Learning outcomes
Students will have a solid grounding in the 'genre' of the novel, and will be able to approach the novel critically and read with a sensitivity to the literary techniques employed by realist novelists. They will be able to approach a text with some theoretical awareness, and have a sophisticated grasp of the relationship between form and content.

Aims
This module tackles key canonical texts from the golden age of the realist novel, giving students a grounding in the nineteenth-century novel, and an insight into an era of rapid modernisation in French society. Lectures will provide an introduction to the historical context: the place and role of literature in a rapidly changing socio-political situation, and the history of the novel form. Appropriate theoretical frameworks will also be introduced. Seminars will focus on aesthetic issues relating to realism, developing students' analytical and close-reading skills.