10.5 Writing a dissertation — the full three-part plan — Epoché
What you will be able to do Write a complete French dissertation at C1 level: an introduction in four moves, three parts with sub-parts, transitions, and a conclusion that opens. Analyse a subject before writing: define its key terms, find the tension inside it, and turn it into a real question, la problématique . Build each paragraph of the body as an idea, an example and an analysis, using the readings of this course as examples. Prepare a detailed plan, le plan détaillé , in the first hour of an examination. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the French aloud; all of them come back below. French English Elle a écrit l'un des romans les plus célèbres de tous les temps. [1] She wrote one of the most famous novels of all time. Les romans ne sont plus aussi lus que par le passé. [2] Novels aren't being read as much as they were in the past. Nous rions souvent avant de parler. [3] We often laugh before we speak. J'essaie de faire l'effort de venir plus souvent. [4] I've been trying to make an effort to come here more often. Comment avez-vous fait pour trouver un tel poste ? [5] How did you come by such a job? Elle n'a fait aucun effort pour présenter ses excuses. [6] She made no effort to apologize. C'est un vieil homme et il doit être traité comme tel. [7] He is an old man and should be treated as such. Prerequisites : 7.36 — the model essay draws on 7.36 Reading and the other readings of this phase. This lesson takes up the short essay of 10.1 Argument and develops it into the full form expected at the end of French secondary school and at university. In 10.1 Argument you met the three-part plan in a short essay of about 220 words. A real dissertation is longer, usually four to eight pages written in four hours, and much more demanding in its first and last pages. Examiners often decide on the introduction alone whether the writer has understood the subject. This lesson takes you through the whole process, from the first reading of the subject to the final sentence, with a model essay on a literary question. The plan Part What it does Typical phrases Introduction: the hook, l'amorce Opens with a precise fact, a quotation or a paradox that leads to the subject. Never a vague generality about humanity since the dawn of time. Pourtant, … Introduction: the subject and its terms Quotes the subject and defines its key words, showing where the difficulty lies. Être …, c'est … Introduction: la problématique States the question the essay will answer, in one or two sentences. On peut donc se demander si … Introduction: the plan Announces the three parts in one sentence. Nous verrons d'abord …, puis …, avant de montrer … Each part Opens with a sentence that states its idea, then develops two or three sub-parts, each a paragraph. D'abord, … , Ensuite, … , Enfin, … Each paragraph An idea, an example, an analysis of the example: what it shows and why it matters. Ainsi, … , C'est pourquoi … Each transition Sums up the part in one sentence and raises the doubt that leads to the next. Cependant, si …, comment expliquer que … ? Conclusion Answers the question clearly, sums up the path, then opens onto a wider question. En conclusion, … , Reste à savoir si … Analysing the subject Read every word. Copy the subject and underline each important word. In Un personnage de roman doit-il être aimable pour nous intéresser ? , each word counts: personnage de roman (not of drama or of history), doit-il (is it necessary, or only usual?), aimable (in its strong sense, worthy of being loved, not just pleasant), nous intéresser (to hold our attention, to make us want to know). Find the tension. A good subject hides a paradox. Here it is simple to state: the most famous characters of the French novel, Emma Bovary, old Grandet, Julien Sorel, are not lovable. If they interest us, the link between sympathy and interest is not what we first think. The problématique comes from this tension. Collect the examples first. Before deciding on the plan, list ten examples on a sheet of paper: novels, plays, characters, scenes. The plan will grow from them, and you will avoid a plan that you cannot support. For this subject the readings of this course give you Emma ( 7.36 Reading ), Gervaise ( 7.39 Reading ), Grandet ( 7.41 Reading ), Fabrice ( 7.42 Reading ), Charles Bovary ( 7.36 Reading ) and Bergson's theory of laughter ( 7.51 Reading ). Write the detailed plan. In an examination of four hours, spend at least the first hour on the plan: the three parts, their sub-parts, one example for each sub-part, and the two transitions. Write the introduction and the conclusion in full on your draft. Then write the body directly, without a full draft. Worked example A model written for this course: the introduction, the first part and the conclusion in full, about 370 words, and the second and third parts as a detailed plan. The subject: Un personnage de roman doit-il être aimable pour nous intéresser ? Introduction: hook. « Madame Bovary » est l'un des romans les plus lus de la littérature française. Pourtant, son héroïne ment à son mari, le ruine et ne pense qu'à elle-même. Comment un tel personnage peut-il nous retenir pendant des centaines de pages ? Introduction: the terms. Être aimable, au sens fort, c'est mériter d'être aimé : avoir de la bonté, du courage, de la générosité. S'intéresser à un personnage, c'est vouloir connaître son destin, le comprendre, parfois souffrir avec lui. Introduction: question and plan. On peut donc se demander si l'intérêt que nous portons à un personnage dépend de l'amour que nous avons pour lui. Nous verrons d'abord que la sympathie est un puissant moteur de la lecture, puis que bien des personnages nous fascinent sans être aimables, avant de montrer que l'intérêt naît moins de la vertu d'un personnage que de la vérité avec laquelle il est peint. Part I, idea and first paragraph. D'abord, il est vrai que nous lisons souvent pour suivre un personnage que nous aimons. Le lecteur se met