OVERVIEW

Usage de la littérature en contexte professionnel : enseignement et traduction littéraire. This course aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools for the use of French and Francophone literary texts in educational, translation and professional contexts.

Through the analysis of literary texts, commentary exercises, pedagogical reflection and translation, the course aims to develop skills in critical reading, interpretation, mediation and the reformulation of texts. Particular attention will be paid to literature as a resource for teaching the French language and culture, for literary translation and for intercultural communication.

The aim is to foster a critical awareness of the potential of literary texts in professional contexts where knowledge of the French language, culture and literature is a key competence.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students will have acquired an in-depth knowledge of French and Francophone literature, which they will be able to relate to the social and media practices that develop ‘around the book’ (intersemiotic and intermedial adaptations, links between literature and the press, etc.) with a view to promoting literary culture, with particular regard to interlinguistic mediation or the publishing world.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. analyse French and Francophone literary texts, identifying their main linguistic, stylistic, thematic and cultural characteristics;

2. understand the role of the literary text as a tool for linguistic, cultural and intercultural mediation in various professional contexts;

3. design teaching activities based on the use of French literature, adapting them to different target audiences, proficiency levels and learning objectives;

4. apply literary translation strategies, recognising the main difficulties involved in rendering style, register, imagery and cultural references;

5. rewrite, comment on and present a literary text clearly and appropriately, developing skills in interpretation, argumentation and communication in educational, translation and professional contexts.

PREREQUISITES

A knowledge of French at least at C1 level is required. A general knowledge of the history of French literature is also required, with particular reference to the main literary movements, the most representative authors and the key stages in literary development from the 17th century to the present day. Finally, familiarity with the basic tools of literary text analysis is desirable.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching methods include lectures and practical sessions, during which multimedia tools and resources will also be used. The course will involve individual and group-based textual and intermedia analysis activities. The course may also make use of the flipped classroom approach, whereby students prepare materials independently and then discuss, apply and revisit them in class.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course aims to explore French and Francophone literature with a view to its potential application in a professional context. The course will examine, on the one hand, innovative teaching techniques for the pedagogical use of literary texts, with particular attention to the skills useful to students interested in a career in teaching; and, on the other hand, ways of using literary texts in the publishing sector, with specific reference to literary translation.

The topics covered will be:

1. The specific characteristics of different types of literary text: poetry, drama, fiction, autobiography and literary essays.

2. School recruitment competitions in Italy: the skills and knowledge required of a French language teacher.

3. Key teaching techniques for the pedagogical use of literary texts in a French as a Foreign Language (FLE) classroom.

4. How to design a literature teaching unit: text selection, setting objectives, and activities focusing on comprehension, analysis, production and assessment.

5. Design of a teaching unit by each student.

6. An introduction to literary translation as a practice involving reading, interpretation and cultural mediation.

7. Key challenges in literary translation

8. Translation exercises and translation-theoretical commentary on short literary texts.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All supporting teaching materials will be uploaded to the Aulaweb platform (lecture notes, slides, links) and made available to students.

We recommend using one of the following textbooks on the history of French literature as a reference text:

• Histoire de la France littéraire, Paris, PUF (più volumi)
• Histoire de la littérature française, Paris, GF Flammarion (più volumi)

The textbooks listed are available in the Department of Languages’ library.
Recommended reading:
•    For the module ‘“exploitation didactique du texte littéraire”"

• S. Giusti, Insegnare con la Letteratura, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2011.  
• Alfred Noé, «Littérature : retour au texte», Le Français dans le monde, 261, 1993, p.45-46.
• Marie-Claude Albert et Marc Souchon, Les textes littéraires en classe de langue, Paris, Hachette, 1995.
• Insegnare letteratura in lingua straniera, a cura di M. Stagi Scarpa, Carocci Faber, 2005
• Luc Fraisse, «La perspective de l’histoire littéraire dans l’enseignement secondaire», Revue d’histoire littéraire de la France, 2005, 1, pp.161-187, http://www.cairn.info/revue-d-histoire-litteraire-de-la-france-2005-1-page-161.htm

For the module  “Traduction littéraire”

Charles Barone, Viceversa. La grammatica francese e il tradurre. Morfologia, Firenze, Le Lettere, 1997 (ristampa 2003).

· Id., Viceversa. La grammatica francese e il tradurre. Intorno al verbo, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2005.

· Franca Cavagnoli, La voce del testo. L’arte e il mestiere di tradurre, Universale Economica Feltrinelli, 2012.

· Jean Delisle, L’analyse du discours comme méthode de traduction, Ottawa, 1984

· Umberto Eco, Dire quasi la stessa cosa. Esperienze di traduzione, Milano, RCS, 2003 (trad. francese Dire presque la même chose, Paris, Grasset, 2007)

· Jean-René Ladmiral, Traduire : théorèmes pour la traduction, Paris, PBP, 1979.

· Henri Meschonnic, Poétique de la traduction, in Pour la poétique II, Paris, Gallimard, 1973.

· Georges Mounin, Les problèmes théoriques de la traduction, Gallimard, 1963.

· Franco Nasi, La malinconia del traduttore, Milano, Medusa, 2008.

· Franco Nasi, Specchi comunicanti. Traduzioni, parodie, riscritture, Milano, Medusa, 2010.

· Josiane Podeur, La pratica della traduzione, Napoli, Liguori, 1994

· Id., Jeux de traduction, Napoli, Liguori, 2008.

· Claude Tatilon, Pour une pédagogie de la traduction, GREF, Toronto, 1986

· Teoria e pratica della traduzione letteraria, a cura di R. Puggioni, Bulzoni, 2006

· Per una fenomenologia del tradurre, a cura di F.Nasi e M.Silver, Roma, Officina edizioni

Further bibliography will be provided on Aulaweb. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

the week of 28/09/2026

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral examination by interview in the French language.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Knowledge and skills will be assessed through an oral examination, designed to assess the student’s understanding of the material covered during the course and the readings completed individually.

The purpose of the interview is to assess the student’s ability to analyse and contextualise French and Francophone literary texts, identifying their linguistic, stylistic, cultural and historical-literary characteristics. The student’s ability to reflect on the use of literary texts in a professional context will also be assessed, with particular reference to the teaching of literature, the design of teaching programmes and literary translation.

The student must demonstrate an ability to make critical and personal connections between the topics covered, discuss the main issues relating to the pedagogical use of literary texts, and comment on translation choices in relation to style, register, cultural references and mediation strategies.

Finally, the assessment will focus on clarity of presentation, coherence of argument, independent judgement and accuracy in the use of subject-specific language.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Registration required on Aulaweb to get access on calendar, detailed program, and texts.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.