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| Reviewed: |
Feb 03, 2003 by World Languages Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
"Brouillons d'ecrivains" is one of the virtual exhibitions made available by the
Bibliotheque nationale de France on its website. It is centered on manuscripts
that belong to the BnF collection. Readers may look at excerpts from
manuscripts of Balzac, Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Emile Zola, Marcel
Proust, Jean-Paul Sartre, Raymond Queneau, and Georges Perec, to name just some
of them. Short descriptions highlight the manuscripts main features and allow a
better understanding of each author's techniques, standards, and intents. The
website has three sections: 1. "En Images": Flash presentation of the
manuscripts, the authors and a few pages; 2. "Arret sur..." : dossiers on
related themes (e.g. the preservation of authors' manuscripts throughout time;
the genealogy of texts); 3. "Dossiers d'ecrivains": specific portfolios on Hugo,
Zola and Proust. There are three additional sections: a. "rencontres": audio
interviews of contemporary writers reflecting on the concept of "brouillon" ;
"pistes pedagogiques" suggests ways of incorporating the study of the manuscript
in the instruction, and links to downloadable files that contains the visual
and textual materials (in pdf format) presented on the site; finally "reperes"
provides a bibliography and a list of related links.
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| Learning Goals: |
Develop proficiency in critical theory (text production) and literary and
cultural history. Students of writing can also compare their own personal
writing processes to those of the authors featured,
developing an awareness of
their own practice.
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| Target Student Population: |
Native speakers and FSL graduate and advanced students. Students of French
literature and those enrolled in writing courses.
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| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
Advanced to superior proficiency in culture and language.
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| Type of Material: |
Reference material, mainly texts and images. Some audio-visual components.
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| Recommended Uses: |
One may incorporate this resource in literature courses that focus on creative
processes. N.B. The section "pistes pedagogiques" was developed in consideration
for the French "seconde" (French 10-11th grade) literature programs that
include courses in "genetique des textes" (text production).
"Brouillons d'ecrivains" may also be used in creative writing courses, to
illustrate various creative processes.
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| Technical Requirements: |
Latest Flash version for the first section "En images", and for "rencontres"
(films of writers' interviews).
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| Strengths: |
The quality of the content is excellent. The manuscripts were carefully chosen
to illustrate a broad variety of writing techniques and to help understand each
author's approach to writing. The enlarged images(reproductions of pages from
manuscripts) are of the best visual quality. The descriptions and analysis of
the manuscripts are concise and focused, providing a wealth of informations on
each author's techniques.
The Pistes Pedagogiques make fine use of modern media to give the user insight
into a given author's style. An example from Zola's L'Assommoir, contains links
to various passages of the novel where the main character, Gervaise, is
described from the point of view of a variety of other characters and from her
own perspective. The links are arranged sequentially to cover various moments in
her life, from her youth to her tragic adult life. The choice of these
particular scenes bring memories of graduate seminars where groups of students,
Livre de poche in hand, would leaf through pages, painstakingly building such a
portrait. This web site allows the self-directed learner easy access to
thetext with the click of a mouse. A similar analysis of Zola's research into
the effect of alcoholism gives the user a first-hand view of how the Realist
dealt with social issues in his fiction.
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
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| Strengths: |
This website would be an excellent complement to a literature course centered on
writing as a process. "Brouillons d'ecrivains" provides
materials for discussion in critical theory as well as creative writing courses.
The various comments from authors on writing today and more particularly, the
effect that the computer will have on the draft process in the future,
can
spark lively classroom discussions. On the one hand, it seems like such a
privilege to be able to look into the thought process of a writer by perusing
his manuscripts with all the jotting down of corrections in the margins,
doodles and words crossed out. On the other hand, the web site makes us ponder
how the computer with its cut, copy and paste will effect our access to this
early stage of the writing process in the future.
The multisensory approach to literature will appeal to users of a wide variety
of learning styles. Hearing the extracts from the CD-ROM "L'Aventure des
ecritures" while seein g a photo of the author and his manuscript at the same
time, will appeal to both visual and auditory learners.
The Pistes pedagogiques give faculty excellent ideas for manipulating the texts
on the site. Good use is made of stand-alone dossiers on Proust, Hugo and
Zola. Having the ability to use text-only as well as the multimedia versions of
certain segments makes the site accessible to more learners.
In Reperes, the external links give students access to the latest in e-writing,
making the site more global in its treatment of writers past and present.
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| Concerns: |
The pedagogical portfolios ("pistes pedagogiques" ) may be disappointing to some
users because they do not strictly pertain to the main theme. Also, since
they were designed with French literature programs in mind, they may not always
fit FSL learners needs as well as those of native speakers. Instructors may
choose to use only some of the site's features in third and fourth year
literature
courses.
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
| Rating: |
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| Strengths: |
"Brouillons d'ecrivains" has an attractive design and is easy to navigate.
Following the concept of all BnF virtual exhibitions,
it may be explored in
various directions, allowing to return to the main menu from each page.
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