Learning objectives
1) Institutional part
This part aims to give to students the basic instruments for a historical and philological approach to italian literature. This is planned:
a) Acquiring kwnoledge and skills about literary text:
- Theory of literature and narrative fiction
- Metrics and Prosody
- Using philological instruments (critical Editions ettc.)
- Using main publishoing instruments of italian literature (historical dictionnaries; particular bookwords; digital instruments etc.)
b) Knoledge of historical development of italian literature. Most inportant Writers; cultural movements and literary scholarship.
Dublin Index aims:
Knoledge and undestanding
Learning skills
2) Monographic part
Second part of course includes a particular topic to be studied more deeply. This aims to lead students towards critical complexity and methodological approach diversity.
Therefore the course aims to give various abilities:
- To Pick up data and knowledge and set all them in a correct historical context
- Critical interpretation of literary texts
- To formulate opinions and personal opinions
Dublin Index aims:
- Making judgements
- - Communication skills
Prerequisites
Are required basic linguistic competences (text understanding; writing a text correct under the aspects of lexicon, sintax, clearness of argument).
If a student shows to have problems in this field, he will agree with teacher a specific way. Student can take part to IDEA project (basic grammatical course; Italian writing course etc.).
Course unit content
The course is divided into two parts
A) Institutional
This part plans to acquire basic competences of:
1. Theory od Literature e knowledge of main critical trends of XX century
2. Knowledge of Metric,, Prosody, Rhetoric.
3. Reading of Dante’s Commedy
4. Knowledge of Italian Literature: historic and cultural moment; Opera and Life of main Italian writers.
5. Reading of some classical books of Italian Literature
B) Monographic part
The second part, of a monographic and in-depth nature, will be dedicated to the theme of the Tyrant and his representation. It is a diachronic path (from the late Middle Ages, starting from Dante, up to romantic culture), which intends to investigate not only purely literary aspects (with the analysis of recurring topoi and re-use models), but also to illustrate, through significant examples, the complexity of the links between literary expression, historical contexts and ideological assumptions.
Full programme
Institutional part (lessons 1-15)
Part A) Literary Institutions (lessons 1-9)
A/1 – Theory and critical Method (lessons 1-6)
Some basic concepts of Theory of literature and critical method will be explained. Teacher will apply these skills upon novels and poems.
Two lessons of this part will be dedicated to Dante and reading of Dante’s poetry.
A/2 – “Tools”: the instruments of Italian studies (lessons 7-9)
Using exercises and exemples, teacher will show how we can use publishing and digital instrument of Italian studies (Collections; Specific Lexicon; Historical Dictionnary; Database; text retrieval programs)
Part B) History of literature (lessons 10-15)
This part of course aims to deal student to knowledge of history of Italian literature. Will be explained mainly these topics:
- Method of historical study of literature (the ties between literary series of events and others historical development)
- - How to divide historical time in literary field
- What is useful towards a historical study of literature
Monographic section (lessons 16-30)
Title of monographic course: The dramatic solitude of the tyrant
The monographic section is conceived as a first introduction to critical study and specialization in the field of historical-literary studies; as well as the use of bibliographic tools for research purposes.
The course offers an analysis on the figure of the tyrant, analyzed over a long period between Dante's late Middle Ages and Humanism, up to Romanticism.
From a political concept, the tyrant soon assumed the characteristics of the literary character, which found its highest expression in the theatrical form of tragedy (a literary genre central to modern European culture, between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries). The analysis of exemplary cases and of great authors who measured themselves with the reflection on absolute power and with the representation of the psychology of the tyrant (from Seneca to Machiavelli; from Shakespeare to Alfieri; to conclude with Foscolo and Verdi) will allow us to highlight the complex interactions between literary imagery, history, philosophical reflection, political thought.
The bibliographic tools will be indicated during the lessons. Some of them, together with the texts used from time to time in class will be available on the Elly platform)
Bibliography
Institutional Part:
1) History of Italian Literature from the fourteenth to the Unification of Italy (Verga , Pascoli and D'Annunzio are included)
G. Alfano - P. Italia ecc., Profilo di Letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università, 2021 (volume unico).
2) Dante, Inferno: canti: 1; 3; 5; 10; 15: 26; 32; 33; Purgatorio: canti: 1, 3, 5, 11, 33; Paradiso: 1, 6, 15-17.
Whatever scholastic edition you want to use.
3) Literary basic knowledge
Manuale: L. CHINES- C. VAROTTI, Che cos’è un testo letterario, Carocci, 2015 (2th edit.).
Students are advised (when they read poetic text) to refer to this metric manual:
Students have to read some classic masterpieces of italian Literature. Their knowledge about this part will be checked during written exam (cfr. "Modalità di verifica" - part B)
These are the text the students have to read:
Petrarca, Canzoniere (testi: 1-10; 16; 25; 35; 46; 90; 126; 128; 129; 134; 159; 173; 267; 269; 272; 273; 279; 288; 363-66); Boccaccio, Decameron (giornate: 1; 4; 6); Machiavelli, Mandragola; Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata (canti 1; 2: 4; 7; 12; 16; 19-20); Alfieri, Vita (epoche 1-3); Goldoni, La bottega del caffè; Leopardi, Canti (1; 9-14; 20-29; 33-34); Pascoli, I canti di Castelvecchio.
Monographic part:
Parte monografica
The complete critical bibliography will be given during course. Teacher will make available essays, scientific articles and single chapters of books (using Elly platform)
Teaching methods
The course offers mainly frontal lessons.
Teacher will give practical exemples about using main instrument of Italian literature study (using publishing or digital instruments; research simulation ecc.).
Practical exercises will be made to training students to face the wtitten exam, that includes paraphrase, and stylistic and rhetorical analisis of a text.
Assessment methods and criteria
Final exam is divided in two parts.
Written test will value knowledge of institutional part of course.
Test will be developed in several parts:
A) Historical-literary Knowledge
Student has to write a short paper (60 lines max.) about a topic given by teacher.
To get a pass mark requires:
- Knowing basic rudiments of history of Italian literature (Titles of works; edition years: author’s biographies; main cultural and historical events).
- Correct use of critical lexicon
The test will be valued upon these factors:
1) Abundance of historical information
2) Variety and richness of lexicon
3) Clearness of explanation
4) Accuracy of argument
Scale of valuation: 1-12
B) Reading of classics
Student has to analyse a short text chosen among those incated in “Testi di riferimento, 4”.
He have to do:
1) To set the text in the context of its work
2) To explain what the text says
3) To show main thematic and stylistic features of text
To get a pass mark requires:
- To understand the meaning of the text
- To know the work from which the text is picked
The test will be valued upon these factors:
1) Variety and richness of lexicon
2) Clearness of explanation
Scale of valuation: 1-8
C) Dante
Paraphrase of a short text choosen among Dante’s chapters indicated in “Testi di riferimento, 2”.
Test will check:
1) Knowledge of structures of Dante’s Commedy
2) Knowledge of Dante’s Lexicon
3) Correct interpretation and meaning of text.
(scale of value: 1-10)
Oral exam
When a student has overcome written text, he have to do a oral test.
Every test call has a written test and – a week later – a oral test.
Student who has overcome written test can have oral test a week later; but he can also have oral test later (but not over 6 monthes).
Oral exam will be about Theory of literature and about monographic topic.
To get a pass mark requires:
1) To know topics
2) To find ties between topics
3) Clearness of explanation
4) Making judgement
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Scale of value: 1-30
The final value (from 1 to 30) is done by an average between written test (1-30) and oral test (1-30).
Other information
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