Anglophone Literatures
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course investigates some pivotal aspects of African and Indian literatures, in order to involve students in deep critical analyses of the literary texts proposed, supported by the knowledge of history and of local culture. The aim of the course is to take students beyond the traditional boundaries of the British/Irish canon to discover rich and fascinating Anglophone literary traditions in Africa and Asia; accordingly, the programme introduces some of the most relevant non-English writers and some key issues in the current debate on global English literature. The active participation of students will be promoted through presentations and paper submissions, in order to stimulate and enhance their critical and argumentative skills (both oral and written).
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will have a sound knowledge of the historical, cultural and literary background of the investigated cultural and geographical areas. They will be able to carry out in-depth textual and critical analyses of the literary works listed in the syllabus, relying on the critical studies provided in the reading list. They will also acquire critical tools to carry out an independent critical assessment of the literary texts and of the cultural issues dealt with in class, taking into consideration the theoretical and critical perspectives introduced and discussed during the course.
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
TITLE: "Women Writing in Times of Crisis. South African and Indian Literatures".
Parts A and B: South Africa, prof. G. Iannaccaro
Part C: India, prof. A. Vescovi
Parts A and B examine the literary works of two South African short story writers, Nadine Gordimer and Zoë Wicomb, during the 1980s. This was arguably the most difficult and violent decade of the apartheid era, a complex historical period characterised by repression, censorship, and relentless struggle alongside an awareness of the inevitability of significant political change.
Part C will explore the experiences of Indian women during the violent period of the Partition of India in 1947. With the help of a visiting professor from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta)—Prof. Saswati Halder—students will engage with two novels written by women authors from Punjab and Bengal—regions that bore the brunt of the Partition's communal violence. Can these literary texts serve as a testimony, a memory, and perhaps a catharsis of those traumatic events? This is the question that we shall try to address during the course.
Course attendance is highly recommended. Those who cannot attend classes are invited to the first lesson, in which information regarding the course syllabus and the exam will be provided.
The course bears 6/9 credits. Students wishing to acquire only 6 credits will study Parts A and B.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2027.
Parts A and B: South Africa, prof. G. Iannaccaro
Part C: India, prof. A. Vescovi
Parts A and B examine the literary works of two South African short story writers, Nadine Gordimer and Zoë Wicomb, during the 1980s. This was arguably the most difficult and violent decade of the apartheid era, a complex historical period characterised by repression, censorship, and relentless struggle alongside an awareness of the inevitability of significant political change.
Part C will explore the experiences of Indian women during the violent period of the Partition of India in 1947. With the help of a visiting professor from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta)—Prof. Saswati Halder—students will engage with two novels written by women authors from Punjab and Bengal—regions that bore the brunt of the Partition's communal violence. Can these literary texts serve as a testimony, a memory, and perhaps a catharsis of those traumatic events? This is the question that we shall try to address during the course.
Course attendance is highly recommended. Those who cannot attend classes are invited to the first lesson, in which information regarding the course syllabus and the exam will be provided.
The course bears 6/9 credits. Students wishing to acquire only 6 credits will study Parts A and B.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2027.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is addressed to graduate students, and it is held in English. Therefore, a good knowledge of the English language is required in order to understand complex literary and/or critical texts. A general knowledge of the major authors and currents of English literature is taken for granted.
Teaching methods
Teaching methods: lectures with close reading, discussion, textual analysis, and contextualisation of the works in the reading list; constant engagement of students in the analytical and critical process of learning. "Flipped classroom": the possibility to present to the class a topic/text chosen from the reading list, and/or to be the 'respondent' of someone else's presentation. Teamwork and collective presentations.
Teaching Resources
GENERAL SYLLABUS
1. NARRATOLOGY: to analyse literary texts, it is mandatory to be acquainted with the main narrative techniques. Suggested reading: Manfred Jahn, "Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative", 2021 (Free online).
2. LITERARY TEXTS: see the reading list below.
3. LITERARY CRITICISM: see below.
4. AUTHORS' BIO/BIBLIOGRAPHIES: Unimi database > Literature Online > Name of author > ProQuest Biographies // South African History Online
5. HISTORY AND LITERARY HISTORY: A good knowledge of South African history from the 17th century to the present is required. Students who do not attend classes must be able to combine their knowledge of South African history with the literary texts in the reading list.
