Professeure : Anne-Sophie André
Programme Spé Anglais
ENS Lyon-Saclay 2025
Dysfunctional families, societies and natural phenomenons are the common ground of this year’s set texts. Another common point? A richly evocative language drawing on all the resources of English. Prepare to be amazed!
Epreuve de Theme
Commune aux deux ENS de Lyon et Paris-Saclay, elle consiste en la traduction en anglais d’un texte de fiction française d’environ 400 mots. Elle est dotée d’un coefficient 2 (Lyon) ou 6 (P-S). Pour s’y préparer, il faut maîtriser la grammaire et le vocabulaire. Les outils bibliographiques suivants sont préconisés:
– une bonne grammaire (Persec chez Ophrys par exemple, ou Berland-Delépine, La Grammaire anglaise de l’Etudiant, chez Ophrys aussi)
– un bon dictionnaire bilingue (Robert & Collins Senior) en plus du Concise English Dictionary (qui est obligatoire)
– P. Rafroidi, Le Nouveau Manuel de l’Angliciste, Ophrys, (obligatoire)
– F. Grellet, Initiation au thème anglais, Hachette
Literature
ENS Lyon
– William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Lear, New Cambridge Shakespeare, ed. Jay Halio, Third edition (2020). ISBN : 978-1316646977
– Seamus Heaney, North (1975), Faber & Faber (2001). (Recueil entier). ISBN : 978- 0571108138
– Kate Chopin, The Awakening (1899), Penguin Modern Classics (2003). ISBN : 978- 0142437322
You are expected to have read all set texts by the start of the school year.
Bibliography
In addition to the set texts above, you are expected to purchase either M. H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms, Boston, Wadsworth, 2005 or F. Grellet, A Handbook of Literary Terms, Paris, Hachette, 1996 or 2009.
Further Reading:
The Awakening : The introduction to your edition is very comprehensive. Articles will be added to Nextcloud. You can also check out The Cambridge Companion to Kate Chopin, 2008.
The Tragedy of King Lear: Try to catch a performance either on stage or on DVD. (see anglais.colin-andre.fr for recommandations) before reading the play.
Once you’ve read the play, read the introduction until p. 50. And then re-read the play!
Jan Kott, Shakespeare , Notre Contemporain, 1962, 1978 pour la trad. française
Richard Marienstras, Shakespeare et le désordre du monde, « Lear ensauvagé », Paris, 2012.
The Oxford Handbook of Shakespearean Tragedy, Neil & Schakwik eds, 2016.
North: it will be useful to be familiar with the historical background of Ulster until 1975. See https://www.universalis-edu.com/encyclopedie/irlande-du-nord-ulster/ as a starting point.
The Vikings and bogmen play a great role in the collection: see https://www.museumsilkeborg.dk/welcome-to-the-story-about-tollund-man and https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Archaeology/Exhibitions/Viking-Ireland
More material will be added to NextCloud and on the website’s poetry page.
ENS Paris-Saclay
There is no set syllabus. In order to prepare, read as extensively as you can. There are several good anthologies of English & American literature available on the market. Do not worry: universal knowledge is impossible in this crowded field!
Civilization
ENS Lyon
British & American culture and civilisation as seen through the press : see M. Petit’s syllabus.
ENS Paris-Saclay
« La montée des populismes et de l’extrême-droite au Royaume-Uni et aux États-Unis depuis 2015 ».
The question was announced very late. I shall provide you with a reading list during the year. In the meantime, keep track of D. Trump’s and N. Farage’s campaigns…
prepaSernin 