Duration
45h SEM
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Annual theme: Politics and (literary) forms.
Using a case study, we'll consider the conditions of possibility (or impossibility) of a "political literature" (i.e., one focused on its critical or emancipatory power). This problem involves confronting the reproach of "aestheticism" or "formalism" levelled at those who work to invent alternative modes of expression, and questioning the supposedly "apolitical" character of attention to form.
Where does the critical or political power of a literary text come from? Is it strictly linked to elements of content (political effectiveness would then depend on the rigorous explicitness of this content)? Can it also be linked to the workings of form (but how then to verify its ideological "correctness")? Is attention to form the manifestation of a kind of elitism disconnected from reality and conjunctures?
A book will serve as the basis for our collective reflections - a book around which the seminar sessions will be organized. Tupamadre (L. Etchart) is a nugget of contemporary queer literature. The book tells the story of Etchart's childhood, caught between two languages, and of her mother battling cancer after fighting against the dictatorship in Uruguay from 1973 to 1984. The title Tupamadre is a reference to the Tupamaros (actors and actresses in Urugay's urban guerrilla movement led by the extreme left) and to "puta madre" (a popular insult, meaning both mother and street violence).
Tupamadre offers a wide range of themes to inspire the collective work: life/death, childhood, violence, links to the mother, suffering, the body, struggle, sexuality, friendship, care and so on. Above all, the book's form attracts attention: L. Etchart's book is written in grammatically insolent (appalling) French, which Editions Terrasses has had the audacity not to spoil by rectifying it. Based on this text, we'll consider the question of language hybridization, the place of idiom, learning and overcoming grammatical norms, the use of minor languages (in the sense given by Deleuze and Guattari), joy and affect in writing.
Several sessions will be organized in collaboration with Justine Huppe and Mathilde Roussigné (contemporary literature, ULiege / F.R.S-FNRS), and with researchers from the aesthetics department. All interested students are welcome (contact: Maud.Hagelstein@uliege.be). The sessions should also help prepare for a meeting with L. Etchart in 2025.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
To enable students to familiarize themselves with a central problem in critical theory and literary aesthetics, starting with a concrete case study that can be worked on collectively.
The seminar will include an epistemological and reflective component. Students will be invited to situate themselves in relation to the theme, and to question their own relationship to forms and their possible critical and political nature.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
xxxxx
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Lessons followed by discussion, group work sessions, preparation of a literary event.
Several sessions will be organized in collaboration with Justine Huppe and Mathilde Roussigné (contemporary literature, ULiege / F.R.S-FNRS), and with researchers from the aesthetics department.
All interested students are welcome (contact: Maud.Hagelstein@uliege.be).
The sessions should also provide an opportunity to prepare for a meeting with L. Etchart in 2025 (Editions Terrasses will also be contacted).
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
xxxx
Written work / report
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam
Written work / report
Additional information:
xxxx
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The seminar, which will welcome several guests, will take place in the second term, on Fridays from 2 to 5 pm. Some sessions may be combined with research activities, according to a schedule to be communicated to students.
Philosophy department meeting room (A1/philosophy department corridor/3rd floor).
Contacts
Maud.Hagelstein@uliege.be