American Literature
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course is offered in a double annuality as a specialized exploration of selections of US literary production, which will be conducted either from a thematic point of view or from a recent and current critical perspective. The course will present the fundamental theory and methodology of one or more critical approaches. Literary works will be read in class with the aim of training students in the skill of applying literary theory to critical text analysis.
Expected learning outcomes
Required knowledge: at the end of the course, students should demonstrate that they have understood the critical perspectives illustrated in class, and that they have become able to apply them to their analysis of literary texts. Moreover, they should prove their in-depth knowledge of all the literary works included in the course reading list. Required linguistic skills: at the end of the course, students should demonstrate the ability to read the original versions of the literary works included in the reading list, and to translate them into Italian (or to paraphrase them in English, in the case of international students). Moreover, they should demonstrate, in English, their capacity to interpret the literary texts correctly, and to discuss their interpretations, as well as their application of the acquired theory and methodology to literary analysis. Required literary skills: at the end of the course, students should be able to conduct a critical interpretation of the literary works included in the reading list according to the acquired theory and methods, and to perform a literary analysis of the same from both a thematic and a formal point of view. Finally, they should show the ability to make connections between the various authors and works they have been studying.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course opens a three-year curriculum in American Literature, which is organized according to literary genres. The first year is devoted to American poetry, from its Puritan origins to the Modernist era. It will be followed by a second year focusing on American narrative. Finally, a third year will tackle contemporary American Literature, resuming its poetic and narrative production since WW2 and adding a focus on theatre.
The course is titled "American Poetry" and consists of the following parts:
A: The Puritans
B: The Romantics
C: The Moderns
Students from Lingue must attend the whole course, which provides 9 credits. Therefore, they are required to complete the whole course syllabus.
The course is an introduction to US poetry, which follows its development through the main phases of its production, from colonial, Puritan New England through the literary flourishing of the American Renaissance, to the inventive fervor of the Modernist era.
The course syllabus is valid until September 2027.
The course is titled "American Poetry" and consists of the following parts:
A: The Puritans
B: The Romantics
C: The Moderns
Students from Lingue must attend the whole course, which provides 9 credits. Therefore, they are required to complete the whole course syllabus.
The course is an introduction to US poetry, which follows its development through the main phases of its production, from colonial, Puritan New England through the literary flourishing of the American Renaissance, to the inventive fervor of the Modernist era.
The course syllabus is valid until September 2027.
Prerequisites for admission
Students from Lingue must have taken and passed the English language test administered by the degree course.
The course is completely delivered in English. Lectures, materials and bibliography require a sound knowledge of the English language.
International students and Erasmus students are welcome as long as they own the required linguistic skills.
The course is completely delivered in English. Lectures, materials and bibliography require a sound knowledge of the English language.
International students and Erasmus students are welcome as long as they own the required linguistic skills.
Teaching methods
The course is mainly delivered as lectures, a large part of which will consist of the reading, analysis and interpretation of the poems listed in the syllabus.
Teaching Resources
Text analysis handbook:
· Mary Oliver, "A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry", Harcourt, 1994
Part A:
From "The Norton Anthology of American Literature", 9th or 10th edition (Vol. A):
· BEGINNINGS TO 1820, Introduction
· Anne Bradstreet, introduction to the poet
· Anne Bradstreet, "To My Dear and Loving Husband", "In Memory of my Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet", "For Deliverance from a Fever"
· Edward Taylor, introduction to the poet
· Edward Taylor, "Huswifery"
Readings for the midterm test (on MyAriel, Literary History folder, part A)
Part B:
da "The Norton Anthology of American Literature", 9th or 10th edition (Vol. B):
· AMERICAN LITERATURE 1820-1865, Introduction
· Ralph Waldo Emerson, introduction to the essayist and poet
· Ralph Waldo Emerson, from "Nature": "Poetry" (ch. 3) and "Language" (chapt. 4)
· Edgar Allan Poe, introduction to the poet
· Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"
· Edgar Allan Poe, "The Philosophy of Composition"
· Walt Whitman, introduction to the poet
· Walt Whitman, from "Song of Myself": sections 1, 2, 5-8, 10, 11, 13, 15-17, 21, 24, 33 (lines 838-870), 38, 48-52
· Emily Dickinson, introduction to the poet
· Emily Dickinson, the poems included in the PPT slides
· Paola Loreto, "La Terra è il Cielo. La coerenza (eco)poetica di Emily Dickinson", Milano, Mimesis, 2024, part II.
