English Literature 3
A.Y. 2021/2022
Learning objectives
This teaching brings to conclusion the three-year course in English literature and is addressed to third-year undergraduate students. The period taken into consideration ranges from 1870 to 1970; accordingly, the course covers late-Victorian and Modernist literature, and hints to Postmodernist literary issues. The syllabus is divided into three didactic units, which deal with poetry, prose and drama: students will be taught to read in context and to analyse critically a selection of complex literary works, investigated in their historical and literary context.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge: by the end of the course, students should be able to contextualise (historical, cultural, and literary context) both the literary texts and the writers listed in the syllabus. They should also have a very good knowledge of the literary works proposed.
Linguistic competence: to be able to read and translate the literary texts in the reading list; non-Italian students will be asked to paraphrase the same in English. In addition, to be able to discuss in English the contents of the course.
Literary competence: to be able to analyse critically a selection of complex literary works, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends.
Linguistic competence: to be able to read and translate the literary texts in the reading list; non-Italian students will be asked to paraphrase the same in English. In addition, to be able to discuss in English the contents of the course.
Literary competence: to be able to analyse critically a selection of complex literary works, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends.
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
(A-K)
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
More specific information on the delivery modes of training activities for academic year 2021/22 will be provided over the coming months, based on the evolution of the public health situation.
Course syllabus
The course is addressed to students of Lingue e Letterature Straniere (surname letter: A-K).
The course bears 9 credits. It is NOT possible to take the exam only for 6 credits.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2023.
The course is entitled: Word & Image. Breaking the Rules
1. Visual Arts in Literature
Attention will be paid on the interdependence of literature and the visual arts and on the methodologies through which XIX and XX centuries specialists approach word and image studies today.
2. Samuel Beckett, Visual Artist
The investigation will focus on the impact of visual arts on both the genesis and the form of Beckett's visual/theatrical imagery.
3. Shakespearean afterlives
An exploration of the strategies through which playwrights, poets and novelists have "redesigned" Shakespearean plays and of the theoretical implications of Shakespearean appropriation.
The course bears 9 credits. It is NOT possible to take the exam only for 6 credits.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2023.
The course is entitled: Word & Image. Breaking the Rules
1. Visual Arts in Literature
Attention will be paid on the interdependence of literature and the visual arts and on the methodologies through which XIX and XX centuries specialists approach word and image studies today.
2. Samuel Beckett, Visual Artist
The investigation will focus on the impact of visual arts on both the genesis and the form of Beckett's visual/theatrical imagery.
3. Shakespearean afterlives
An exploration of the strategies through which playwrights, poets and novelists have "redesigned" Shakespearean plays and of the theoretical implications of Shakespearean appropriation.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is taught in English. To follow the course successfully, a good knowledge of the previous literary periods and good critical skills are required (both should have been acquired during the first and second year literature courses).
Teaching methods
The course employs the following teaching methods: lectures including close reading and analysis of the texts; audiovisual materials, such as projections of sequences of television and film adaptations or documentaries, etc. Students are encouraged to actively participate in textual analysis and in the discussions in class.
Attending students will work to realise short presentations.
Attending students will work to realise short presentations.
Teaching Resources
"The Norton Anthology of English Literature", (Introduction to 'The Victorian Age' and introduction to a 'The Twentieth Century')
or
Arturo Cattaneo, "A Short History of English Literature. From the Victorians to the Present", Milano, Mondadori, 2011, vol. 2.
Suggested reading:
Giulia Guazzaloca, "Storia della Gran Bretagna (1832-2014)", Milano, Mondadori, 2015
In addition to the following reading list, students will study ALL MATERIALS SUGGESTE OR/AND UPLOADED ON THE DIDACTIC PLATFORM before or during the course.
1. Visual Arts in Literature
- O. Wilde, "The Decay of Lying"
- O. Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest" (any edition in English with introduction and notes, such as Penguin or Oxford UP)
- R. Fry, "The French Post-Impressionists" in "Vision and Design", Chatto & Windus, London, 1920, pp. 156-9.
