Love and Melancholy in Early Modern France (U03115)

? Credit Points : 40 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-4-U03115

This Special Subject will explore, through the study of literary, philosophical, and medical texts, attitudes towards love and melancholy in the Renaissance period and beyond. Love in its various forms (between friends, lovers, parents and children, man and God, and self-love) is a pervasive theme of Renaissance literature and thought. At this time love was seen as a cause and a species of melancholy, at once an illness and a temperament that fascinated contemporaries because of its association with genius and madness. We shall examine in particular the impact of philosophical and medical theories of melancholy on the treatment of love in the literature of the period. Close analysis of a selection of texts belonging to a variety of genres - the nouvelle, the sonnet, the essay, the pastoral, and the autobiographical narrative - will introduce students to some of the most original authors of the early modern period in France.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not accepting further student enrolments.

? Pre-requisites : Admission to French Honours; completion of French 3 Honours.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

European Languages and Cultures - French, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 20 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Wednesday	11:10	13:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

As in all French Special Subjects, students should, by the end of the course, be able:
- to demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the chosen specialism(s)
- to recognise and acknowledge the complexity of the subject
- to show a good understanding of and apply competently complex conceptual frameworks
- to construct coherent arguments which demonstrate an awareness of the problems posed by the texts/ issues which they are studying
- to demonstrate a high level of expression in both written and oral presentations
- to demonstrate the mastery of relevant technical terminology and research methods
- to carry out personal research under the guidance of the tutor and offer evidence of research initiative
- to offer alternative perspectives, identify and accommodate ambiguities and show an awareness of nuance
- to develop original ideas
- to demonstrate an awareness of the research agenda relating to the topic