Italian Literature
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with a critical knowledge of the fundamental hubs of the Italian literary system, from the origins to the early nineteenth century, following the tradition and transformation of models, themes, forms.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course the student will have gained knowledge of the fundamental aspects and issues of Italian literature from its origins to the early nineteenth century, with a particular focus on the relationship between Italian literature and the political and cultural history of our country, also within the variety of geographical expressions found throughout the peninsula. The student will then be able to place genres, themes, poetics, authors and works against the background of the historical context, according to a correct periodization, and will have to become familiar with the tools (metric elements, rhetoric, theory of styles and narratology) and methodologies that allow them to analyze and interpret the texts, taking into account the modalities in their transmission and the main issues related to their philological definition.
Among the skills that the student will have to acquire will include the ability to understand literary texts; correctly grasp their thematic and formal aspects; place them in their respective contexts; read and understand contributions of literary nonfiction, focusing on critical and interpretive issues; communicate with clarity and fairness in oral and written exposition, making appropriate use of the lexicon of the discipline. These skills will be acquired through a direct and continuous meeting with the instructor in the classroom. Participation in meetings and seminars organized within the Department of Literature, Philology and Linguistics will also be of great importance.
Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to make use of the educational tools provided by the instructor on Ariel, in addition to procuring the material expressly indicated within the program or eventually put on Ariel, must contact the instructor preferably during office hours.
Among the skills that the student will have to acquire will include the ability to understand literary texts; correctly grasp their thematic and formal aspects; place them in their respective contexts; read and understand contributions of literary nonfiction, focusing on critical and interpretive issues; communicate with clarity and fairness in oral and written exposition, making appropriate use of the lexicon of the discipline. These skills will be acquired through a direct and continuous meeting with the instructor in the classroom. Participation in meetings and seminars organized within the Department of Literature, Philology and Linguistics will also be of great importance.
Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to make use of the educational tools provided by the instructor on Ariel, in addition to procuring the material expressly indicated within the program or eventually put on Ariel, must contact the instructor preferably during office hours.
Lesson period: Second 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
(A-L)
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Title of the course: Italian literary civilization: textual and historical-critical itineraries
Module A: From Origins to 15th/16th century: textual itinera (works indicated in brackets will require in-depth study):
- 13th-century poetry fron Sicilian School dalla Scuola Siciliana to dolce stil novo;
- Dante (Rime, Vita nova and Commedia);
- Petrarch (Canzoniere);
- 15th-century literature: Renaissance Humanism; literature in the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici and Poliziano; Boiardo (Orlando innamorato);
- Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and Petrarchism;
- Castiglione (Il cortegiano) and treatises of behavior.
Module B: From 16th century to early 19th century: textual itinera (works indicated in brackets will require in-depth study):
- Machiavelli (Il principe) and Guicciardini (La storia d'Italia);
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso);
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata);
- Baroque poetry (Marino's Adone);
- Galileo and the scientific revolution (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi);
- Lombard Enlightenment Parini (Il Giorno);
- Foscolo (Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis and Dei sepolcri);
- Leopardi (Canti and Operette morali);
- Manzoni (Adelchi e Promessi sposi).
Module C: The world of Boccaccio's Decameron.
Module A: From Origins to 15th/16th century: textual itinera (works indicated in brackets will require in-depth study):
- 13th-century poetry fron Sicilian School dalla Scuola Siciliana to dolce stil novo;
- Dante (Rime, Vita nova and Commedia);
- Petrarch (Canzoniere);
- 15th-century literature: Renaissance Humanism; literature in the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici and Poliziano; Boiardo (Orlando innamorato);
- Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and Petrarchism;
- Castiglione (Il cortegiano) and treatises of behavior.
Module B: From 16th century to early 19th century: textual itinera (works indicated in brackets will require in-depth study):
- Machiavelli (Il principe) and Guicciardini (La storia d'Italia);
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso);
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata);
- Baroque poetry (Marino's Adone);
- Galileo and the scientific revolution (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi);
- Lombard Enlightenment Parini (Il Giorno);
- Foscolo (Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis and Dei sepolcri);
- Leopardi (Canti and Operette morali);
- Manzoni (Adelchi e Promessi sposi).
Module C: The world of Boccaccio's Decameron.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements different from those requested for the degree admission.
Teaching methods
Attendance to classes is strongly recommended although not compulsory. The teaching is delivered through frontal lectures aimed primarily at the acquisition of knowledge, competence and specific language of the subject. Discussion with the teacher in the classroom is integrant part of the didactic method and aims at promoting a critical attitude and the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge.
