Module description
The word obscène was a new coinage in the 16th century; it referred then, as it does today, to that which was filthy, indecent, disgusting, or lewd. The aim of this course is to offer a perspective, both historical and theoretical, into how literary works explore the rules and restrictions that govern—or fail to govern—representations of what Mikhail Bakhtin called the ‘lower strata’ of material life. What are the consequences of bringing to the surface words, things, and actions deemed to be ‘unclean’ or ‘uncivil’? What forces—historical, political, psychological—condition the desire to reveal and the desire to repress certain things, such as the scatological or the explicitly sexual? Why does the breaking of codes of modesty cause so much enjoyment and/or anxiety? These questions raise a host of issues around gender, sexuality, and power relations within what would become, by the 17th century, ‘polite’ society. Using theoretical perspectives informed by Freud and Bakhtin, we will study texts from the Middle Ages to the early modern period that concern themselves with speech or acts considered obscene and that provoke discomfort, laughter, shock, and pleasure in transgression.
Assessment details
Assessed coursework of 1500-2000 words worth 25% submitted during the semester and a 2 hour exam (75%) at the end of the module.
Educational aims & objectives
- To familiarise students with a diverse body of French texts dealing with humour, obscenity and its regulation from the Middle Ages to the second half of the seventeenth century
- To develop a broad understanding of medieval and early modern cultural history
- To examine critically and explore notions of liberation, repression, jokes, and civility in response to modern theory and medieval and early modern texts
- To ensure students are familiar with conceptual and linguistic tools necessary for writing critically about texts from the Middle Ages to the âge classique
- To enhance written and oral skills through written assessment and class presentations
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practicable skills appropriate to a Level 5 module and in particular will be able to demonstrate:
- A detailed knowledge of the texts studied
- A broad grasp of several key aspects of theory
- An ability to analyse literature and an understanding of appropriate language use when writing about or presenting on literature in its political and social context
- A nuanced understanding of humour, jokes and their psychological and literary significance
Teaching pattern
Two classes per week (a lecture and a seminar).
Suggested reading list
Students will be required to buy a copy of five of the core reading texts: Guillaume de Lorris's and Jean de Meun's Roman de la rose, les Fabliaux érotiques, Rabelais's Pantagruel, Molière's Ecole des femmes, and Molière's Critique de 'l'Ecole des femmes'.
- Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun (1992). Le Roman de la rose, ed. Armand Strubel. Paris: Lettres gothiques.
- Fabliaux érotiques: textes de jongleurs des XIIe et XIIIe siècles (1992), ed. by Luciano Rossi. Paris: Livre de Poche
- Henri de Valenciennes (2011). The Lay of Aristote, ed. Leslie Brook and Glyn Burgess. Liverpool Online Series/Critical Editions of French Texts. Available at: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/modern-languages-and-cultures/liverpoolonline/Aristote.pdf
- François Rabelais. Pantagruel. Paris: Seuil, collection ‘Points’, 1997
- Molière. L’École des femmes (any edition with line numbers)
- Molière. La Critique de ‘L’École des femmes’ (any edition)