Literary Communication in Twentieth-Century Italy
A.Y. 2020/2021
Learning objectives
Consistent with what is indicated in the objectives of the three-year degree course in Scienze Umanistiche della Comunicazione (Communication Humanities), this course contributes to the aim of acquiring historical and theoretical skills aimed at training professional figures capable of entering the world of communication, in particular, in the specific case, of skills that are related to the field of book-type publishing communication or cultural-type journalistic communication.
Therefore, a historical framework of the development of the contemporary publishing system will be proposed, starting from the Unification of Italy (1861) up to the present day; alongside this, methodological reflections on the meaning and value of editorial mediation will be introduced, as a fundamental element for the creation of the cultural identity of a country and of an era.
Then the presentation of the main movements and authors representing the history of literature of that same chronological arc will follow, through the introduction of some specific case studies: these will be placed historically, in their original place of publication, allowing to understand not only the cultural context in which they are inserted, but also the editorial context. Some pages of narrative texts will be brought to the attention of students in order to understand the different levels on which literary communication is articulated.
Finally, the course will close on a monographic study dedicated to the presentation of a literary work that has entered fully - together with its author - Into the canon of the Twentieth century classics, in order to understand the tools of analysis of a literary text, of stimulate the student's critical awareness in relation to the characteristics of this text, which represents an indispensable object of comparison to allow the learning of reading and interpretation skills necessary for those who intend to enter a professional context based on the communication of the written word.
Therefore, a historical framework of the development of the contemporary publishing system will be proposed, starting from the Unification of Italy (1861) up to the present day; alongside this, methodological reflections on the meaning and value of editorial mediation will be introduced, as a fundamental element for the creation of the cultural identity of a country and of an era.
Then the presentation of the main movements and authors representing the history of literature of that same chronological arc will follow, through the introduction of some specific case studies: these will be placed historically, in their original place of publication, allowing to understand not only the cultural context in which they are inserted, but also the editorial context. Some pages of narrative texts will be brought to the attention of students in order to understand the different levels on which literary communication is articulated.
Finally, the course will close on a monographic study dedicated to the presentation of a literary work that has entered fully - together with its author - Into the canon of the Twentieth century classics, in order to understand the tools of analysis of a literary text, of stimulate the student's critical awareness in relation to the characteristics of this text, which represents an indispensable object of comparison to allow the learning of reading and interpretation skills necessary for those who intend to enter a professional context based on the communication of the written word.
Expected learning outcomes
What is expected of the student is the acquisition of the historical notions, both of the history of publishing and of the history of literature, which underlie the course. Furthermore, the student will acquire awareness of the fundamental role that editorial mediation plays in the cultural dynamics of contemporary society and will be able to understand its tools and articulations; this both in a theoretical key and, from a more concrete point of view, the latter conveyed by the different case studies that will be brought to attention. Finally, the comparison with a high-level literary text will allow the student to learn how to move competently within one of the most complex textual constructions historically produced by man (literature in fact), acquiring critical methods and skills that can then be used in others contexts, especially professional ones, in which the written word is at the center of communication dynamics.
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
During the emergency teaching phase, the program of the course is kept unchanged in the contents, modifying however the methods of delivery of the lessons:
Teaching methods:
The lessons will be held mainly in asynchronous mode: video lessons in Mp4 will therefore be loaded on the Ariel page of the course in correspondence with the day on which the lesson would have taken place in the classroom. Students will be able to download and use them according to their needs even offline.
There will be some lessons in synchronous videoconference (live): in particular the first presentation of the course, and the last lesson of each module, in order also to give the possibility to ask questions and ask for clarifications.
The teacher reserves the right to modify this schedule in relation to any different needs that may arise during the delivery of the course.
All lessons (those in synchronous and those in asynchronous) will be recorded and made available online on the Ariel page of the course.
The calendar of lessons will be published in time by the beginning of the first semester, scheduled for the week of 14 September 2020.
Reference materials:
Those who bring the program as attending students, in addition to the bibliography already reported in the program, must refer to all the lessons, materials and resources published in the online course.
Learning assessment procedures and assessment criteria:
The exam is oral and is held in Microsoft Teams, according to the indications provided by the University. The details and schedules of the oral examinations will be published and constantly updated.
Teaching methods:
The lessons will be held mainly in asynchronous mode: video lessons in Mp4 will therefore be loaded on the Ariel page of the course in correspondence with the day on which the lesson would have taken place in the classroom. Students will be able to download and use them according to their needs even offline.
There will be some lessons in synchronous videoconference (live): in particular the first presentation of the course, and the last lesson of each module, in order also to give the possibility to ask questions and ask for clarifications.
The teacher reserves the right to modify this schedule in relation to any different needs that may arise during the delivery of the course.
All lessons (those in synchronous and those in asynchronous) will be recorded and made available online on the Ariel page of the course.
The calendar of lessons will be published in time by the beginning of the first semester, scheduled for the week of 14 September 2020.
