FJ1B601 Balzac and the Human Comedy

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2022
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Jaroslav Stanovský, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Petr Dytrt, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Petr Dytrt, Ph.D.
Department of Romance Languages and Literatures – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Romance Languages and Literatures – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Fri 8:00–9:40 L33
Prerequisites
FJ1A002 Practical French II
The aim of the seminar will be to present the basic features of The Human Comedy, the life work of Honoré de Balzac. Attention will be paid in particular to Balzac's work as a "literary world", existing parallel to reality, showing a complex picture of contemporary society and governed by certain rules and principles. The course will focus on the principles and procedures used to create the "literary world" of The Human Comedy as well as the major thematic areas of this work.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of both the system of the Human Comedy and Balzac's literary art and will be oriented to the relationship between literary fiction and the depiction of social reality.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- identify and summarize the important features of the novel cycle The Human Comedy;
- identify and describe the processes and basic narratological categories in Balzac's work;
- write an essay (commentary, dissertation) defining the main features of Balzac's work.
Syllabus
  • 1. Balzac and his world: society and literature 1820-1850, the legacy of the French Revolution and the myth of Napoleon, the life of Honoré de Balzac
  • 2. The human comedy: the emergence of a literary project
  • 3. The organization and composition of The Human Comedy
  • 4. The thematic areas of The Human Comedy. Reflections of reality in The Human Comedy: historical events and historical characters in The Human Comedy, autobiographical elements of The Human Comedy
  • 5. The cornerstone of The Human Comedy: Balzac's characters.
  • 6. Reflections of reality in The Human Comedy: historical events and historical characters in The Human Comedy, autobiographical elements of The Human Comedy
  • 7. Geography of The Human Comedy I: Balzac's Paris
  • 8. Geography of The Human Comedy II: center and periphery: provincial city and provincial society, relations between Paris and the countryside
  • 9. The complexity of The Human Comedy
  • 10. Balzac the realist? The legacy of Romanticism in The Human Comedy
  • 11. Human Comedy, philosophy, and mysticism
  • 12. Marginal texts of the Human Comedy: supplements to the "mainstream" and their place in the system of the Human Comedy
  • 13. Balzac's legacy: the Human Comedy as a literary and cultural monument
  • 14. Final lesson - discussion around the Human Comedy.
Teaching methods
A lecture combined with a seminar and a discussion forum.
Assessment methods
Reading and commenting on texts in class, continuous seminar work, final interview - analysis of a selected character from The Human Comedy (character's character, typology and its occurrence in The Human Comedy).
Language of instruction
French
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught each semester.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2022, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2022/FJ1B601