This course provides a general introduction to French and francophone literature of different genres and periods. Special emphasis will be placed on concepts, methods, and problems of literary analysis with the goal of helping students to improve their ability to write literary essays. Among the questions to be explored are: What are the rules and conventions of scholarly writing? How does one develop and structure arguments to ensure that a paper is well organized? How are rhetorical devices analyzed? When and how should bibliographical references be inserted?