Learning objectives
At the end of the course, students acquire basic knowledge of the theory and definition of the ‘fantastic’ text, the history of ‘fantastic’ literature in Italy and some of its main representatives.
Knowledge and comprehension skills: students will develop knowledge and comprehension skills in the fields of the theory of literary genres, the rhetoric of the narrative text, the themes of literature, and twentieth-century Italian narrative prose.
Applied knowledge and comprehension skills: students will be able to apply their acquired knowledge and comprehension skills in the study of other literary genres and in order to develop as organic a vision as possible of 20th century Italian narrative prose. Students will also strengthen their comprehension of narrative texts and improve their ability to dissect and solve problems concerning the reading, analysis and commentary of new texts.
Autonomy of judgement: students will develop interpretative skills that will enable them to independently formulate aesthetic judgements, but also to contextualise twentieth-century Italian narrative texts against the background of contemporary poetics and literary movements.
Communication skills: thanks to the textual analyses proposed in the lessons, students will be able to acquire a technical language that will allow them to express themselves with pertinence and accuracy in the analysis of rhetorical and narrative forms, but also in the analysis of the great themes of literature and specifically of the recurring themes in the ‘fantastic’ genre.
Ability to learn: thanks to the general structure of the course, students will develop skills in textual analysis and historical contextualisation necessary to continue autonomously in the reading of 20th century Italian narrative texts and in the exploration of new literary genres.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
Italian 'fantastic' literature from Alessandro Manzoni to Michele Mari. – The course examines Italy’s 'fantastic' literature from Romanticism to Postmodernism, looking at 'fantastic' tales by Manzoni, Leopardi, Tarchetti, Arrigo and Camillo Boito, Gualdo, Capuana, Papini, Savinio, Bontempelli, Buzzati, Landolfi, Vigolo, Morante, Calvino, Manganelli, Tabucchi, Mari, and many others. It considers the evolution of the Italian 'fantastic' over the course of almost two centuries and analyzes not only fiction, but also non-fictional sources, such as philosophical diaries (e.g. Landolfi’s Rien va, 1963, and Des mois, 1967), correspondence (Buzzati’s Lettere a Brambilla, 1985) and encyclopedic treatises (Savinio’s Nuova enciclopedia, 1977) that can help situate this genre in a wider cultural and historical context. Students will reflect upon issues of canon formation, national tradition, and cultural identity in Italy.
Full programme
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Bibliography
• REMO CESERANI, Il fantastico, Bologna, il Mulino, 1996.
• STEFANO LAZZARIN, Trentacinque anni di teoria e critica del fantastico italiano (dal 1980 a oggi), in STEFANO LAZZARIN, FELICE ITALO BENEDUCE, ELEONORA CONTI, FABRIZIO FONI, RITA FRESU, CLAUDIA ZUDINI, Il fantastico italiano. Bilancio critico e bibliografia commentata (dal 1980 a oggi), Florence, Mondadori Education-Le Monnier Università, 2016, pp. 1-58.
• LUCIO LUGNANI, Per una delimitazione del «genere» and Verità e disordine: il dispositivo dell’oggetto mediatore, in REMO CESERANI et alii, La narrazione fantastica, Pisa, Nistri-Lischi, 1983, respectively pp. 37-73 and pp. 177-288.
• TZVETAN TODOROV, La letteratura fantastica, Milan, Garzanti, 1977.
All materials (narrative texts, essays, miscellaneous) will be uploaded onto the digital platform during the course.
Teaching methods
Lectures, in which the active participation of students may be required. Consequently, classroom presence is recommended wherever possible.
Assessment methods and criteria
The examination is oral and will focus on a) the narrative and non-fiction texts commented on during the lectures, b) the bibliography in the syllabus, c) the materials uploaded on the platform.
A grade of insufficient is determined by serious problems in the interpretation of the ‘fantastic’ text and failure to assimilate the minimum course content.
A sufficient assessment (18-23/30) is determined by an acceptable level of understanding and exposition.
Intermediate marks (24/30-26/30) predict a fair level of assimilation.
Higher marks (27/30 to 30/30 cum laude) are awarded on the basis of demonstration of a good to excellent level of understanding, exposition, personal re-elaboration of material.
Other information
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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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