IT IS MANDATORY TO REFER TO THE DETAILED SYLLABUS that will be uploaded on MyAriel and Teams before the course begins.
6. In addition to this reading list, students will study all materials uploaded on Teams before or during the course.
Parts A and B
1. Edgar Allan Poe, "Twice-Told Tales, A Review", Graham's Magazine, May, 1842. (Free Online).
2. Nadine Gordimer, short stories: "The Ultimate Safari"; "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off"; "Once Upon a Time"; "Some are Born to Sweet Delight", (in Jump and other Stories, 1991).
3. Zoë Wicomb, You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town (1987). The Feminist Press edition, with an Introduction by Marcia Wright and an Afterword by Carol Sicherman. This edition provides a valuable historical Introduction and a useful Literary Afterword.
4. Zoë Wicomb, Playing in the Light, 2006.
- Nadine Gordimer, "The Essential Gesture: Writers and Responsibility", The Tanner Lectures on Human Values, Delivered at The University of Michigan, October 12, 1984. Free online, https://tannerlectures.org/lectures/the-essential-gesture-writers-and-responsibility/
- Graham Huggan, "Echoes from Elsewhere: Gordimer's Short Fiction as Social Critique", Research in African Literatures, Vol. 25, no. 1, 1994, pp. 61-73 (Unimi database).
- Pascale Tollance, "[S]he Has a Knife in [Her] Hand": Writing/Cutting in Nadine Gordimer's Short Stories, in Fiona McCann and Kerry-Jane Wallart (eds), Nadine Gordimer: De-Linking, Interrupting, Severing. Commonwealth Essays and Studies, Vol. 41, n. 2, 2019. Special number. (Unimi database).
- Zoë Wicomb, "Shame and Identity. The Case of the Coloured in South Africa", 1998 (Unimi database).
- Dorothy Driver, "The Struggle Over the Sign. Writing and History in Zoë Wicomb's Art", Journal of Southern African Studies, 36:3, 2010, pp. 523-542 (Unimi database).
Part C
1. Bapsi Sidhwa, Cracking India, any edition.
2. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Independence, William Morrow.
- Ahn, H. (2019). Queer eyes and gendered violence in Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 55(5), 602-613. https://doi-org.pros1.lib.unimi.it/10.1080/17449855.2019.1627570
- Menon, R., & Bhasin, K. (1993). Recovery, Rupture, Resistance: Indian State and Abduction of Women during Partition. Economic and Political Weekly, 28(17), WS2-WS11. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4399640
- Gunawat, M. G. A "Tale of Courage and Perseverance: Review of Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". https://meerayan.com/wp-content/uploads/5-37.pdf
- Metcalf BD, Metcalf TR. The 1940s: Triumph and Tragedy. In: A Concise History of Modern India. Cambridge Concise Histories. Cambridge University Press; 2012:203-230.
1. NARRATOLOGY: to analyse literary texts, it is mandatory to be acquainted with the main narrative techniques. Suggested reading: Manfred Jahn, "Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative", 2021 (Free online).
2. LITERARY TEXTS: see the reading list below.
3. LITERARY CRITICISM: see below.
4. AUTHORS' BIO/BIBLIOGRAPHIES: Unimi database > Literature Online > Name of author > ProQuest Biographies // South African History Online
5. HISTORY AND LITERARY HISTORY: A good knowledge of South African history from the 17th century to the present is required. Students who do not attend classes must be able to combine their knowledge of South African history with the literary texts in the reading list.
IT IS MANDATORY TO REFER TO THE DETAILED SYLLABUS that will be uploaded on MyAriel and Teams before the course begins.
6. In addition to this reading list, students will study all materials uploaded on Teams before or during the course.
Parts A and B
1. Edgar Allan Poe, "Twice-Told Tales, A Review", Graham's Magazine, May, 1842. (Free Online).
2. Nadine Gordimer, short stories: "The Ultimate Safari"; "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off"; "Once Upon a Time"; "Some are Born to Sweet Delight", (in Jump and other Stories, 1991).