Reference materials:
Those who bring the program as attending students, in addition to the bibliography already reported in the program, must refer to all the lessons, materials and resources published in the online course.
Learning assessment procedures and assessment criteria:
The exam is oral and is held in Microsoft Teams, according to the indications provided by the University. The details and schedules of the oral examinations will be published and constantly updated.
Course syllabus
Part A describes the transformations of the publishing system from the unification of Italy (1861) to the present day, first giving space to the historical developments of the publisher's professions, of the activity and physiognomy of those publishing houses that represented the identity of the Italian books culture (in particular about literary books) along that chronological arc; secondly, highlighting the theoretical and methodological issues connected with editorial mediation and communication.
Part B traces the history of Twentieth century literature by highlighting first of all the coordinates of the new modern literary system, thus showing the different levels that characterize it - from the peaks of the avant-garde to the communication compromises of entertainment literature, passing through institutional literature. In this framework of historical and theoretical references, particular attention is paid to the novel form, hegemonic genre of modernity and textual structure on which both the ambitions of the most sophisticated experimentalism and the aspirations of the widest readability are poured.
Part C focuses on If a traveller a winter's night, Italo Calvino's novel (1979) that has achieved both public success and critical fame, becoming a classic of the Twentieth century. The characteristics of the work and those of its author make it possible to precipitate what was presented in the previous teaching units in a specific case study, given the possibility of analysing in parallel the activity of literary editor of Calvino (in Einaudi house of publishing) and a novel that offer the editorial setting and job as narrative object.
Part B traces the history of Twentieth century literature by highlighting first of all the coordinates of the new modern literary system, thus showing the different levels that characterize it - from the peaks of the avant-garde to the communication compromises of entertainment literature, passing through institutional literature. In this framework of historical and theoretical references, particular attention is paid to the novel form, hegemonic genre of modernity and textual structure on which both the ambitions of the most sophisticated experimentalism and the aspirations of the widest readability are poured.
Part C focuses on If a traveller a winter's night, Italo Calvino's novel (1979) that has achieved both public success and critical fame, becoming a classic of the Twentieth century. The characteristics of the work and those of its author make it possible to precipitate what was presented in the previous teaching units in a specific case study, given the possibility of analysing in parallel the activity of literary editor of Calvino (in Einaudi house of publishing) and a novel that offer the editorial setting and job as narrative object.
Prerequisites for admission
Basic knowledge of 20th italian literature: outstanding authors and literary movements.
Ability to read essay contributions: critical, theoretical and methological studies or historical studies.
Ability to orientate on a bibliographic level: identification and retrieval of critical texts and literary works starting from the online OPAC and then within the holdings of the University libraries or others in the area.
Ability to read essay contributions: critical, theoretical and methological studies or historical studies.
Ability to orientate on a bibliographic level: identification and retrieval of critical texts and literary works starting from the online OPAC and then within the holdings of the University libraries or others in the area.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons or recorded video lessons (the latter in relation to the management of teaching in the emergency phase) with PowerPoint projection and link to web pages. During the lessons are highlighted their main argumentative structure, the methodological implications of the topics addressed; furthermore technical terms and concepts are presented and clarified, so as to guarantee the achievement of full attention to the contents treated. In addition, indications are given on how to verify the learning and evaluation criteria and suggestions for a preparation of the subject are provided.
Attendance modality optional, but strongly recommended.
Attendance modality optional, but strongly recommended.
Teaching Resources
Who takes an exam for 6 CFU have to study part A and part B.
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS
Part A: The publishing system: history, mediation and communication of the book
· lesson contents
· Alberto Cadioli - Giuliano Vigini, Storia dell'editoria in Italia. Dall'unità a oggi, Milano, Editrice Bibliografica, 2018.
· La mediazione editoriale, a cura di A. Cadioli, E. Decleva, V. Spinazzola, Milano, Fondazione Mondadori-il Saggiatore, 1999, pp. 47-80, 91-135 (contributi di E. Decleva, G. Turi, A. Cadioli, U. Schulz-Buschhaus, V. Spinazzola)
Part B: The literary system: history and production of literature
· lesson contents
· V. Spinazzola, La modernità letteraria, Milano, il Saggiatore-Fondazione Mondadori, 2001, i seguenti saggi:
- Le articolazioni del pubblico novecentesco (pp. 49-66)
- Dal romanzo popolare alla narrativa di intrattenimento (pp. 393-456)
- Il potere dei romanzi. Narrativa italiana anni '70 (pp. 457-485)
· V. Spinazzola, L'egemonia del romanzo, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 2007:
- capitolo I, pp. 7-68
- Vittorini (pp. 99-119)
- Fenoglio (pp. 223-251)
Any further anthological material will be distributed in class.
Part C: Italo Calvino between literature and publishing job
· lesson contents
· I. Calvino, Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore, Milano, Oscar Mondadori, 2016 (o successive ristampe)
· A. Cadioli, Letterati editori. Attività editoriale e modelli letterari nel Novecento, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 2017, capitolo 9 (La militanza editoriale di Italo Calvino), pp. 245-288.
