Two different approaches to teaching Voltaire's "Candide", one deriving meaning from the textual fabric or "inside" of the story and the other focusing on the author's "external" intent in writing the story, are presented and compared. (MSE)

In a college-level introductory French literature course, one teacher uses a highly structured curriculum of lecture, class discussion, written assignments, improvisation, and dramatic performance. This approach encourages students to practice all language skills while learning to become independent critical readers and interpret literary works as…

Proposes the use of literary texts in the intermediate-level college second language course as a means of discovering tools for decoding and interpretation that will be useful to other language tasks. An approach to the introduction of texts includes preparatory exercises, discussion, and written analysis. (MSE)

Teaching techniques and small-group activities to give French language students the tools and skills to begin French literature study are discussed. Variety in course content, approach to texts, and techniques that promote active participation and enthusiasm help students acquire skills in literary analysis in a foreign language. (MSE)