Also thanks to slide projections, lessons will focus on movements, authors and works and their cultural context; on the main critical problems of each topic, through quotations from critical essays and comparisons among different critical views; on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects. All the materials will be available on ARIEL.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
Teaching unit C will allow students to look at Boccaccio's works in the light of the historical context and the literary tradition and to understand his significance for the development of Italian and European literature.
By using the instalment and commentary on Decameron students will become acquainted with commentaries on literary texts.
Non-attending students must use the materials expressly indicated in this program and will have to ask the teacher for advice either by e-mail or during office hours.
Also thanks to slide projections, lessons will focus on movements, authors and works and their cultural context; on the main critical problems of each topic, through quotations from critical essays and comparisons among different critical views; on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects. All the materials will be available on ARIEL.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
Teaching unit C will allow students to look at Boccaccio's works in the light of the historical context and the literary tradition and to understand his significance for the development of Italian and European literature.
By using the instalment and commentary on Decameron students will become acquainted with commentaries on literary texts.
Non-attending students must use the materials expressly indicated in this program and will have to ask the teacher for advice either by e-mail or during office hours.
Teaching Resources
Attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with the related texts.
As for teaching unit A students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Scheda dell'opera (pp. 67-86); Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91); Maurizio Fiorilla, Nota al testo (pp. 109-23) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL.
At the end of teaching units students will find on ARIEL a detailed list of subjects and texts to be prepared.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B and C)
As for teaching units A and B students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Scheda dell'opera (pp. 67-86); Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91); Maurizio Fiorilla, Nota al testo (pp. 109-23) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL.
At the end of teaching units students will find on ARIEL a detailed list of subjects and texts to be prepared.
Non-attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with the related texts.
As for teaching unit A students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL and Luigi Surdich, Boccaccio, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005, pp. 54-120.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B and C)
As for teaching units A and B students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL and Luigi Surdich, Boccaccio, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005, pp. 54-120.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with the related texts.
As for teaching unit A students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Scheda dell'opera (pp. 67-86); Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91); Maurizio Fiorilla, Nota al testo (pp. 109-23) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL.
At the end of teaching units students will find on ARIEL a detailed list of subjects and texts to be prepared.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B and C)
As for teaching units A and B students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Scheda dell'opera (pp. 67-86); Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91); Maurizio Fiorilla, Nota al testo (pp. 109-23) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL.
At the end of teaching units students will find on ARIEL a detailed list of subjects and texts to be prepared.
Non-attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with the related texts.
As for teaching unit A students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL and Luigi Surdich, Boccaccio, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005, pp. 54-120.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B and C)
As for teaching units A and B students must prepare subjects and texts thanks to a manual of their choice and to an instalment (including a collection of texts) on sale at Cortina bookshop. Some manuals and anthologies are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. by Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti (Blue edition);
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
As for unit C students must refer to Boccaccio, Decameron, ed. by Amedeo Quondam, Maurizio Fiorilla e Giancarlo Alfano, Milano, Rizzoli, 2013 (Bur), with particular regard to the following parts of the work: Foreword; Day I: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 3; Day II: tales 4, 5, 7; Day III: tales 1, 7, 10; Days IV: Introduction; tales 1, 2, 5, 7; Day V: tales 8, 9; Day VI: tales 1, 2, 7, 10; Day VII: tales 2, 7; Day VIII: tales 3, 7; Day IX: tales 2, 3; Day X: tales 8, 9, 10, Author's conclusion; along with reading of parts listed above, in the same book they will study Giancarlo Alfano, Notizia biografica (pp. 87-91) and profiles about days and tales to be read. Besides they will read some papers that will be available on ARIEL and Luigi Surdich, Boccaccio, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005, pp. 54-120.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
Assessment methods and Criteria
- Method: The exam for 9 cfu consists of a preliminary written test on teaching units A and B and an oral test on teaching unit C. The exam for 6 cfu consists of an oral test on teaching units A and C. The written test is held in January, May and September 2020; passing the written test is a prerequisite for the oral exam.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon, and, for the third question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in unit C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize informations from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical lenguage.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Informations on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel where students will find specimen papers of previous written tests.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon, and, for the third question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in unit C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize informations from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical lenguage.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Informations on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel where students will find specimen papers of previous written tests.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
(M-Z)
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Title of the course: Italian literary civilization: textual and historical-critical itineraries
Module 1: From the Origins to the Fifteenth Century: textual itineraries (the authors and the main literary works to study are the following):
The Scuola Siciliana and the Tuscan Poetry of the Thirteenth Century; Stil novo; Dante (Rime, Vita nova and Commedia); Petrarca (Canzoniere); Boccaccio (Decameron); Humanism of the Fifteenth Century; the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici and Poliziano; Boiardo (Orlando innamorato); Pulci (Morgante).