- V. Woolf, "To the Lighthouse" (any edition in English with introduction and notes, such as Penguin or Oxford UP)
- W.H. Auden, "Musée des Beaux-Arts"
- T. Gunn, "Santa Maria del Popolo"
- E. Lucie-Smith, "Caravaggio Dying"
- Renzo S. Crivelli, "Lo sguardo narrato: Letteratura e arti visive", Roma, Carocci, 2003 (pp. 13-53; 127-40)
- Giovanni Cianci, "Modernismo/Modernismi. Dall'avanguardia storica agli anni Trenta e oltre, Milano, Principato", 1991: "La rottura dei codici" (pp. 290-313).
- Caroline Patey, "'Gita al faro'. Circumnavigazioni", Milano, Mimesis, 2016
2. "Samuel Beckett, Visual Artist"
- S. Beckett, "Assumption"
- S. Beckett, "Letter to Axel Kaun", or "German Letter, 1937"
- S. Beckett, "Act Without Words I"
_ S. Beckett, "Act Without Words II"
- S. Beckett, Quad I+II. Plays for TV at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZDRfnICq9M
- S. Beckett, "Breath"
- S. Beckett, "Ohio Impromptu"
- S. Beckett, "Stirring Still"
- J. Haynes and J. Knowlson, "Images of Beckett", Cambridge, Cambridge UP, 2003
3. "Shakespeare afterlives"
- T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
- V. Woolf, "A Room of One's Own"
- T. Stoppard, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead"
- J. Winterson, "The Gap of Time", Hogarth Shakespeare, Penguin, London, 2015
- D. M. Lanier, "Shakespeare / Not Shakespeare: Afterword" in C. Desmet, N. Loper, J. Casey (eds.), Shakespeare/Not Shakespeare, Palgrave, 2017, pp. 293-305.
- D. Lanier, "Unpopularizing Shakespeare: A Short History" in "Shakespeare & Modern Popular" Culture, Oxford, Oxford UP, 2002, pp. 21-49.
- Film: "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" (1990)
or
Arturo Cattaneo, "A Short History of English Literature. From the Victorians to the Present", Milano, Mondadori, 2011, vol. 2.
Suggested reading:
Giulia Guazzaloca, "Storia della Gran Bretagna (1832-2014)", Milano, Mondadori, 2015
In addition to the following reading list, students will study ALL MATERIALS SUGGESTE OR/AND UPLOADED ON THE DIDACTIC PLATFORM before or during the course.
1. Visual Arts in Literature
- O. Wilde, "The Decay of Lying"
- O. Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest" (any edition in English with introduction and notes, such as Penguin or Oxford UP)
- R. Fry, "The French Post-Impressionists" in "Vision and Design", Chatto & Windus, London, 1920, pp. 156-9.
- V. Woolf, "To the Lighthouse" (any edition in English with introduction and notes, such as Penguin or Oxford UP)
- W.H. Auden, "Musée des Beaux-Arts"
- T. Gunn, "Santa Maria del Popolo"
- E. Lucie-Smith, "Caravaggio Dying"
- Renzo S. Crivelli, "Lo sguardo narrato: Letteratura e arti visive", Roma, Carocci, 2003 (pp. 13-53; 127-40)
- Giovanni Cianci, "Modernismo/Modernismi. Dall'avanguardia storica agli anni Trenta e oltre, Milano, Principato", 1991: "La rottura dei codici" (pp. 290-313).
- Caroline Patey, "'Gita al faro'. Circumnavigazioni", Milano, Mimesis, 2016
2. "Samuel Beckett, Visual Artist"
- S. Beckett, "Assumption"
- S. Beckett, "Letter to Axel Kaun", or "German Letter, 1937"
- S. Beckett, "Act Without Words I"
_ S. Beckett, "Act Without Words II"
- S. Beckett, Quad I+II. Plays for TV at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZDRfnICq9M
- S. Beckett, "Breath"
- S. Beckett, "Ohio Impromptu"
- S. Beckett, "Stirring Still"
- J. Haynes and J. Knowlson, "Images of Beckett", Cambridge, Cambridge UP, 2003
3. "Shakespeare afterlives"
- T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
- V. Woolf, "A Room of One's Own"
- T. Stoppard, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead"
- J. Winterson, "The Gap of Time", Hogarth Shakespeare, Penguin, London, 2015
- D. M. Lanier, "Shakespeare / Not Shakespeare: Afterword" in C. Desmet, N. Loper, J. Casey (eds.), Shakespeare/Not Shakespeare, Palgrave, 2017, pp. 293-305.
