French 341AF - Courses in Francophone Studies: 'Tales and Legends of French-Speaking Africa'

Since the advent of fiction writing in French-speaking Africa in the 1920s, the study of African literatures has been mainly limited to poems, novels, short stories, and plays written by a French-educated elite. In this course we will explore samples of African oral literatures including tales, epic songs, and legends from different African regions. Through translations by writers such as Léopold Sédar Senghor, Birago Diop (Senegal), Djibril Tamsmir Niane (Guinea), and Bernard Dadié (Ivory Coast) we will try to view African societies from "within" and gain an understanding of the genealogy of modern African literature in European languages.

Prereq: Two of the following courses: FREN-215, FREN-219, FREN-225.