LA SIMPLIFICATION DES TEXTES LITTÉRAIRES EN FLE À L’ÈRE DE L’IA : DE L’ÉDITION EN FRANÇAIS FACILE AUX VERSIONS SIMPLIFIÉES GÉNÉRÉES PAR CHATGPT. UNE ÉTUDE COMPARATIVE À PROPOS DE L’ŒUVRE D’ÉMILE ZOLA, AU BONHEUR DES DAMES

(2026)

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Abstract
This study examines the simplification of literary texts in the context of Teaching French as a Foreign Language (FFL) in the era of generative artificial intelligence. It presents a comparative analysis between an editorial adaptation from the Français Facile collection (CLE International) and a version generated by ChatGPT, based on selected excerpts from Émile Zola’s novel Au Bonheur des Dames intended for A2-level learners. The research adopts a triangulated methodology combining three complementary approaches: a quantitative analysis of readability and lexical profile, a qualitative analysis of text simplification strategies, and a blind evaluation conducted with 28 teachers of French as a Foreign Language. The findings reveal two distinct approaches to text simplification. Editorial versions prioritize linguistic accessibility through substantial sentence reduction and information deletion, at the risk of diminishing certain aspects of literary quality. By contrast, ChatGPT tends to preserve the narrative progression, descriptive passages, and atmosphere of the original work while modernizing the vocabulary. The evaluation further shows that, although teachers consider the editorial versions more linguistically accessible, they attribute greater pedagogical value and a stronger potential for promoting classroom interaction to the AI-generated versions. This study therefore suggests that artificial intelligence does not replace teachers’ expertise but rather serves as a mediation tool that can support the simplification of literary texts while helping preserve their pedagogical and literary value.