American Literature 2
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The course is a second formative step in the curriculum specializing in American Literature, which is organized by literary genres, and it is addressed to second-year students. The second year will complete the historical and literary background from the origins to Modernism and is a survey of prose writing, both autobiographical and fiction, and it will offer the tools necessary for a critical analysis of the prose text, both in its contents and aesthetic forms. The course is divided into three didactic units, which will treat three specific literary periods: "The Colonial Period," "The Nineteenth Century," and "The Modernism."
Expected learning outcomes
Required knowledge: at the end of the course, students should be able to situate the primary texts included in the reading list in their historical, cultural and literary context. They should also be able to contextualize each author within the or literary period to which they belong. They should demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of all the literary works included in the reading list.
Required linguistic skills: at the end of the course, students should demonstrate the ability to read and translate the original versions of the literary works included in the reading list, (or to paraphrase them in English, in the case of international students), to discuss in English what they learned during the course.
Required literary skills: at the end of the course, students should be able to perform a critical and formal text analysis of the literary works included in the reading list, and an ability to make connections between the various authors and works they have been studying.
Required linguistic skills: at the end of the course, students should demonstrate the ability to read and translate the original versions of the literary works included in the reading list, (or to paraphrase them in English, in the case of international students), to discuss in English what they learned during the course.
Required literary skills: at the end of the course, students should be able to perform a critical and formal text analysis of the literary works included in the reading list, and an ability to make connections between the various authors and works they have been studying.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is titled American Prose: Life Writing, the Novel, and the Short Story and consists of the following didactic units that will be taught in this chronological order:
A: Autobiography, fiction, and the rise of a national literature
B: The XIX century American novel and the short story
C: Voices from the XX century
Students from Lingue who major in American Literature must attend the whole course, which provides 9 credits, and are required to complete the whole course syllabus.
Students who do not major in American Literature can opt for either a 9 or a 6 credit course. The latter are invited to discuss and set the program in advance.
The course is an introduction to US narrative, from colonial autobiographical writing through the birth and flourishing of a national literature during the XIX century and its two main genres, the novel and the shot story. It then focuses on Realism, Naturalism at the turn of the century and finally on Modernist prose writing before and during the Jazz age.
The course syllabus is valid until July 2021.
A: Autobiography, fiction, and the rise of a national literature
B: The XIX century American novel and the short story
C: Voices from the XX century
Students from Lingue who major in American Literature must attend the whole course, which provides 9 credits, and are required to complete the whole course syllabus.
Students who do not major in American Literature can opt for either a 9 or a 6 credit course. The latter are invited to discuss and set the program in advance.
The course is an introduction to US narrative, from colonial autobiographical writing through the birth and flourishing of a national literature during the XIX century and its two main genres, the novel and the shot story. It then focuses on Realism, Naturalism at the turn of the century and finally on Modernist prose writing before and during the Jazz age.
The course syllabus is valid until July 2021.
Prerequisites for admission
Students from Lingue must have taken and passed the English language test administered by the degree course and the exam American Literature I.
The course is completely delivered in English. Its materials and bibliography require a sound knowledge of the English language.
International students and Erasmus students are most welcome as long as they own the required linguistic skills.
The course is completely delivered in English. Its materials and bibliography require a sound knowledge of the English language.
International students and Erasmus students are most welcome as long as they own the required linguistic skills.
Teaching methods
Classes usually start with an introductory discussion/brainstorming, followed by a lecture focused on the context, the analysis and interpretation of the texts listed in the syllabus. Students are asked to read the texts in advance.
