A study of late nineteenth-century literary culture in France contextualized in terms of the major literary, intellectual, artistic and socio-political developments of the era. This course draws on material covered in literary and historical modules in Years 1 and 2 and develops skills in literary studies, focusing particularly on historically contextualised readings of a range of key fin de siècle texts.

• Introductory reading list: Paul Bourget, Le Disciple (Classiques de Poche, 2010); Émile Zola, Fécondité (extracts); Colette Yver, Les Cervelines and Princesses de science  (extracts); Octave Mirbeau, Le Jardin des supplices (Folio, 1988).