The literary commentary is one of the two topics offered in the written portion of the preliminary French exam for the baccalaureate in France, along with the essay. This type of exam is also practiced, though with a stronger stylistic focus, in .
Formerly known as the commentaire composé or commentaire de texte, the literary commentary is, according to the French National Education curriculum, "the space for expressing a personal judgment on a text, using precise and relevant vocabulary that allows for its specific characterization." The purpose is to highlight the literary uniqueness of the passage under study through a rigorous method. Though it is a longstanding exam, it was more formally instituted in 1902.
The literary commentary is specific to exercises proposed in general and technological high school programs since 1972. Graded out of 20 points, it carries a coefficient of 5 in the baccalaureate for both tracks. It is an optional task for the written exam but mandatory for the oral, which takes the form of a line-by-line explanation, regardless of the student's academic track.
To begin, the commentary requires a careful and analytical reading of the excerpt provided. The student must develop a reading approach (that is, a relevant problem or question) that will organize the analysis around two or three main axes. The final piece must be rigorously structured, with an introduction, development, and conclusion.
This exercise draws on analytical and synthetic thinking, critical judgment, and argumentation skills. Always linked to the thematic units of the French program, it rewards a literary culture that is sensitive to grammatical, lexical, versification, or rhetorical techniques the author employs.
Framework Since 1969, literary commentary has been one of the three possible topics in the written portion of the preliminary French exam for the baccalaureate in France, alongside the essay and, formerly, creative writing (écriture d'invention). Thus, it is an optional written task but a compulsory part of the oral exam.: (...) the subject offers a choice between three types of writing tasks, related to all or part of the texts studied: a commentary, an essay, or creative writing. This written work is marked out of a minimum of 16 points for general subjects and 14 points for technological subjects when preceded by questions, and out of 20 in all subjects when there are no questions. It is defined as "the space for expressing a personal judgment on a text, using precise and relevant vocabulary that allows for its specific characterization.": The circular continues: "identification of genre, register, literary movement, topos, its significance, and its place in an intertextual network. Acquiring and mastering this specific vocabulary, which promotes 'accuracy of expression,' are major objectives of the final year of literary studies. The accurate characterization of a text and the rigorous formulation of its specificity are essential skills to be developed in literary education." The name of the exercise has evolved with changes in curricula and education reforms. It replaced one of the three formats of the "French composition" exam in 1969, was first officially titled commentaire de texte in 1972, became commentaire composé in 2002, and has been known as commentaire littéraire since 2006. The term commentaire de texte remains in use in philosophy exams, but the nature of that task differs: it involves analyzing one or more texts without using language-specific tools. In Quebec, a similar exam exists under the name épreuve uniforme de français.
The commentary must be based on a literary text, taken from a work studied in the curriculum (since 2006). However, "the candidate may also be asked to compare two texts." Additionally, since the 2002 reform, the task has always accompanied by a guiding question: "In general tracks, the student writes a structured paper presenting their interpretation and personal judgments. In technological tracks, the prompt is phrased in a way that helps guide the student in their work." The text to be commented on is generally limited to 15–25 lines or one to two pages, especially for theatrical texts. After a set of preliminary observation questions, the instruction for the commentary is often very brief: "Write a literary commentary on this text." Today, the practice of literary commentary is often criticized for reducing the text and its literary value. Seen as overly technical, the exercise is said by critics not to allow for a personal or emotional interpretation of the passage.
Finally, "the commentaire composé is commonly practiced from high school through university, as well as in preparatory classes." In higher education, especially in literature programs, students are expected to produce "stylistic commentaries."