- D. Lanier, "Unpopularizing Shakespeare: A Short History" in "Shakespeare & Modern Popular" Culture, Oxford, Oxford UP, 2002, pp. 21-49.
- Film: "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" (1990)
Assessment methods and Criteria
It consists in an oral interview assessed in thirtieths; 18/30 is the pass score.
The interview will ascertain: the capacity of students to read and translate the literary texts 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 texts and writers proposed; their knowledge of the literary works proposed; the ability to interpret the texts from a critical point of view. Linguistic skills as well as the capacity of making connections between texts, writers and cultural contexts will also be part of the assessment. Active and regular participation will be taken into consideration.
To take the exam, it is mandatory to bring along all literary texts listed in this syllabus.
It is possible to take the exam both in English or in Italian (in the latter case, at least one or two answers will have to be given in English).
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in that 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.
The interview will ascertain: the capacity of students to read and translate the literary texts 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 texts and writers proposed; their knowledge of the literary works proposed; the ability to interpret the texts from a critical point of view. Linguistic skills as well as the capacity of making connections between texts, writers and cultural contexts will also be part of the assessment. Active and regular participation will be taken into consideration.
To take the exam, it is mandatory to bring along all literary texts listed in this syllabus.
It is possible to take the exam both in English or in Italian (in the latter case, at least one or two answers will have to be given in English).
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in that 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.
Unita' didattica A
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
(L-Z)
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
More specific information on the delivery modalities of the training activities for the academic year 2021-22 will be available over the next months, according to the evolution of the sanitary emergency. In case of classes in distance teaching, they will follow the official timetable published on the Unimi website and will be held on the MICROSOFT TEAMS platform.
The access code to Teams will be communicated on the ARIEL course website.
The access code to Teams will be communicated on the ARIEL course website.
Course syllabus
The course is addressed to students of Lingue e Letterature Straniere (surname letter: L-Z).
The course bears 9 credits. It is NOT possible to take the exam only for 6 credits.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2023.
The course is entitled "Looking for the Human: Literature and the 'Modern' Representation of the World"
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, a good number of literary works starts re-thinking the value and the role of literature in a fast-changing world. Pivotal questions are at stake: is there a 'proper' object of literature? Is there an effective mode of representation? Can the world be represented in the first place? And, finally, what is the purpose of literature? We will explore these questions and the way in which they are investigated at the turn of the century and beyond, taking into consideration, together with some representative literary works, also the cultural issues involved in the twentieth-century re-definition of what it means writing 'literature'.
It is divided into 3 parts:
PART A: "The 'return of the repressed': The Irrational, the Uncontrollable, the Marginal"
PART B: "Poetry, Experimentation and Waste Lands"
PART C: "Re-thinking the Human: Questioning Life and Language"
The course bears 9 credits. It is NOT possible to take the exam only for 6 credits.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2023.
The course is entitled "Looking for the Human: Literature and the 'Modern' Representation of the World"
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, a good number of literary works starts re-thinking the value and the role of literature in a fast-changing world. Pivotal questions are at stake: is there a 'proper' object of literature? Is there an effective mode of representation? Can the world be represented in the first place? And, finally, what is the purpose of literature? We will explore these questions and the way in which they are investigated at the turn of the century and beyond, taking into consideration, together with some representative literary works, also the cultural issues involved in the twentieth-century re-definition of what it means writing 'literature'.
It is divided into 3 parts:
PART A: "The 'return of the repressed': The Irrational, the Uncontrollable, the Marginal"
PART B: "Poetry, Experimentation and Waste Lands"
PART C: "Re-thinking the Human: Questioning Life and Language"
Prerequisites for admission
The course is taught in English. To attend the course successfully, a good knowledge of the previous literary periods and good critical skills are required (both should have been acquired during the first and second year literature courses). To sit the third-year exam, students must have passed the first and second year English language and the first and second year English literature exams.
