Contemporary Francophone Chinese Fiction

Overview

The course focuses on an emerging field of Francophone Studies interested in Chinese-born artists and their use of French as the medium for their works, including novels, plays, poetry, paintings, calligraphy, films and essays. They reveal a unique perspective on the themes of migration, exile and identity, while raising questions about language, translation and minority literature. Situated between two cultures, these works are also considered in the light of East-West power relations, notably relating to theories in Orientalism and Chinese overseas writing.

Learning Objectives

It is intended that students, by the end of this module, will:
- be able to debate various perspectives relating to migration, exile and identity in the four primary works;
- have a critical awareness of the historical and cultural backgrounds of the works;
- possess knowledge of the artists and apply relevant biographical information to analyses;
- be able to construct and sustain an argument providing appropriate examples and drawing on relevant critical and theoretical material.

Skills

Students will develop useful transferable skills in the areas of participation in discussion, debate and communicating ideas effectively to a small group.
They will be able to argue a point of view with the aid of relevant examples and referring to secondary materials.
They will become familiar with the retrieval of information from a range of sources, including the library.

Assessment

Coursework