Italian Literature
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with a critical expertise of the main elements of the Italian literary system, from the Origins to the Seventeenth century, following the tradition and development of models, themes, forms.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge: at the end of the course the student must know the fundamental aspects and issues of Italian literature from the Origins to the Seventeenth century, with a proper historic contextualization and specific reference to genres, themes and poetics, authors and works, methods of transmission of texts and their philological problems. Furthermore, the student will have to know the tools (metric elements, rhetoric, style theory and narratology) and the critical methodologies necessary to analyse and interpret the texts.
Competence: the student will then have to demonstrate the ability to understand and analyse literary texts (in their thematic and formal aspects), framing them in their respective contexts. Likewise, the student must demonstrate competence in the comprehension and use of literary essays, ability to identify the bibliography and to make use of the main tools of bibliographic resources, as well as the ability to communicate clearly and correctly, both in oral and written presentation, with appropriate use of scientific terminology.
Competence: the student will then have to demonstrate the ability to understand and analyse literary texts (in their thematic and formal aspects), framing them in their respective contexts. Likewise, the student must demonstrate competence in the comprehension and use of literary essays, ability to identify the bibliography and to make use of the main tools of bibliographic resources, as well as the ability to communicate clearly and correctly, both in oral and written presentation, with appropriate use of scientific terminology.
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
A-De
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Part A (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Italian literature: from the beginnings to Renaissance Humanism [Prof. ssa Claudia Berra]
Part B (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Italian literature: from the Renaissance to Baroque [Prof.ssa Claudia Berra]
Part C (20 hours, 3 ECTS): The poetry of the Stilnuovo [Prof.ssa Claudia Berra]
Part D (20 hours, 3 ECTS-credits): Rhetorics and metrics through analysis of texts. Bibliographical guidelines and citations [teacher to appoint]
The course addresses Humanities students whose surname begins with A-De (12 ECTS) and Liberal Studies in Communication students (6/9 ECTS); the latter will prepare either teaching units A and C (6 ECTS - oral exam) or A, B, C (9 ECTS - written and oral exam).
Parts A and B will deal with the following subjects:
- Sicilian School;
- 13th century Tuscan poetry;
- Dolce Stil Novo;
- Dante Alighieri;
- Francesco Petrarca (Canzoniere);
- Giovanni Boccaccio (Decameron);
- Renaissance Humanism;
- literature in the Florence of the Medici: Lorenzo de' Medici; Poliziano (Stanze per la giostra);
- Matteo Maria Boiardo (Orlando innamorato)
- Renaissance Lyrics;
- the genre of treatise in 16th century: Pietro Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and Castiglione (Libro del Cortegiano);
- Niccolò Machiavelli (Principe, Mandragola);
- Ludovico Ariosto (Orlando furioso);
- Torquato Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata);
- Giovan Battista Marino (Adone) and Baroque poetry;
- Galileo Galilei.
Part C will focus on Stilnuovo poetry, in relation to Medieval history and culture; particularly significant texts and critical issues will be analyzed.
Part D will provide students with basic knowledge in rhetorical figures and poetic forms also through analysis of texts, along with bibliographical guidelines.
Part B (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Italian literature: from the Renaissance to Baroque [Prof.ssa Claudia Berra]
Part C (20 hours, 3 ECTS): The poetry of the Stilnuovo [Prof.ssa Claudia Berra]
Part D (20 hours, 3 ECTS-credits): Rhetorics and metrics through analysis of texts. Bibliographical guidelines and citations [teacher to appoint]
The course addresses Humanities students whose surname begins with A-De (12 ECTS) and Liberal Studies in Communication students (6/9 ECTS); the latter will prepare either teaching units A and C (6 ECTS - oral exam) or A, B, C (9 ECTS - written and oral exam).
Parts A and B will deal with the following subjects:
- Sicilian School;
- 13th century Tuscan poetry;
- Dolce Stil Novo;
- Dante Alighieri;
- Francesco Petrarca (Canzoniere);
- Giovanni Boccaccio (Decameron);
- Renaissance Humanism;
- literature in the Florence of the Medici: Lorenzo de' Medici; Poliziano (Stanze per la giostra);
- Matteo Maria Boiardo (Orlando innamorato)
- Renaissance Lyrics;
- the genre of treatise in 16th century: Pietro Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and Castiglione (Libro del Cortegiano);
- Niccolò Machiavelli (Principe, Mandragola);
- Ludovico Ariosto (Orlando furioso);
- Torquato Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata);
- Giovan Battista Marino (Adone) and Baroque poetry;
- Galileo Galilei.
