Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with two priority skills and abilities: in the first part of the Course we will implement’ the history and literary knowledge of Italian contemporary literature, looking at for first the genre of the Novel. In the second part we would like to introduce theoretical reflections about sociology and editorial history of the novel and we will analyse two important novels with the instrument of literary and narrative critics.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
The History of the Novel in the 18th and the first part of the 19th century is characterized by two very important factors: first, there were new issues in the literary production (the middle class readers and industrial publishing) that chose the novel as the best genre to entertain and satisfy the tastes of the new reading class, which way developing in the Italian society. The second important factor in the development of the Novel in Italian literature is that this genre mirrors the middle class and its crisis.
In the first part of the course the students will be introduced to the social-cultural reflections and transformations of the second half of the 19th century: the improvement in printing technology, the increase in the reading public and how writing became a recognized profession. These factors contributed to the rise and development of the novel.
In the second half of the course, two novels will be read and analyzed in class, in order to aknowledge the relationship between the narrative and the crisis of society. The books are: Luigi Pirandello, Uno, nessuno e centomila and Italo Svevo, La coscienza di Zeno.
Full programme
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Bibliography
• The history of Contemporary Italian Literature
• Luigi Pirandello, Uno, nessuno e centomila and Italo Svevo, La coscienza di Zeno.
• Text books advised will be introduced at the beginning of the course.
Teaching methods
Lectures will take place through class teaching.
Assessment methods and criteria
The examination is made up in two parts: the first is written and the student will have to prove his or her knowledge concerning the most important authors and themes of Italian contemporary literature. The second part is an oral examination regarding the texts, the concepts and the reflections explained during the lessons.
Other information
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