L'autobiographie comme introduction à la critique dans l'enseignement

Abstract

Curricula designed for the teaching of French as a foreign language usually exclude literary theory, which is considered as a meta-science reserved for first language speakers only. This article postulates that postgraduate (i.e. Honours) students of French as a foreign language should also be introduced to the underlying theories of their discipline. The theoretical debate which surrounds autobiography is proposed as a point of departure to initiate the student into the field of literary criticism. This essay suggests a case for autobiography as a field of study to which a student can relate with greater ease. Theoretical and critical reflection on literature, which is by definition an activity of a highly abstract and academic nature, would thus become more accessible to students whose French is still far from perfect.



Keywords: autobiography/autobiographie; teaching of French as a foreign language/ enseignement du Français Langue Etrangère; literary criticism/critique littéraire


[Jnl for Language Teaching Vol.37(2) 2003: 281-292]