3. Zoë Wicomb, You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town (1987). The Feminist Press edition, with an Introduction by Marcia Wright and an Afterword by Carol Sicherman. This edition provides a valuable historical Introduction and a useful Literary Afterword.
4. Zoë Wicomb, Playing in the Light, 2006.
- Nadine Gordimer, "The Essential Gesture: Writers and Responsibility", The Tanner Lectures on Human Values, Delivered at The University of Michigan, October 12, 1984. Free online, https://tannerlectures.org/lectures/the-essential-gesture-writers-and-responsibility/
- Graham Huggan, "Echoes from Elsewhere: Gordimer's Short Fiction as Social Critique", Research in African Literatures, Vol. 25, no. 1, 1994, pp. 61-73 (Unimi database).
- Pascale Tollance, "[S]he Has a Knife in [Her] Hand": Writing/Cutting in Nadine Gordimer's Short Stories, in Fiona McCann and Kerry-Jane Wallart (eds), Nadine Gordimer: De-Linking, Interrupting, Severing. Commonwealth Essays and Studies, Vol. 41, n. 2, 2019. Special number. (Unimi database).
- Zoë Wicomb, "Shame and Identity. The Case of the Coloured in South Africa", 1998 (Unimi database).
- Dorothy Driver, "The Struggle Over the Sign. Writing and History in Zoë Wicomb's Art", Journal of Southern African Studies, 36:3, 2010, pp. 523-542 (Unimi database).
Part C
1. Bapsi Sidhwa, Cracking India, any edition.
2. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Independence, William Morrow.
- Ahn, H. (2019). Queer eyes and gendered violence in Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 55(5), 602-613. https://doi-org.pros1.lib.unimi.it/10.1080/17449855.2019.1627570
- Menon, R., & Bhasin, K. (1993). Recovery, Rupture, Resistance: Indian State and Abduction of Women during Partition. Economic and Political Weekly, 28(17), WS2-WS11. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4399640
- Gunawat, M. G. A "Tale of Courage and Perseverance: Review of Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni". https://meerayan.com/wp-content/uploads/5-37.pdf
- Metcalf BD, Metcalf TR. The 1940s: Triumph and Tragedy. In: A Concise History of Modern India. Cambridge Concise Histories. Cambridge University Press; 2012:203-230.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral exam: It consists of an oral interview assessed in thirtieths; 18/30 is the passing score.
The interview will ascertain: the student's sound knowledge of the historical, cultural and literary background of the investigated geographical and cultural areas; their ability to carry out in-depth textual and critical analyses of the literary works in the reading list, relying on the scholarly studies provided; their capacity to engage in an independent critical assessment of the literary texts and the cultural issues dealt with in the classes, taking into consideration the theoretical and critical perspectives introduced and discussed during the course.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in which case, the record will be "ritirato", withdrawn, and they will have to retake the whole exam in a future session).
The language of the exam is English.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Likewise, students with any disabilities are kindly invited to contact the teacher to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
To take the exam, it is mandatory to bring along all the literary texts listed in this syllabus.
The interview will ascertain: the student's sound knowledge of the historical, cultural and literary background of the investigated geographical and cultural areas; their ability to carry out in-depth textual and critical analyses of the literary works in the reading list, relying on the scholarly studies provided; their capacity to engage in an independent critical assessment of the literary texts and the cultural issues dealt with in the classes, taking into consideration the theoretical and critical perspectives introduced and discussed during the course.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in which case, the record will be "ritirato", withdrawn, and they will have to retake the whole exam in a future session).
The language of the exam is English.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Likewise, students with any disabilities are kindly invited to contact the teacher to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
To take the exam, it is mandatory to bring along all the literary texts listed in this syllabus.
Modules or teaching units
Part A and B
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Iannaccaro Giuliana
Part C
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Vescovi Alessandro
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
Wednesday, from 15:30 onwards. Please send me a mail in advance to make an appointment.
Piazza S. Alessandro 1, Anglistica; or Microsoft Teams Platform
Reception:
Every Friday 10:45 am. Please use the form to reserve a position.
Teacher's office or Teams