Readings for the midterm test (on MyAriel, Literary History folder, part B); Paola Loreto, "La poesia dell'Ottocento e la retorica delle emozioni", chapter 2 of "La Letteratura degli Stati Uniti dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni", Carocci, 2017.
Part C:
da "The Norton Anthology of American Literature", 9th or 10th edition (Vol. D):
· AMERICAN LITERATURE BETWEEN THE WARS, Introduction
· Gertrude Stein, introduction to the writer
· Gertrude Stein, from "The Making of Americans": Introduction; from "Tender Buttons": "A Box"; from "Patriarchal Poetry" (on MyAriel)
· Robert Frost, introduction to the poet
· Robert Frost, "Home Burial", "Stopping by Woods", "Spring Pools" (on MyAriel)
· William Carlos Williams, introduction to the poet
· William Carlos Williams, "The Red Wheelbarrow", "The Young Housewife", "A Sort of a Song", "This is Just to Say", "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus",
· Ezra Pound, "In a Station of the Metro"
Readings for the midterm test (on MyAriel, Literary History folder, part C); Paola Loreto, "Poetiche moderniste. Poesia della voce (1914-45)", chapter 7 of "La Letteratura degli Stati Uniti dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni", Carocci, 2017.
NB: The students who specialize in American Literature and have enrolled for a 3-year curriculum in American Literature are required to read, during the summer, "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville and "The Great Gatsby" by Francis Scott Fitzgerald in order to prepare for their treatment in class during their second year.
Program for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:
In addition to the readings previously listed, non-attending students are required to read the following essays included in the "Dispensa per studenti non-frequentanti" in the Materiali folder on MyAriel:
· Luca Briasco, "Introduzione storica", "La letteratura americana dell'età coloniale", a cura di Paola Cabibbo, Roma, NIS, 1993, pages 15-25 (Dispensa Letteratura angloamericana 1, on MyAriel)
· Alan Simpson, "Puritanism in Old and New England", Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 1955, chapt.1 (in Dispensa Letteratura angloamericana 1, su MyAriel)
· Nortman Foerster, "Emerson on the Organic Principle in Art"
· Robert Richardson, "Emerson and nature"
· Guy Allen, "Form and Structure" (of Whitman's "Leaves of Grass")
· James Miller, "'Song of Myself' as Inverted Mystical Experience"
· Christopher MacGowan, "William Crlos Williams"
· Joseph Brodsky, "On Grief and Reason"
NB: Non-attending students NOT required to read the materials for the mid-term tests (if they don't take them).
· Mary Oliver, "A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry", Harcourt, 1994
Part A:
From "The Norton Anthology of American Literature", 9th or 10th edition (Vol. A):
· BEGINNINGS TO 1820, Introduction
· Anne Bradstreet, introduction to the poet
· Anne Bradstreet, "To My Dear and Loving Husband", "In Memory of my Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet", "For Deliverance from a Fever"
· Edward Taylor, introduction to the poet
· Edward Taylor, "Huswifery"
Readings for the midterm test (on MyAriel, Literary History folder, part A)
Part B:
da "The Norton Anthology of American Literature", 9th or 10th edition (Vol. B):
· AMERICAN LITERATURE 1820-1865, Introduction
· Ralph Waldo Emerson, introduction to the essayist and poet
· Ralph Waldo Emerson, from "Nature": "Poetry" (ch. 3) and "Language" (chapt. 4)
· Edgar Allan Poe, introduction to the poet
· Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"
· Edgar Allan Poe, "The Philosophy of Composition"
· Walt Whitman, introduction to the poet
· Walt Whitman, from "Song of Myself": sections 1, 2, 5-8, 10, 11, 13, 15-17, 21, 24, 33 (lines 838-870), 38, 48-52
· Emily Dickinson, introduction to the poet
· Emily Dickinson, the poems included in the PPT slides
· Paola Loreto, "La Terra è il Cielo. La coerenza (eco)poetica di Emily Dickinson", Milano, Mimesis, 2024, part II.
