Votre épreuve finale à l'écrit du baccalauréat comprend  un oral au cours duquel vous devez présenter un dossier personnel qui comprend "au moins une des œuvres intégrales étudiées au cours du cycle terminal (œuvre matérialisée par un extrait ou une illustration)".

Vous devez donc être en mesure de parler de cette œuvre que vous aurez lue et étudiée au cours de l'année et d'expliquer en quoi elle se rattache aux thèmes du programme de Terminale.

First to be able to introduce the book, ask yourself the following questions :

  • What type of book is it : a novel, a collection of short stories, a play, a collection of poems ?

  • When and where was it written and published and why is that relevant (from a historical or literary point of view) ?

  • Who is the author, what do you know about him or her ? What are the writer's best known works ?

  • What biographical elements might account for certain aspects of the writer's works ? For example some writers, like James Joyce, spent most of their lives in exile and yet wrote about their native country. 

While reading make notes about:

  • The setting : where and when does the action take place (why is that relevant ?)

  • The main characters : who are they ? How are they related ? Do they evolve or not ? Do they go through an epiphany of some kind ? What is their function in the story ? 

  • The plot : what happens. Note down how events unfold and why. What consequences do these events have (or not) ? Are there unexpected twists in the story ? Any climaxes ? 

  • The main themes : what are they and how does the author develop them ?

Choose a relevant passage for your final presentation :

• Which part of the novel or story is the passage drawn from ? 
• Sum up briefly what has happened so far. Explain why you have chosen this particular passage.
• Who are the characters present in the passage or the scene ? What is their function here ?

Comment on this passage :

• Underline what themes are developed and link this to the author's style : is there dialogue, stream of consciousness, etc ?
• How does this passage determine further events ?

Say what you think as a reader about the passage which you have chosen and the whole work. 

• Do not just say : "I like it because …." Show that you have carefully read and analysed the author's work and underline which aspects particularly appealed to you and why. 
• You may, in your conclusion, also link this to other works which you studied in class or have read on your own.

____________________________________________________________________
a collection : un recueil
relevant : pertinent
to account for : expliquer
related : lié
to go through an epiphany : avoir une révélation
plot : l'intrigue
to unfold : se dérouler
unexpected twist : rebondissement inattendu
climax : point fort
to link : relier