Learning objectives
The course aims to provide the students with in-depth knowledge of the essentials of the history of Spanish literature of the twentieth century, making it possible to understand literary phenomena; it aims also to provide interpretative methodologies to apply, even on their own, to the study of the authors and to the analysis of the texts. Particularly, the students learn to:
-know the main authors, works, movements of Spanish literature of the twentieth century;
-understand and analyze poetry, drama and narrative (in the original language) which have stylistic and thematic complexity;
-find independently, understand and critically revise information on the topics discussed, using the bibliography;
-express, in Spanish, complex contents, formulate analyzes and opinions on the literary and critical texts, and on the issues studied, using an appropriate linguistic register and the specific vocabulary of literary studies (and corresponding to level C1);
-apply the skills developed in the course to the literary texts autonomously studied.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
The course, in Spanish and Italian, concerns the Spanish literature of the twentieth century, of which the historical and cultural context, the main authors and the most significant literary movements will be presented. The main object of the lessons is the analysis of two poetic collections written by Miguel de Unamuno, "De Fuerteventura a París" (1925) and "Romancero del Destierro" (1928), both the result of the specific political, cultural and personal circumstances (the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and the exile of the author), that determined their character of civil poetry, which is however, at the same time, deeply intimate and human. A first part of the course will serve to introduce briefly the profile of the author, to illustrate his relevance in the literary scene of the time and to present the historical and cultural context, which is essential for the understanding of the poems. A second part of the lectures will be devoted to the thematic, stylistic and linguistic analysis of a selection of poems, in the original language, from Unamuno’s two collections, and also to read articles and short writings by the same author. Students are also required to investigate independently the topics examined during the course through the study of some critical essays. Besides, it is required the preparation of a textbook on the history of Spanish literature, and the reading and in-depth study of some narrative and dramatic texts of the twentieth century. The critical bibliography and a complete list of the readings are indicated in the program, that will be available on the website of the Area of Foreign Languages and Literatures from the beginning of the course.
Full programme
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Bibliography
M. de Unamuno, “De Fuerteventura a París”, ed. by O. Perotti, Napoli, Liguori, 2009, e M. de Unamuno “Romancero del destierro”, in “Poesía completa”, ed. by A. Suárez Miramón, Madrid, Alianza, 1987-1989, vol.II, pp. 357-427 (for the texts analyzed during the course); “L’età contemporanea della letteratura spagnola. Il Novecento”, ed. by M.G. Profeti, Firenze, La Nuova Italia, 2001 (for the cultural and literary history). Further bibliographical references will be provided during the course and in the examination program.
Teaching methods
The lectures, in Spanish and Italian, will be used to present the historical and cultural context, the authors and the selected works, and to guide the student in the use of the reference bibliography, which will be deepened through self-study; the lessons will serve also to introduce the texts, which will be read in the original language and analyzed by the teacher, however constantly stimulating the participation of the student and an autonomous approach to the understanding of literary phenomena and the interpretation of texts.
Assessment methods and criteria
The verification of knowledge and skills is achieved through an oral test in Spanish and Italian. The knowledge and skills verified through the test are:
-the knowledge of the historical and cultural context, of literary phenomena, authors and texts of the period taken into consideration, achieved also through an individual study and autonomous re-elaboration of contents;
-the ability to read, understand and analyze the literary texts presented during the course and those studied individually, even in an original way;
-an oral competence in Spanish corresponding to level C1, and mastery in the use of a register and a lexicon adequate to expose and discuss literary themes.
The oral test is intended to verify the acquisition of the knowledge and skills above mentioned, the ability to deepen and re-elaborate them in an original way, and the ability to apply them autonomously to the analysis of the text and to express critical judgments, including through comparisons and original re-elaborations.
Therefore, an evaluation of failure is determined by a lack of knowledge of the minimum contents studied in the course and of the ability to re-elaborate them independently, by the lack of understanding and analysis of complex texts, of an adequate oral competence in Spanish and of the ability to obtain information independently and make original judgments. A sufficient evaluation (18-23/30) is determined by the acquisition of the minimum requirements established by the course, by the demonstration of a sufficient capacity for autonomous re-elaboration, understanding and analysis of the texts, and a sufficient oral competence in Spanish. An average evaluation (24-27/30) is determined by the achievement of a more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) level of the indicators above. A high evaluation (from 28/30 to 30/30 cum laude) is determined by the achievement of a very good to excellent level of the same evaluation indicators.
Other information
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