Teaching the cult of literature in the French Third Republic / M. Martin Guiney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Guiney, Mortimer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

French literature--Study and teaching--France.

French literature.

Education--France--History--19th century.

Education.

French literature--Study and teaching.

France.

History.

Physical Description:

xvi, 268 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.

Summary:

The Emergence of national education in France is often viewed as a struggle between spiritual and secular authorities, church and state. When one looks at the role of literature in education, however, a different picture appears. By assuming control over the teaching of French language and literature, Guiney argues, the state claimed spiritual guardianship over the nation. The issue was therefore not so much of conflict between spiritual and secular forces, as the attempt by one institution to appropriate the spiritual authority of another. Situated at the intersection of history and literary criticism, this book casts new light on literary pedagogy, canon formation, and the relationship between culture and the modern French state.

Contents:

Introduction: Literature versus Scripture 1

Part I Origins: The Revolution and the Republican Cult of Literature 23

1. The Taboo Against Literature in the School of the Republic 25

2. Beyond Condorcet: The Revolutionary Attack on Literature 41

Part II Language and Literature in Primary Education 55

3. The Evangelism of National Education 57

4. The Fathers of Pedagogical Science, Gabriel Compayre and Ferdinand Bussion 81

5. The Suppression and Expression of Literature in Primary Education: Evolution of the Manuel de francais 99

6. The Theme of Assimilation in Primary School Textbooks 113

Part III Literature in Secondary Education: The Question of Latin, the Crisis of French 139

7. Latin as Symbol for the Mysteries of French 141

8. Against Literature: The "Question of Latin" 157

9. For Literature: The "Crisis of French" 173

Conclusion: The Spirituality of French Literature 205.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [245]-257) and index.

ISBN:

1403965188

OCLC:

54073924