Teaching Resources
Handbook
· Cristina Iuli, Paola Loreto (ed.by), La letteratura degli Stati Uniti. Dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni, Roma, Carocci, 2017 (chapt. 1, 3, 5, 6)
· Beside the primary texts, students are required to study the introductions to the historical and cultural contexts, the timelines and the introductions to the authors in The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. A, B, C e D):
Module A
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. A, B):
Volume A:
· Benjamin Franklin, "The Way to Wealth" (442-448)
· Mary Rowlandson, from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson (267-300)
· Olaudah Equiano, from The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, written by himself (733-745)
Volume B:
· Washington Irving, "Rip Van Winkle" (29-40); "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (41-61)
· James Fenimore Cooper, from The Last of the Mohicans (79-86)
Module B:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. B, C):
Volume B:
· Nathanel Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown" (345-354); "Wakefield" (355-359)
· Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher" (654-666); "William Wilson. A Tale" (667-680); "The Man of the Crowd" (681-686);
· Herman Melville, "Bartleby The Scrivener" (1483-1508), "Benito Cereno"
· Volume C:
· Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (130-310)
· Henry James, Daisy Miller: A Study (421-460)
Module C:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. C, D):
Volume C:
· Kate Chopin, "Désirée's Baby" (538-542)
· Jack London, "To Build a Fire" (1047-1057)
· Volume D:
· Zora Neale Hurston, "The Gilded Six Bits" (Ariel)
· Francis Scott Fitzgerald, "Babylon Revisited" (675-690)
· William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily" (794-799)
· Ernest Hemingway, "Hills Like White Elephants"
Students are asked to read two of the following texts (not included in the Norton Anthology):
· Nathanael Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
· Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
· Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
· Henry James, Portrait of Lady
· Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio
· Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
· William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
Notice for non-attending students
Students who do not attend classes, or only part of them, are required to read the materials (essays on specific authors or themes) collected in the "Materiali" folder on Ariel (Materiali Moduli A, B, C, for 9 credit exams; for 6 credit exams, the Materiali section varies according to the program set).
· Cristina Iuli, Paola Loreto (ed.by), La letteratura degli Stati Uniti. Dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni, Roma, Carocci, 2017 (chapt. 1, 3, 5, 6)
· Beside the primary texts, students are required to study the introductions to the historical and cultural contexts, the timelines and the introductions to the authors in The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. A, B, C e D):
Module A
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. A, B):
Volume A:
· Benjamin Franklin, "The Way to Wealth" (442-448)
· Mary Rowlandson, from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson (267-300)
· Olaudah Equiano, from The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, written by himself (733-745)
Volume B:
· Washington Irving, "Rip Van Winkle" (29-40); "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (41-61)
· James Fenimore Cooper, from The Last of the Mohicans (79-86)
Module B:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. B, C):
Volume B:
· Nathanel Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown" (345-354); "Wakefield" (355-359)
· Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher" (654-666); "William Wilson. A Tale" (667-680); "The Man of the Crowd" (681-686);
· Herman Melville, "Bartleby The Scrivener" (1483-1508), "Benito Cereno"
· Volume C:
· Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (130-310)
· Henry James, Daisy Miller: A Study (421-460)
Module C:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Ninth Edition, 2017, vol. C, D):
Volume C:
· Kate Chopin, "Désirée's Baby" (538-542)
· Jack London, "To Build a Fire" (1047-1057)
· Volume D:
· Zora Neale Hurston, "The Gilded Six Bits" (Ariel)
· Francis Scott Fitzgerald, "Babylon Revisited" (675-690)
· William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily" (794-799)
· Ernest Hemingway, "Hills Like White Elephants"
Students are asked to read two of the following texts (not included in the Norton Anthology):
· Nathanael Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
· Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
· Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
· Henry James, Portrait of Lady
· Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio
· Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
· William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
Notice for non-attending students
Students who do not attend classes, or only part of them, are required to read the materials (essays on specific authors or themes) collected in the "Materiali" folder on Ariel (Materiali Moduli A, B, C, for 9 credit exams; for 6 credit exams, the Materiali section varies according to the program set).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral: the exam is an interview, during which students will demonstrate their capacity to read and translate the literary texts listed in the course syllabus (non-Italian students will be asked to paraphrase the same in English); their knowledge of the historical, cultural, and literary context of both the texts and writers; their knowledge of the literary works; their critical abilities (i.e., their capacity to analyze the literary works, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends).
Students from Lingue have to take their exam in English. They should be aware that the quality of their exposition will be part of the exam assessment.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Also students with any disabilities should contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along an academic edition of all the literary texts listed in the syllabus.
Students from Lingue have to take their exam in English. They should be aware that the quality of their exposition will be part of the exam assessment.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Also students with any disabilities should contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along an academic edition of all the literary texts listed in the syllabus.
Unita' didattica A
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Office hours: Wednesday, 11-12,30; Teams: by appointment. Contact by mail in advance to confirm an appointment.
Piazza S. Alessandro 1, English Department, second floor