Readings for the midterm test (on MyAriel, Literary History folder, part B); Paola Loreto, "La poesia dell'Ottocento e la retorica delle emozioni", chapter 2 of "La Letteratura degli Stati Uniti dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni", Carocci, 2017.
Part C:
da "The Norton Anthology of American Literature", 9th or 10th edition (Vol. D):
· AMERICAN LITERATURE BETWEEN THE WARS, Introduction
· Gertrude Stein, introduction to the writer
· Gertrude Stein, from "The Making of Americans": Introduction; from "Tender Buttons": "A Box"; from "Patriarchal Poetry" (on MyAriel)
· Robert Frost, introduction to the poet
· Robert Frost, "Home Burial", "Stopping by Woods", "Spring Pools" (on MyAriel)
· William Carlos Williams, introduction to the poet
· William Carlos Williams, "The Red Wheelbarrow", "The Young Housewife", "A Sort of a Song", "This is Just to Say", "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus",
· Ezra Pound, "In a Station of the Metro"
Readings for the midterm test (on MyAriel, Literary History folder, part C); Paola Loreto, "Poetiche moderniste. Poesia della voce (1914-45)", chapter 7 of "La Letteratura degli Stati Uniti dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni", Carocci, 2017.
NB: The students who specialize in American Literature and have enrolled for a 3-year curriculum in American Literature are required to read, during the summer, "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville and "The Great Gatsby" by Francis Scott Fitzgerald in order to prepare for their treatment in class during their second year.
Program for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:
In addition to the readings previously listed, non-attending students are required to read the following essays included in the "Dispensa per studenti non-frequentanti" in the Materiali folder on MyAriel:
· Luca Briasco, "Introduzione storica", "La letteratura americana dell'età coloniale", a cura di Paola Cabibbo, Roma, NIS, 1993, pages 15-25 (Dispensa Letteratura angloamericana 1, on MyAriel)
· Alan Simpson, "Puritanism in Old and New England", Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 1955, chapt.1 (in Dispensa Letteratura angloamericana 1, su MyAriel)
· Nortman Foerster, "Emerson on the Organic Principle in Art"
· Robert Richardson, "Emerson and nature"
· Guy Allen, "Form and Structure" (of Whitman's "Leaves of Grass")
· James Miller, "'Song of Myself' as Inverted Mystical Experience"
· Christopher MacGowan, "William Crlos Williams"
· Joseph Brodsky, "On Grief and Reason"
NB: Non-attending students NOT required to read the materials for the mid-term tests (if they don't take them).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral: the exam is an interview, during which students will demonstrate their capacity to read and translate the literary texts listed in the course syllabus (non-Italian students will be asked to paraphrase the same in English); their knowledge of the historical, cultural, and literary context of both the texts and writers proposed; their knowledge of the literary works proposed; their critical abilities (i.e., their capacity to analyze the literary works, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends).
Students from Lingue are encouraged to take their exam in English, but can choose between the English or the Italian language. They should be aware that the quality of their exposition will be part of the exam assessment.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
Attending students will be given two midterm written exams testing their individual study of the literary history part of the course program.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Also students with any disabilities should contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along an academic edition of all the literary texts listed in the syllabus.
Students from Lingue are encouraged to take their exam in English, but can choose between the English or the Italian language. They should be aware that the quality of their exposition will be part of the exam assessment.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
Attending students will be given two midterm written exams testing their individual study of the literary history part of the course program.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Also students with any disabilities should contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along an academic edition of all the literary texts listed in the syllabus.
Modules or teaching units
Part A and B
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Part C
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
In the Fall semester (teaching period) on Fridays at 14:30; in the Spring Semester (teaching period) on Wednesdays at 14:30. Please write Prof. Loreto to fix an appointment..
Dept. of Lingue, Anglistica section, third Floor (Sottotetto), piazza Sant'Alessandro 1