French 421

Literature of Francophone Louisiana

Professeur : D. Kress
Tel. 5252
Courriel: dkress@centenary.edu
Heures de bureau: 3-4 LMV

Required texts:

Testut, Charles. Le Vieux Salomon. Les Cahiers du Tintamarre.
Mercier, Alfred. L’Habitation St. Ybars. Les Cahiers du Tintamarre.
Paroles d’honneur : Écrits de Créoles de couleur néo-orléanais. Éd. Chris Michaelides. Éditions Tintamarre
La Houssaye, Sidonie de. Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Éd. Christian Hommel. Éditions Tintamarre.
Contes et Récits de la Louisiane créole. Texte établi par Ashley Owens. Les Cahiers du Tintamarre.

N.B. While most of the material you READ will date from the 19th century, expect to spend a great deal of classtime listenting to works produced during the 20th century. This material, part of Louisiana's rich oral tradition, will be available only in class. With this in mind your regular attendance in this class is of the utmost importance.

In this course we will focus on the literature of Francophone Louisiana. This domain of French literature, little studied until recently, produced rich prose and verse. We will attempt to arrive at an understanding of the ideas that shaped the literature of colonial Louisiana so that we may more justly appreciate the writings produced during the 300 years of Louisiana history. Until recently the thrust of French studies has tended to minimize the importance of the literature produced in former French colonies; today the 150,000 Louisiana French-speakers as well as the Francophone world are discovering this proud and vital literary heritage.

Grading for French 421

Quizzes 30
History and Culture Journals 20
Annotated Bibliography 30
Final Exam     20

History and Culture Journal

These journals must be written in French and will be based on material taken from the following list. Serious students of French should have a firm grasp of the events and movements that shape the history, culture, and literature of the century. Material from these assignments will be used on the quizzes as well as the final exam. These journals will focus on the following subjects:

Alfred Mercier                                                            Ronnie Chatelain
Alexandre Latil                                                           CODOFIL 
Sidonie de La Houssaye                                             Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville              
Alexandre Barde                                                        La Salle
Plessy v. Ferguson                                                      Louis Juchereau de St. Denis      
Charles Testut                                                            The Louisiana Purchase (including the states it comprised)     
Rodolphe Desdunes                                                    Origins of African slaves in Louisiana             
La Tribune de la Nouvelle Orléans                              Le Grand Dérangement                     
L'Abeille de la Nouvelle Orléans                                 Spanish interregnum                      
Define: Creole of Color                                               Haitian Revolution of 1804
          Cajun                                                               John Law
Joseph Broussard (Beausoleil)                                     Armand Lanusse
Zachary Richard                                                          Barry Jean Ancelet
Gwendolyn M. Hall                                                     Statehood and the first constitution
Sybil Kein                                                                   Kirby Jambon
Aristide Mary                                                              Caryn-Cossé Bell                      
Native Guard                                                              Bois-Sec Ardoin

N.B.
French minors will not be expected to show the same mastery of the material as French majors. In a similar way, those who are enrolled in this course as a senior seminar will be graded more rigorously than other students.

Annotated Bibliography: The bibliography will focus on Louisiana's place within the Francophone literary world. You are to create an annotated bibliography of all French language imprints published during the 19th century in former French colonies. The final version will be due on the day of the final exam. This is a research paper so get started early!

A language course is different from other courses at the college because you work on oral communication skills. The only place you can work on these skills is in class. Other classes may not require your attendance because you can learn the material from the book; however, there is no substitute for the dynamic interaction that takes place between you and your teacher--a trained language acquisition specialist. For this reason this course has a strong policy on absences.

Students who have 3 absences will have their final grade lowered one full letter. For additional absences there will be a penalty of 2 points per day before the letter grade is dropped.

EMPLOI DU TEMPS: 

I. Semaine du 10 au 14 janvier

II. Semaine du 17 au 21 janvier

lundi:	MLK Day
mercredi:	Anthologie de poésie louisianaise du XIXe siècle
vendredi:	Anthologie de poésie louisianaise du XIXe siècle

III. Semaine du 24 au 28 janvier

lundi:	Anthologie de poésie louisianaise du XIXe siècle
mercredi:	Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans--Octavia.
vendredi:	Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans--Octavia.

IV. Semaine du 31 janvier au 4 février

lundi:	Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans--Octavia. Journal entries, Part I Due
mercredi:	Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans--Octavia.
vendredi:	Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans--Octavia.

V. Semaine du 7 au 11 février

lundi:	Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans--Octavia.
mercredi:	Paroles d’honneur : Écrits de Créoles de couleur néo-orléanais
vendredi:	Paroles d’honneur : Écrits de Créoles de couleur néo-orléanais

VI. Semaine du 14 au 18 février

lundi:	Paroles d’honneur : Écrits de Créoles de couleur néo-orléanais
mercredi:	Paroles d’honneur : Écrits de Créoles de couleur néo-orléanais
vendredi:	Paroles d’honneur : Écrits de Créoles de couleur néo-orléanais

VII. Semaine du 21 au 25 février

lundi:	Paroles d’honneur : Écrits de Créoles de couleur néo-orléanais
mercredi:	Contes et Récits de la Louisiane créole
vendredi:	Contes et Récits de la Louisiane créole, Journal entries, Part II Due

VIII. Semaine du 28 février au 4 mars

lundi:	Contes et Récits de la Louisiane créole
mercredi:	Contes et Récits de la Louisiane créole
vendredi:	Contes et Récits de la Louisiane créole

IX. Semaine du 7 au 11 mars

lundi:	Mardi Gras
mercredi:	Mardi Gras
vendredi:	Mardi Gras

X. Semaine du 14 au 18 mars

lundi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars.
mercredi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars.
lundi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars.

XI. Semaine du 21 au 25 mars

lundi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars. Journal entries, Part III Due
mercredi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars.
lundi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars.

XII. Semaine du 28 mars au 1er avril

lundi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars.
mercredi:	Alfred Mercier, L’Habitation Saint-Ybars.
vendredi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.

XIII. Semaine du 4 au 8 avril

lundi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.
mercredi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.
vendredi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.

XIV. Semaine du 11 au 15 avril

lundi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon. Paper, Part IV Due
mercredi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.
vendredi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.

XV. Semaine du 18 au 22 avril

lundi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.
mercredi:	Charles Testut, Le Vieux Salomon.
vendredi:	Pâques

XVI. Semaine du 25 avril au 29 avril