Interculturality and Exchange in Medieval Latin Literature
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
Undefined
Expected learning outcomes
Undefined
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
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Part A of the course offers a general overview of medieval Latin literature, based on the reading of texts in English translation. It is an introduction to the history, themes, genres and main authors of this literary field. Within this framework, particular attention will be paid to two aspects. The first is continuity with classical Latin literature; the second is the contributions that other cultural and literary spheres (Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and others) have made to the formation of the corpus and the mentality it expresses. Part B of the course is dedicated to the image of the East as a fantastic and terrible place, a legacy of classical and biblical tradition, and to the journeys to Asia undertaken by traders and missionaries. In particular, it will focus on the account of the journey to China, India and Southeast Asia made by the Franciscan Giovanni de' Marignolli in the 14th century. Under the guidance of the lecturer, students will engage in reading the text and understanding its historical and literary value, the stereotypes it conveys, their origin and how they were overcome by the author, thanks to his empirical experience of the geographical, anthropological and political reality of Asia. Particular emphasis will be placed on the image of the East in the Middle Ages and its link with racism, and on the development of critical thinking and the questioning of authority.
Prerequisites for admission
There is no mandatory pre-requisite for enrolment in the course. Knowledge of Latin and successfully taking the course Latin Language for Beginners, though not mandatory, are useful assets.
Teaching methods
The course is structured in lectures and interactive lessons. Lectures are mainly scheduled for Part A of the course and serve to introduce the topics and themes of Medieval Latin literature, providing students with categories and interpretative tools. During Part B, alternative teaching methods will be used, such as the flipped classroom, cooperative learning, and workshop-based teaching for the presentation and critical reading of Giovanni de' Marignolli's Relatio. Guided by the lecturer, students will be asked to co-construct knowledge and relate the text to its sources, commenting on it and drawing on the knowledge acquired during the first part of the course and on their own critical skills.
Teaching Resources
Part A:
- Anthology of texts (Part I) uploaded to MyAriel one month before the start of the course
- Notes taken in class
Part B:
- Anthology of texts (Part II) uploaded to MyAriel one month before the start of the course
- Notes taken in class
- Cathay and the Way Thither, Being a Collection of Medieval Notices on China, transl. by H. Yule, vol. III, London, 1914 pp. 209-269 (freely available on Internet Archive).
- Giovanni de' Marignolli, Relatio. Un frate francescano nella Cina e nell'India del XIV secolo, a cura di I. Malfatto e P. Mocella, Ospedaletto (Pisa) 2022, pp. 13-17 (Introduction - in English).
Reference bibliography for the essay (further information will be provided individually by the lecturer):
- R. Wittkower, Marvels of the East. A Study in the History of Monsters, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 5 (1942), pp. 159-197.
- J. B. Friedman, The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought, Syracuse, 2000.
- I. de Rachewiltz, Papal Envoys to the Great Khans, London, 1971.
- P. Jackson, The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410, London - New York, 2018.
- M. O'Doherty, The Indies and the Medieval West. Thought, Report, Imagination, Turnhout, 2013.
- Anthology of texts (Part I) uploaded to MyAriel one month before the start of the course
- Notes taken in class
Part B:
- Anthology of texts (Part II) uploaded to MyAriel one month before the start of the course
- Notes taken in class
- Cathay and the Way Thither, Being a Collection of Medieval Notices on China, transl. by H. Yule, vol. III, London, 1914 pp. 209-269 (freely available on Internet Archive).
- Giovanni de' Marignolli, Relatio. Un frate francescano nella Cina e nell'India del XIV secolo, a cura di I. Malfatto e P. Mocella, Ospedaletto (Pisa) 2022, pp. 13-17 (Introduction - in English).
Reference bibliography for the essay (further information will be provided individually by the lecturer):
- R. Wittkower, Marvels of the East. A Study in the History of Monsters, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 5 (1942), pp. 159-197.
- J. B. Friedman, The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought, Syracuse, 2000.
- I. de Rachewiltz, Papal Envoys to the Great Khans, London, 1971.
- P. Jackson, The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410, London - New York, 2018.
- M. O'Doherty, The Indies and the Medieval West. Thought, Report, Imagination, Turnhout, 2013.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The assessment takes place in two stages. Students will be required to write a short essay (approximately 3,000 words) on a topic, work or literary issue of their choice relating to the image of the East and the accounts of medieval travellers in India, China and Mongolia (covered in Part B of the course), based on the bibliographical references provided by the lecturer. The essay will be assessed on the basis of formal and content accuracy, internal coherence and cohesion, and the correct use of bibliographical tools, and will contribute 50% to the final mark. The essay must be submitted in its final version at least one week before the exam, and students will be entitled to submit a first draft to the lecturer for feedback before the official submission. This will be followed by an oral exam, in which students will be asked to illustrate, contextualise, and summarise what they have learned in class about authors, works, and genres of Medieval Latin literature (covered in Part A of the course), also referring to the passages from the anthology read in class. The grade is expressed in thirtieths (pass mark: 18/30, maximum grade: 30 with honours/30). The assessment will take into account the ability to organise knowledge, the quality of presentation, and competence in the use of specialist vocabulary.
Students with disabilities should contact the lecturer to arrange alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
Students with disabilities should contact the lecturer to arrange alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
L-FIL-LET/08 - MEDIEVAL AND HUMANISTIC LATIN LITERATURE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Giani Marina
Professor(s)