· I. Piazza, I personaggi lettori nell'opera di Italo Calvino, Milano, Unicopli, 2009, capitolo V (Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore), pp. 195-232
· V. Spinazzola, La modernità letteraria, Milano, il Saggiatore-Fondazione Mondadori, 2001, il seguente saggio:
- La lettura letteraria (pp. 13-28)
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
(FOREIGN STUDENTS ATTENDING LESSONS HAVE TO STUDY THE ITALIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY)
Part A: The publishing system: history, mediation and communication of the book
Donald McKenzie, Bibliography and the sociology of texts, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999
Ian Watt, The rise of the novel, Berkeley - Los Angeles, University of California, 2001 (chapters 1, 2, 6)
Part B:
Robert S. C., Gordon, An introduction to Twentieth-century Italian literature: a difficult modernity, London, Duckworth, 2005
Part C:
Italo Calvino, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (any edition)
Martin McLaughlin, Italo Calvino, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1998
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS
Part A: The publishing system: history, mediation and communication of the book
· lesson contents
· Alberto Cadioli - Giuliano Vigini, Storia dell'editoria in Italia. Dall'unità a oggi, Milano, Editrice Bibliografica, 2018.
· La mediazione editoriale, a cura di A. Cadioli, E. Decleva, V. Spinazzola, Milano, Fondazione Mondadori-il Saggiatore, 1999, pp. 47-80, 91-135 (contributi di E. Decleva, G. Turi, A. Cadioli, U. Schulz-Buschhaus, V. Spinazzola)
Part B: The literary system: history and production of literature
· lesson contents
· V. Spinazzola, La modernità letteraria, Milano, il Saggiatore-Fondazione Mondadori, 2001, i seguenti saggi:
- Le articolazioni del pubblico novecentesco (pp. 49-66)
- Dal romanzo popolare alla narrativa di intrattenimento (pp. 393-456)
- Il potere dei romanzi. Narrativa italiana anni '70 (pp. 457-485)
· V. Spinazzola, L'egemonia del romanzo, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 2007:
- capitolo I, pp. 7-68
- Vittorini (pp. 99-119)
- Fenoglio (pp. 223-251)
Any further anthological material will be distributed in class.
Part C: Italo Calvino between literature and publishing job
· lesson contents
· I. Calvino, Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore, Milano, Oscar Mondadori, 2016 (o successive ristampe)
· A. Cadioli, Letterati editori. Attività editoriale e modelli letterari nel Novecento, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 2017, capitolo 9 (La militanza editoriale di Italo Calvino), pp. 245-288.
· I. Piazza, I personaggi lettori nell'opera di Italo Calvino, Milano, Unicopli, 2009, capitolo V (Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore), pp. 195-232
· V. Spinazzola, La modernità letteraria, Milano, il Saggiatore-Fondazione Mondadori, 2001, il seguente saggio:
- La lettura letteraria (pp. 13-28)
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
(FOREIGN STUDENTS ATTENDING LESSONS HAVE TO STUDY THE ITALIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY)
Part A: The publishing system: history, mediation and communication of the book
Donald McKenzie, Bibliography and the sociology of texts, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999
Ian Watt, The rise of the novel, Berkeley - Los Angeles, University of California, 2001 (chapters 1, 2, 6)
Part B:
Robert S. C., Gordon, An introduction to Twentieth-century Italian literature: a difficult modernity, London, Duckworth, 2005
Part C:
Italo Calvino, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (any edition)
Martin McLaughlin, Italo Calvino, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1998
Assessment methods and Criteria
Type of test: oral question.
The test consists of an interview on the topics included in the program, aimed at ascertaining the knowledge of the dynamics that characterize editorial mediation and history and the structure of the Twentieth century literary system. It also requires knowledge of the texts and the narrative works planned in the program and presented in class, to be analyzed critically and with methodological awareness.
Evaluation parameters: clarity and appropriateness of the answers, with the use of an appropriate technical lexicon; organization of speech and argumentative structure; awareness of the acquired knowledge and critical reasoning skills.
Evaluation will be based on marks; maximum score 30. The exam is passed with 18/30.
The test consists of an interview on the topics included in the program, aimed at ascertaining the knowledge of the dynamics that characterize editorial mediation and history and the structure of the Twentieth century literary system. It also requires knowledge of the texts and the narrative works planned in the program and presented in class, to be analyzed critically and with methodological awareness.
Evaluation parameters: clarity and appropriateness of the answers, with the use of an appropriate technical lexicon; organization of speech and argumentative structure; awareness of the acquired knowledge and critical reasoning skills.
Evaluation will be based on marks; maximum score 30. The exam is passed with 18/30.
Modules or teaching units
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Brigatti Virna
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Brigatti Virna
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Brigatti Virna
Professor(s)