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: lectures with close reading, analysis and contextualisation of the works in the reading list; whenever possible, both videos and poetry reading/singing will be used in class. Students will be constantly involved in the analytical and critical process of learning, also by giving voluntary presentations on some of the texts present in the syllabus.
Teaching Resources
General introductions to periods and writers, and specific introductions to the authors present in the reading list, are to be studied on:
"The Norton Anthology of English Literature", (introduction to 'The Victorian Age' and introduction to 'The Twentieth Century').
Moreover, many of the literary texts in the reading list can be found in the Norton Anthology.
During the course, we will make use of narratological categories.
Suggested textbooks:
- Hermann Grosser, "Narrativa", Milano, Principato, 1985 (and reprints) [Anglistica Library].
- Manfred Jahn, Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative, 2021 [Free online].
In addition to the following reading list, students will study ALL MATERIALS UPLOADED ON THE DIDACTIC PLATFORM before or during the course.
PART A: "The 'Return of the Repressed': The Irrational, the Uncontrollable, the Marginal"
- Robert Louis Stevenson, "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". Any edition with introduction and notes. Suggested edition: Oxford World's Classics.
- Joseph Conrad, "Preface to The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' [The Task of the Artist]".
- Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness". Suggested editions: 1) Einaudi, a cura di Giuseppe Sertoli, con testo a fronte; 2) Oxford World's Classics.
- Chinua Achebe, "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'" Massachusetts Review, n. 18, 1977 [Free online].
- Agatha Christie, "The Murder of Roger Acroyd". Suggested edition: Harper-Collins Publishers, 2013, introduction by Laura Thompson.
PART B:
- Thomas Hardy, "Hap", "Neutral Tones", "The Convergence of the Twain".
- T.S. Eliot, "Tradition and the Individual Talent".
- T.S. Eliot, "The Waste Land". Suggested edition: Alessandro Serpieri, Thomas S. Eliot, "La terra desolata. Introduzione, traduzione e note di Alessandro Serpieri, testo originale a fronte", Rizzoli, 1982 e varie ristampe [Anglistica Library].
- Allyson Booth, "Reading 'The Waste Land' From the Bottom Up", Palgrave Macmillan, 2015 [free online].
PART C: "Re-thinking the Human: Questioning Life and Language".
- Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest". Any edition with introduction and notes. Suggested edition: Oxford World's Classics.
- Samuel Beckett, "Letter to Axel Kaun", or "German Letter, 1937" (in Beckett, Samuel, ed. by Ruby Cohn, Disjecta. Miscellaneous Writings and a Dramatic Fragment [Anglistica Library]. It will also be uploaded on platform).
- Samuel Beckett, "Endgame". Any edition with introduction and notes.
- Margaret Rose, "Storia del teatro inglese. L'Ottocento e il Novecento", Carocci, 2002 (Anglistica library).
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
In addition to the above reading list, the following reading material is COMPULSORY:
1)
- Hermann Grosser, "Narrativa", Milano, Principato, 1985 (e varie ristampe), [Anglistica Library].
- Manfred Jahn, "Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative", 2021 [Free online].
2)
Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness", edizione Einaudi, a cura di Giuseppe Sertoli, con testo a fronte.
3)
- Alessandro Serpieri, Thomas S. Eliot, "La terra desolata. Introduzione, traduzione e note di A. Serpieri, testo originale a fronte", Rizzoli, 1982 e varie ristampe [Anglistica Library].
- Allyson Booth, "Reading The Waste Land From the Bottom Up", Palgrave Macmillan, 2015 [free online].
4)
Margaret Rose, "Storia del teatro inglese. L'Ottocento e il Novecento", Carocci, 2002 [Anglistica library].
"The Norton Anthology of English Literature", (introduction to 'The Victorian Age' and introduction to 'The Twentieth Century').
Moreover, many of the literary texts in the reading list can be found in the Norton Anthology.
During the course, we will make use of narratological categories.
Suggested textbooks:
- Hermann Grosser, "Narrativa", Milano, Principato, 1985 (and reprints) [Anglistica Library].