Module 2: From the Sixteenth to the Early Nineteenth Century: textual itineraries (the authors and the main literary works to study are the following):
The Petrarchism; Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) Machiavelli (Il Principe); Guicciardini (Storia d'Italia); Castiglione (Cortegiano); Ariosto (Orlando furioso); Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata); Baroque Poetry (Marino, Adone); Galileo and the Scientific Revolution (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi); the Lombard Enlightenment and Parini (Il Giorno); Alfieri (Vita and Satire); Leopardi (Canti); Manzoni (Adelchi and Promessi sposi).
Module 3: Literature and civil life: Foscolo and the «Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis»
Module 1: From the Origins to the Fifteenth Century: textual itineraries (the authors and the main literary works to study are the following):
The Scuola Siciliana and the Tuscan Poetry of the Thirteenth Century; Stil novo; Dante (Rime, Vita nova and Commedia); Petrarca (Canzoniere); Boccaccio (Decameron); Humanism of the Fifteenth Century; the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici and Poliziano; Boiardo (Orlando innamorato); Pulci (Morgante).
Module 2: From the Sixteenth to the Early Nineteenth Century: textual itineraries (the authors and the main literary works to study are the following):
The Petrarchism; Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) Machiavelli (Il Principe); Guicciardini (Storia d'Italia); Castiglione (Cortegiano); Ariosto (Orlando furioso); Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata); Baroque Poetry (Marino, Adone); Galileo and the Scientific Revolution (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi); the Lombard Enlightenment and Parini (Il Giorno); Alfieri (Vita and Satire); Leopardi (Canti); Manzoni (Adelchi and Promessi sposi).
Module 3: Literature and civil life: Foscolo and the «Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis»
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements different from those requested for the degree admission.
Teaching methods
Attendance to classes is strongly recommended although not compulsory. The teaching is delivered through frontal lectures aimed primarily at the acquisition of knowledge, competence and specific language of the subject. Discussion with the teacher in the classroom is integrant part of the didactic method and aims at promoting a critical attitude and the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge.
During the lessons, also thanks to the slide projection, will be illustrated the main notions to historically contextualize the authors, the literary works and movements. Attention will also be paid to the critical and interpretative aspects of each of the topics and texts examined; to the transmission and reception of the literary works; to the main formal aspects of the texts read and commented on. The reading of the texts will start from the paraphrase and then will be highlighted the most significant thematic and conceptual elements; the presence of the commentary in Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana and in the edition of Ortis (module C) will allow the student to approach the practice of commentary on literary texts.
The lessons dedicated to the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis (unit C) aim to illustrate the characters, forms and style of this epistolary novel; the relations with other literary works by Foscolo, with the historical and cultural context, with the critical reflections that the novel has aroused.
The slides will be available on Ariel. Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program (or possibly present on Ariel) and to contact the teacher both via email and during reception hours.
During the lessons, also thanks to the slide projection, will be illustrated the main notions to historically contextualize the authors, the literary works and movements. Attention will also be paid to the critical and interpretative aspects of each of the topics and texts examined; to the transmission and reception of the literary works; to the main formal aspects of the texts read and commented on. The reading of the texts will start from the paraphrase and then will be highlighted the most significant thematic and conceptual elements; the presence of the commentary in Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana and in the edition of Ortis (module C) will allow the student to approach the practice of commentary on literary texts.
The lessons dedicated to the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis (unit C) aim to illustrate the characters, forms and style of this epistolary novel; the relations with other literary works by Foscolo, with the historical and cultural context, with the critical reflections that the novel has aroused.
The slides will be available on Ariel. Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program (or possibly present on Ariel) and to contact the teacher both via email and during reception hours.
Teaching Resources
Attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with their respective literary texts.
For unit A, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B, C), with their respective literary texts.
For units A and B, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
Non-attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with their respective literary texts.
For unit A, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel and Matteo Palumbo, Foscolo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2010.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B, C), with their respective literary texts.
