SAVREMENI FRANKOFONI PISCI U NASTAVI FRANCUSKOG KAO STRANOG JEZIKA: PERIOD IZMEĐU DVA SVETSKA RATA

Abstract

The paper examines the problem of representation of contemporary Francophone writers in high school teaching of the French language between the two world wars, which, given the curriculum requirements at the higher cycle of Yugoslav grammar schools and high schools, involved the use of textbooks based on literary texts. Although we find important individu- als from universities, such as Bogdan Popović, among the authors of French textbooks, the texts of Francophone writers were included only in Radoje Knežević’s textbooks. Referring to the results of mostly contemporary literary research and applying the descriptive-analytical method, the issue in the title was studied from the aspect of the importance of writers, the representativeness of selected texts and the degree of their linguistic complexity. Starting from the assumption that Knežević had previously consulted the best known French anthologies, we can state that his selection of Francophone writers truly reflected the reputation they gained in the European literature. Thus, the younger students in the higher cycle were introduced to the creator of comic books, Töpffer, through an excerpt from the story of his uncle, while older students had the opportunity to get acquainted with parts of Amiel’s personal diary, as well as with the poetry of Belgian giants of symbolism Rodenbach, Verhaeren and Maeterlinck. Considering the fact that articles on literary texts in French language teaching were very rarely published during the interwar period, we can only speculate on the approach of teachers in the process of processing. In any case, these were representative texts that were generally not par- ticularly demanding in terms of linguistics, which enabled a quality reception. The representa- tion of the mentioned Francophone writers represented a deviation from the traditional choice of French literary classics and a partial orientation towards contemporary literature written in French, which is a significant didactic and pedagogical and literary novelty.