- Manfred Jahn, Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative, 2021 [Free online].
In addition to the following reading list, students will study ALL MATERIALS UPLOADED ON THE DIDACTIC PLATFORM before or during the course.
PART A: "The 'Return of the Repressed': The Irrational, the Uncontrollable, the Marginal"
- Robert Louis Stevenson, "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". Any edition with introduction and notes. Suggested edition: Oxford World's Classics.
- Joseph Conrad, "Preface to The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' [The Task of the Artist]".
- Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness". Suggested editions: 1) Einaudi, a cura di Giuseppe Sertoli, con testo a fronte; 2) Oxford World's Classics.
- Chinua Achebe, "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'" Massachusetts Review, n. 18, 1977 [Free online].
- Agatha Christie, "The Murder of Roger Acroyd". Suggested edition: Harper-Collins Publishers, 2013, introduction by Laura Thompson.
PART B:
- Thomas Hardy, "Hap", "Neutral Tones", "The Convergence of the Twain".
- T.S. Eliot, "Tradition and the Individual Talent".
- T.S. Eliot, "The Waste Land". Suggested edition: Alessandro Serpieri, Thomas S. Eliot, "La terra desolata. Introduzione, traduzione e note di Alessandro Serpieri, testo originale a fronte", Rizzoli, 1982 e varie ristampe [Anglistica Library].
- Allyson Booth, "Reading 'The Waste Land' From the Bottom Up", Palgrave Macmillan, 2015 [free online].
PART C: "Re-thinking the Human: Questioning Life and Language".
- Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest". Any edition with introduction and notes. Suggested edition: Oxford World's Classics.
- Samuel Beckett, "Letter to Axel Kaun", or "German Letter, 1937" (in Beckett, Samuel, ed. by Ruby Cohn, Disjecta. Miscellaneous Writings and a Dramatic Fragment [Anglistica Library]. It will also be uploaded on platform).
- Samuel Beckett, "Endgame". Any edition with introduction and notes.
- Margaret Rose, "Storia del teatro inglese. L'Ottocento e il Novecento", Carocci, 2002 (Anglistica library).
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
In addition to the above reading list, the following reading material is COMPULSORY:
1)
- Hermann Grosser, "Narrativa", Milano, Principato, 1985 (e varie ristampe), [Anglistica Library].
- Manfred Jahn, "Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative", 2021 [Free online].
2)
Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness", edizione Einaudi, a cura di Giuseppe Sertoli, con testo a fronte.
3)
- Alessandro Serpieri, Thomas S. Eliot, "La terra desolata. Introduzione, traduzione e note di A. Serpieri, testo originale a fronte", Rizzoli, 1982 e varie ristampe [Anglistica Library].
- Allyson Booth, "Reading The Waste Land From the Bottom Up", Palgrave Macmillan, 2015 [free online].
4)
Margaret Rose, "Storia del teatro inglese. L'Ottocento e il Novecento", Carocci, 2002 [Anglistica library].
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral exam: It consists in an oral interview assessed in thirtieths; 18/30 is the pass score.
The interview will ascertain: the capacity of students to read and translate the literary texts 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 texts and writers proposed; their knowledge of the literary works proposed; their critical abilities (their capacity to analyse the literary works, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends). To take the exam, it is mandatory to bring along all literary texts listed in this syllabus.
It is possible to take the exam both in English or in Italian (in the latter case, at least one or two answers will have to be given in English).
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in that 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.
The interview will ascertain: the capacity of students to read and translate the literary texts 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 texts and writers proposed; their knowledge of the literary works proposed; their critical abilities (their capacity to analyse the literary works, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends). To take the exam, it is mandatory to bring along all literary texts listed in this syllabus.
It is possible to take the exam both in English or in Italian (in the latter case, at least one or two answers will have to be given in English).
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in that 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.
Unita' didattica A
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
27/5, 5pm; 3/6, 12am; 12/6, 11.30am. Teams: i2vrlh3.
Teams
Reception:
Three hours a week. Please send me a mail in advance to make an appointment.
Piazza S. Alessandro 1, Anglistica; or Microsoft Teams Platform