For units A and B, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel and Matteo Palumbo, Foscolo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2010.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with their respective literary texts.
For unit A, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B, C), with their respective literary texts.
For units A and B, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
Non-attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A and C), with their respective literary texts.
For unit A, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel and Matteo Palumbo, Foscolo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2010.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
- Programme for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics taught in lectures (modules A, B, C), with their respective literary texts.
For units A and B, the student can freely choose which textbook of history of Italian literature to use. By way of example:
- Giulio Ferroni, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi (or other textbooks by the same author, for example Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università);
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università;
- Letteratura italiana, ed. Andrea Battistini, il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, Il canone letterario, Principato;
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, Dove 'l sì suona, Loescher;
- Claudio Giunta, Cuori intelligenti, DeAgostini-Garzanti;
- Corrado Bologna, Rosa fresca aulentissima, Loescher.
Literary texts read in class and to be studied for the exam are available in this book: Materiali per il corso di Letteratura italiana, on sale at the Cortina Bookshop (via Festa del Perdono).
Unit C: complete reading of the Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo, in one (of your choice) of the two following editions: 1. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, ed. by Giovanna Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (or subsequent reprints; the latest is from 2017). 2. Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, introduction, text and commentary by Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Roma, Carocci, 2012. In addition, some critical essays (Terzoli, Nicoletti ...) that will be made available on Ariel and Matteo Palumbo, Foscolo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2010.
At the end of each teaching unit, a detailed list of the topics and literary texts to study will be provided on Ariel.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
Assessment methods and Criteria
- Method: oral exam, for 6 CFU (A, C); written exam (A, B) and oral exam (C) for 9 CFU. The written exam is held in June 2020, September 2020, January 2021; to pass the written exam is a necessary requirement to access to the oral exam. On the Ariel students will find some examples of written exam assigned during the academic year 2018-2019.
- Type of examination: 1. written exam with open questions (two questions: the first is based on a author, or on a literary work or a movement that are part of the exam program; the second consists in the recognition, paraphrase and short commentary of a text in the exam program); 2. oral interrogation.
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes.
- Evaluation criteria: the written exam will be evaluated according to the criteria of efficacy, clarity, exhaustiveness and correctness. It will be evaluated also the capacity to demonstrate and elaborate knowledge; the capacity for critical reflection on the literary works; the quality of exposition; the competence in the use of specialised lexicon and of the right formal register. In the second question, the student must demonstrate a full ability on the text paraphrase. The oral exam consists in the critical discussion on fundamental aspects of the literary work analyzed in the unit C. The object of the evaluation will be the ability to organize critically and discursively the knowledge derived from the lessons and the study of the bibliography, and the ability to expose issues using specialist language.
- Type of evaluation method: the written exam, if positive, will be evaluated with a judgment (sufficient, discreet, good, excellent); the final evaluation, in 30s, will be assigned at the end of the oral exam. The student who has not passed the written exam can repeat it in one of the following sessions or take orally the exam on units A and B, if the written exam isn't seriously insufficient or unclassifiable.
- The final evaluation will be determined by the average evaluations of written and oral exam.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
- Type of examination: 1. written exam with open questions (two questions: the first is based on a author, or on a literary work or a movement that are part of the exam program; the second consists in the recognition, paraphrase and short commentary of a text in the exam program); 2. oral interrogation.
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes.
- Evaluation criteria: the written exam will be evaluated according to the criteria of efficacy, clarity, exhaustiveness and correctness. It will be evaluated also the capacity to demonstrate and elaborate knowledge; the capacity for critical reflection on the literary works; the quality of exposition; the competence in the use of specialised lexicon and of the right formal register. In the second question, the student must demonstrate a full ability on the text paraphrase. The oral exam consists in the critical discussion on fundamental aspects of the literary work analyzed in the unit C. The object of the evaluation will be the ability to organize critically and discursively the knowledge derived from the lessons and the study of the bibliography, and the ability to expose issues using specialist language.
- Type of evaluation method: the written exam, if positive, will be evaluated with a judgment (sufficient, discreet, good, excellent); the final evaluation, in 30s, will be assigned at the end of the oral exam. The student who has not passed the written exam can repeat it in one of the following sessions or take orally the exam on units A and B, if the written exam isn't seriously insufficient or unclassifiable.
- The final evaluation will be determined by the average evaluations of written and oral exam.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Tuesday 9.30-12.30
Department of Literary Studies, Philology and Linguistics, Unit of Modern Studies, second floor