Part C will focus on Stilnuovo poetry, in relation to Medieval history and culture; particularly significant texts and critical issues will be analyzed.
Part D will provide students with basic knowledge in rhetorical figures and poetic forms also through analysis of texts, along with bibliographical guidelines.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no required prerequisites.
Teaching methods
Attendance at the lessons is not mandatory but strongly recommended, as the participation in initiatives and conferences announced by the teachers or by the site of Dipartimento di Studi letterari filologici e linguistici. Frontal lectures aim primarily at the acquisition of knowledge and the appropriate vocabulary. Parts A and B will be taught on texts included in the booklet. The lectures of parts A and B will focus on movements, authors, literary works and their cultural context (from the beginnings to Baroque); on the main critical problems of each topic and text; on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
In part C we will analyse texts and critical issues about the Stilnovo in the context of Medieval culture, with the intention of familiarizing students with the complexity of an ancient text and the methods employed in its interpretation.
Part D aims to provide students with the vocabulary, tools, and methods for analysis in the discipline. Through examples from selected texts, the main meters of the Italian tradition will be outlined, and the notions of metrics will be provided to guide students towards stylistic analysis.
Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program and to contact the teacher via email or during reception hours.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
In part C we will analyse texts and critical issues about the Stilnovo in the context of Medieval culture, with the intention of familiarizing students with the complexity of an ancient text and the methods employed in its interpretation.
Part D aims to provide students with the vocabulary, tools, and methods for analysis in the discipline. Through examples from selected texts, the main meters of the Italian tradition will be outlined, and the notions of metrics will be provided to guide students towards stylistic analysis.
Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program and to contact the teacher via email or during reception hours.
Teaching Resources
Attending students
For parts A and B, students will prepare pp. 1-240 of Antologia della letteratura italiana. Dalla scuola poetica siciliana a Alessandro Manzoni, edited by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 (for part A pp. 1-127) and related topics in literary history on a textbook of their choice. Foreigner or non mother tongue students please contact teacher.
For Part C, students will prepare:
-Poesie dello Stilnuovo, a cura di M. Berisso, BUR.
Other readings will be suggested during the course.
Part D: Students will prepare the subjects discussed in class, with materials (slideshows) available on MyAriel. They will also study the following books:
- Pietro G. Beltrami, «Gli strumenti della poesia», Bologna, il Mulino, 1996 (or later editions).
- Bice Mortara Garavelli, «Il parlar figurato. Manualetto di figure retoriche», Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010 (or later editions).
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
Part A e B. The same program as attending students (please refer to My Ariel site and conctact teacher if not Italian mother tongue)
Part D: Non-attending students will study the two books indicated for attending students and one book chosen from the list below:
- Guglielmo Gorni, «Metrica e analisi letteraria», Bologna, il Mulino, 1993 or later editions (parte I. Le forme primarie del testo poetico). - Andrea Afribo, «Petrarca e petrarchismo», Roma, Carocci, 2009 (parte I. Petrarca). - Fabio Magro e Arnaldo Soldani, «Il sonetto italiano. Dalle origini a oggi», Roma, Carocci, 2017 (capitolo 1. La forma, il genere; capitolo 2. Le origini; capitolo 3. Petrarca e il Trecento).
For parts A and B, students will prepare pp. 1-240 of Antologia della letteratura italiana. Dalla scuola poetica siciliana a Alessandro Manzoni, edited by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 (for part A pp. 1-127) and related topics in literary history on a textbook of their choice. Foreigner or non mother tongue students please contact teacher.
For Part C, students will prepare:
-Poesie dello Stilnuovo, a cura di M. Berisso, BUR.
Other readings will be suggested during the course.
Part D: Students will prepare the subjects discussed in class, with materials (slideshows) available on MyAriel. They will also study the following books:
- Pietro G. Beltrami, «Gli strumenti della poesia», Bologna, il Mulino, 1996 (or later editions).
- Bice Mortara Garavelli, «Il parlar figurato. Manualetto di figure retoriche», Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010 (or later editions).
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
Part A e B. The same program as attending students (please refer to My Ariel site and conctact teacher if not Italian mother tongue)
Part D: Non-attending students will study the two books indicated for attending students and one book chosen from the list below:
- Guglielmo Gorni, «Metrica e analisi letteraria», Bologna, il Mulino, 1993 or later editions (parte I. Le forme primarie del testo poetico). - Andrea Afribo, «Petrarca e petrarchismo», Roma, Carocci, 2009 (parte I. Petrarca). - Fabio Magro e Arnaldo Soldani, «Il sonetto italiano. Dalle origini a oggi», Roma, Carocci, 2017 (capitolo 1. La forma, il genere; capitolo 2. Le origini; capitolo 3. Petrarca e il Trecento).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment criteria: the exam for 12 or 9 cfu consists of a preliminary written test on parts A and B and an oral test on parts C and on part D (only C for a 9 ECTS exam). The 6 ECTS exam consists of an oral test on teaching parts A and C.
