| Unit name | Me, Myself, and I: The Essais of Michel de Montaigne |
|---|---|
| Unit code | FREN30114 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Tomlinson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of French |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
In a three-volume work for which he invented a term that we today take for granted, Les Essais, Michel de Montaigne moves from the personal to the political, from his sexual failings to his fear of death by choking, from the merits of cannibalism to what the intelligence of his pet cat says about what it means to be human. Switching subject from one second to the next, dismissing structure, filling his work with stolen quotations from writers modern and ancient, he writes page upon page about himself – what he thought, what he did and didn’t (and couldn’t) know, people he met, what he ate, where he went, how he felt, whom he loved – declaring, with spectacular self-regard, and in a focus on the individual that was without precedent in European culture, ‘Je suis moi-même la matière de mon livre’.
The Essais were a Renaissance bestseller, inspiring Shakespeare, becoming a must-have for every gentleman and gentlewoman’s library, and upsetting the Catholic church so much that they were later banned. What is it about Montaigne’s writing that had, and continues to have, such impact? Are today’s readers of the Essais, professional and lay, right to see in him the roots of what we understand as ‘modernity’? What can the many ways in which Montaigne has been read and reinvented tell us about his writing and our place as readers? In this course, you will study his fascinating and idiosyncratic writing at close quarters and will consider what Montaigne asks of his reader and what his reflections on how he lives might do for us as we make daily decisions on how we lead our lives. Through the course you will gain extensive knowledge of the cultural contexts in which Montaigne is working, will scrutinize the ways in which the Essais exploit and depart from inherited modes of writing, and will develop a nuanced understanding of the purpose, modes, and practices of his radically innovative mode of writing.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous sessions and asynchronous activities, including seminars, lectures, and collaborative as well as self-directed learning opportunities supported by tutor consultation.
1 x recorded group podcast (40%). Testing ILOs 1-5.
1 x 3000-word essay (60%). Testing ILOs 1-4.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. FREN30114).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
