1988), pp. 569-577 Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/393842  In your review, think about the following:

  1. Why present this debate in an academic journal?

  2. Which of the 4 theory topics we have covered in the year are closest to the theoretical models referred to in this article? Which are not mentioned? Why might they be absent?

  3. Find another secondary article on Candide. Does it offer a different theoretical approach?



C. MOCK EXAM QUESTIONS



In your groups, choose one question from the Strategies Mock paper.(PDF Document) Prepare a plan for the question.