The written test will be held in December 2025 (allowing to attend the oral exam only from the January appeal), February 2026 (allowing to attend the oral exam only from the June appeal), May and September 2026; passing the written test is a prerequisite for access to the oral exam. Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be part of the final overall grade. The passing of the written test is valid for one year. Grades of the written test will be published on Ariel in the specifically dedicated section.
The written test has to be completed within 90 minutes and consists of three open-ended questions: a question focusing on one of the works or authors or schools on the syllabus, a question requiring one to comment on a text from the anthology by bringing it back to aspects and issues of literary history, and a question consisting of paraphrasing one text and answering some comprehension questions. Students who had attended the preparatory course and have passed its final exam will NOT take the third question.
The criteria used to assess students' performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialised lexicon, and, for the third question, the ability to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered.
The test on parts C and D consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C and on poetic forms, meters and rhetorical figures for part D. The student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess students' performance are: ability to critically organize information from lectures and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using the appropriate technical language.
The final grade will be expressed in the 30 grade point system (minimum passing grade 18), and it will comprehend the grade of the written test.
Information on the programme and on the exam will be provided during the first lecture of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel where students will find specimen papers of previous written tests.
Non-attending students, international students and Erasmus students are invited to contact the professors in office hours for information on the exam.
Examination methods for students with disabilities or SLD must be defined with the teachers in agreement with the University Disability and SLD Services
The written test will be held in December 2025 (allowing to attend the oral exam only from the January appeal), February 2026 (allowing to attend the oral exam only from the June appeal), May and September 2026; passing the written test is a prerequisite for access to the oral exam. Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be part of the final overall grade. The passing of the written test is valid for one year. Grades of the written test will be published on Ariel in the specifically dedicated section.
The written test has to be completed within 90 minutes and consists of three open-ended questions: a question focusing on one of the works or authors or schools on the syllabus, a question requiring one to comment on a text from the anthology by bringing it back to aspects and issues of literary history, and a question consisting of paraphrasing one text and answering some comprehension questions. Students who had attended the preparatory course and have passed its final exam will NOT take the third question.
The criteria used to assess students' performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialised lexicon, and, for the third question, the ability to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered.
The test on parts C and D consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C and on poetic forms, meters and rhetorical figures for part D. The student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess students' performance are: ability to critically organize information from lectures and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using the appropriate technical language.
The final grade will be expressed in the 30 grade point system (minimum passing grade 18), and it will comprehend the grade of the written test.
Information on the programme and on the exam will be provided during the first lecture of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel where students will find specimen papers of previous written tests.
Non-attending students, international students and Erasmus students are invited to contact the professors in office hours for information on the exam.
Examination methods for students with disabilities or SLD must be defined with the teachers in agreement with the University Disability and SLD Services
Modules or teaching units
Part A and B
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Berra Claudia
Part C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Berra Claudia
Part D
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Marranchino Carmela
Di-N
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Course of 80 hours, 12 ECTS:
Part A (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Italian literature of the beginnings [professor to be defined]
Part B (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Italian literature from Renaissance Humanism to Baroque [professor to be defined]
Part C (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Dante Alighieri's "Vita Nova" [Stefania Baragetti]
Part D (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Elements of rhetoric and metre [Stefania Baragetti]
The course addresses Humanities students whose surname begins with Di-N (12 ECTS - written and oral exam - parts A, B, C, D) and Liberal Studies in Communication students (6/9 ECTS); the latter will prepare either teaching parts A and C (6 ECTS - oral exam) or A, B, C (9 ECTS - written and oral exam). Single Course: 9 ECTS (parts A, B, C). Students who have already taken an exam of Italian Literature must contact the teacher.
The course is divided into four parts. Parts A (from Sicilian School to Boccaccio) and B (from Renaissance Humanism to Baroque) will deal with the following subjects: Sicilian School and 13th century Tuscan poetry; Dolce Stil Novo; Francesco Petrarca (with particular regard to "Canzoniere"); Boccaccio ("Decameron"); Renaissance Humanism; the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici, Poliziano ("Stanze per la giostra"), Luigi Pulci ("Morgante"); Matteo Maria Boiardo ("Inamoramento de Orlando"); Petrarchism; the genre of treatise in 16th century (Pietro Bembo, Baldassarre Castiglione, Francesco Guicciardini, Niccolò Machiavelli); Ludovico Ariosto (with particular regard to "Orlando furioso"); Torquato Tasso (with particular regard to "Gerusalemme liberata"); the Baroque poetry (Giovan Battista Marino), Galileo Galilei and the Scientific Revolution ("Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo", "Il Saggiatore").
