Learning objectives
The goal of this course is to provide students with basic skills of Modern Italian Philology: the outstanding example of Leopardi’s «Canti» will lead students to a deeper understanding of the discipline and, also, to study the way one of the most important Italian authors used his poetic devices and the meanings they assumed in his texts.
Prerequisites
Basics of Italian Literature and Philology.
Course unit content
The course of 30 hours (6 CFU) is developed as a seminar-course and consists of two parts:
- Part 1. “Modern Italian Philology. Case-studies and Methods”: the first part of the course aims to provide a wide-ranging and broad history of Modern Italian Philology from a case-studies analysis (e.g. Alessandro Manzoni’s «Promessi sposi», Eugenio Montale’s poems, Carlo Emilio Gadda’s novels).
- Part 2. “Giacomo Leopardi: his world, his work and the book named «Canti»”: the second part of the course concentrates on Giacomo Leopardi’s poetry. We will explore the complex genesis of the book named «Canti» by focussing on major themes, style, genre and language of a selection of texts. We will also consider their critical history both from a philological and a philosophical point of view.
Bibliography
Selected Bibliography
• Paola Italia, Giulia Raboni, Che cos’è la filologia d’autore, Roma, Carocci, 2010.
• Gianfranco Contini, Implicazioni leopardiane, in Id., Varianti e altra linguistica, Torino, Einaudi, 1984 (ma 1947), pp. 41-52.
• Domenico De Robertis, Introduzione to Giacomo Leopardi, «Canti», edited by Domenico De Robertis, Milano, Il Polifilo, 1984, pp. IX-LXVIII.
• Paola Italia, Il metodo di Leopardi. Varianti e stile nella formazione delle «Canzoni», Roma, Carocci, 2016, pp. 185-216.
Students are also expected to display a good knowledge of «Canti» (a complete dossier of didactic materials and manuscript reproductions will be at students’ disposal).
A selection of critical editions will be available for students who intend to write a short paper on Leopardi’s lyrics (see, final examination).
• Giacomo Leopardi, «Canti», edited by Domenico De Robertis, voll. 2, Milano, Il Polifilo, 1984.
• Giacomo Leopardi, «Canti», edited by Emilio Peruzzi, voll. 2, Milano, Rizzoli, 1998.
• Giacomo Leopardi, «Canti» e poesie disperse, edited by Franco Gavazzeni, with Cristiano Animosi et alii, voll. 3, Firenze, Accademia della Crusca, 2009.
Teaching methods
- No midterm examination is planned.
- Specific didactic methods are also adopted and depend on subject matter.
In the first part of the course: a number of seminar-lessons (developed with the help of well-prepared visual aids, such as PowerPoint presentations) will be devoted to the critical consideration of important case-studies in Modern Philology.
The second part of the course will focus on the genesis of Leopardi’s lyrics. A close reading of a selection of «Canti» will lead to the analytic interpretation of texts such as «Ultimo canto di Saffo», «Alla luna», «A Silvia». Special attention will be devoted to autograph manuscripts and to the most recent scholarship on the poems.
- If interested in particular research projects, students can also request specific bibliography.
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam: the evaluation test establishes if students are achieving specific learning goals for the course.
Exam questions deal with: 1. Modern Italian Philology: methods and case-studies; 2. Leopardi’s «Canti», considering both their historical and philological background.
Relevant criteria for didactic evaluation include:
- Unsatisfactory grade (score <18): lack of basic skills.
- Passing grade (score 18-24): the exam is deemed to be passed with a minimum of 60% of right answers.
- Positive grade (score 25-27): students can certificate a good knowledge of basics; they give good oral exposition and develop critical thinking.
- Excellent grade (score 28-30 cum laude): knowledge of basics and advanced competences. Very good abilities in using specific language; excellent historical knowledge; argumentation consistency.
Nevertheless, interested students can be evaluated by the presentation of a scientific paper concerning Leopardi’s lyrics (at least one text, selected independently by the student with teacher’s approval). The paper (of no more than 20.000 characters) will be judged on its content (historical and philological analysis), organization, and style. It must be submitted to the examination board at least one week before the exam.
Other information
Availability of documents and teaching material can be checked on Elly.