Educational objectives
Applying thematic units The word text is etymologically a "woven fabric" that brings together various linguistic and stylistic components—components that the commentary must present. The primary goal of the commentary is to assess the student's mastery of all linguistic, stylistic, and literary history tools taught in secondary education. The objective is to apply these thematic units to a literary text to highlight its stylistic value. The student's ability to interpret the text within a specific context is also evaluated. Finally, it contributes to developing writing and oral communication skills (especially for the oral exam), which are part of the "
The commentary involves the explanation of a text that can belong to any genre (theatre, poetry, novel, press article, etc.), any type (argumentative, polemical, epic, narrative, poetic), or any literary period (Romanticism, Surrealism, etc.). The topic must always be tied to a thematic unit in the curriculum. It is a certificative assessment—that is, one that measures the student's ability to understand and reuse the curriculum's thematic tools, such as language tools, clarity of expression, knowledge of literary history, grammar, and terminology used in literary analysis. The official thematic units (as of the 2011 academic year) are:
In 10th grade (Seconde): Comedy and tragedy in the 17th century: Classicism Genre and form of argumentation in the 17th and 18th centuries The novel and the short story in the 19th century: Realism and Naturalism Poetry from the 19th to the 20th century: From Romanticism to Surrealism In 11th Grade (Première): Theater from the 17th century to the 21st century Poetry from the 19th century to the 21st century Literature of ideas from the 16th century to the 18th century The novel and narrative from the Middle Ages to the 21st century
These fields of study are mandatory. "Their list constitutes one of the essential contributions of the new curricula, which thereby indicate the foundations of the necessary and shared culture of high school students and future citizens."
Synthesis and analysis The exam also evaluates the student's ability to organize, structure, and explain their text analysis, while identifying the issues it raises. The literary commentary is therefore built on two opposing yet complementary approaches that must be combined in a single production:
An analytical approach: The student must explain and clarify the text by identifying its conditions and characteristics of production through the collection and study of language devices. A synthetic approach: The student must also define the main lines of thought based on identified themes or problematics, in other words, the "movements of the text."
A linear reading is therefore prohibited; a so-called "juxtalinear" commentary does not highlight what makes the studied text "literary." According to Marcelle Dietrich, "textual explanation through identification" enables the combination of these two approaches, analytical and synthetic, offering an authentic way of reading the text.
The guidance document accompanying the curriculum describes the objectives of the literary commentary in the following terms: "The student is thus invited to analyze and understand a text and then to characterize it, to offer a judgment on this text based on the essential characteristics they have identified, and to justify this judgment with an argument founded on the precise analyses they have conducted: the formation of critical judgment and a respectful analysis of the text are the two main objectives." The literary commentary is therefore based on a specific method that enables the use of literary devices likely to highlight the author's style, as well as the issues inherent in the text and its context of production. Finally, the student must demonstrate neutrality and objectivity in both their argumentation and writing. According to Jacques Vassevière, commentary remains preferred by French teachers over the essay because of this dual methodological requirement.
An exam that varies by grade level and stream "A keystone of French education in high school," the practice of commentary is acquired only in 11th grade (Première); it is the framework within which students can exercise their critical judgment. It should be addressed in every teaching sequence and must allow the reinvestment of language skills acquired. In 10th grade (Seconde), it is only introduced through "short and frequent exercises [which] develop creative writing, while also preparing students for commentary writing and the essay."
However, the exam differs depending on the educational track. For technological streams: "The wording of the commentary takes the form of two (or even three) questions that guide and map out a 'reading path.'" Unlike the literary commentary required in general education tracks, "It is not necessary to require the candidate to write standard transitions, an introduction, and a conclusion," even if logical coherence is still expected. In general education streams, "the commentary may take various forms of organization: a plan in two or three parts, or a more flexible elaboration of a movement that follows the construction of meaning." The final year of the literary track (Terminale littéraire) is the only one at this level that continues with the production of literary commentaries in a more in-depth manner.
Attitudes and skills The practice of literary commentary "reveals the dismay students feel toward an exercise perceived as complex, for which progressive learning is often abandoned." explains this by pointing to the lack of textbooks on the market specifically designed to help students. This absence contrasts with the overabundance of exam compendia, especially since the exercise engages various student attitudes and abilities. These include acquiring broad cultural knowledge, improving writing skills, engaging in a reflection that extends beyond the purely academic to consider the role of literature in learning French, and mastering metalanguage to refine writing and analysis (competencies that must all be invested in the exam exercise). However, these are scarcely studied by educational psychology, except for work by Isabelle Delcambre and B. Veck. The exercise also allows students to build expert reading skills, and according to Bertrand Daunay, it helps them "gradually form an image of themselves as readers, and break away from their perception of reading, of reading in school, of academic reading." The knowledge required falls into two categories: the "disciplines of the text" (linguistics, rhetoric, stylistics, semiotics, poetics) and literary history (as well as the humanities or history more broadly), while the skills involved are primarily writing-related.