Part C will focus on the reading and commentary of Dante Alighieri's "Vita Nova".
Part D will provide students with basic knowledge in rhetorical figures and poetic forms through paraphrase and analysis of texts, along with bibliographical guidelines.
Part A (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Italian literature of the beginnings [professor to be defined]
Part B (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Italian literature from Renaissance Humanism to Baroque [professor to be defined]
Part C (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Dante Alighieri's "Vita Nova" [Stefania Baragetti]
Part D (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Elements of rhetoric and metre [Stefania Baragetti]
The course addresses Humanities students whose surname begins with Di-N (12 ECTS - written and oral exam - parts A, B, C, D) and Liberal Studies in Communication students (6/9 ECTS); the latter will prepare either teaching parts A and C (6 ECTS - oral exam) or A, B, C (9 ECTS - written and oral exam). Single Course: 9 ECTS (parts A, B, C). Students who have already taken an exam of Italian Literature must contact the teacher.
The course is divided into four parts. Parts A (from Sicilian School to Boccaccio) and B (from Renaissance Humanism to Baroque) will deal with the following subjects: Sicilian School and 13th century Tuscan poetry; Dolce Stil Novo; Francesco Petrarca (with particular regard to "Canzoniere"); Boccaccio ("Decameron"); Renaissance Humanism; the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici, Poliziano ("Stanze per la giostra"), Luigi Pulci ("Morgante"); Matteo Maria Boiardo ("Inamoramento de Orlando"); Petrarchism; the genre of treatise in 16th century (Pietro Bembo, Baldassarre Castiglione, Francesco Guicciardini, Niccolò Machiavelli); Ludovico Ariosto (with particular regard to "Orlando furioso"); Torquato Tasso (with particular regard to "Gerusalemme liberata"); the Baroque poetry (Giovan Battista Marino), Galileo Galilei and the Scientific Revolution ("Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo", "Il Saggiatore").
Part C will focus on the reading and commentary of Dante Alighieri's "Vita Nova".
Part D will provide students with basic knowledge in rhetorical figures and poetic forms through paraphrase and analysis of texts, along with bibliographical guidelines.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no required prerequisites.
Teaching methods
Attendance to classes is strongly recommended although not compulsory. Frontal lectures aim primarily at the acquisition of knowledge and the appropriate specialized vocabulary.
Parts A and B will be taught on texts included in the booklet. Slide projections will also be used. The lectures of parts A and B will focus on movements, authors, literary works and their cultural context (from the beginnings to Baroque); on the main critical problems of each topic and text (through the reading of critical essays); on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
In teaching part C, the integral reading of Dante Alighieri's "Vita Nova" will provide to investigate the author's historical, literary and cultural context; and the composition phases, structure, linguistic and stylistic choices, models and purpose of the text.
Through the paraphrase and analysis of Italian poems, part D will focus on metrical and rhetorical aspects, allowing students to learn the basic elements of the discipline through direct contact with the text.
All the slides projected during the lessons will be available on the MyAriel website.
Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program and to contact the teacher via email or during reception hours.
Parts A and B will be taught on texts included in the booklet. Slide projections will also be used. The lectures of parts A and B will focus on movements, authors, literary works and their cultural context (from the beginnings to Baroque); on the main critical problems of each topic and text (through the reading of critical essays); on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
In teaching part C, the integral reading of Dante Alighieri's "Vita Nova" will provide to investigate the author's historical, literary and cultural context; and the composition phases, structure, linguistic and stylistic choices, models and purpose of the text.
Through the paraphrase and analysis of Italian poems, part D will focus on metrical and rhetorical aspects, allowing students to learn the basic elements of the discipline through direct contact with the text.
All the slides projected during the lessons will be available on the MyAriel website.
Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program and to contact the teacher via email or during reception hours.
Teaching Resources
Attending students
Parts A and B
Students must prepare topics and texts using a handbooks of their own choice and this collection of texts: "Antologia della letteratura italiana. Dalla Scuola poetica siciliana a Alessandro Manzoni", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022). To consolidate the historical and literary framework and the knowledge of the authors and works analyzed, the students are free to choose the handbook of Italian literature. Some handbooks are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, "Profilo storico della letteratura italiana", 2 voll., Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, "Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari", 2 voll., Mondadori Università;
- "Letteratura italiana", ed. by Andrea Battistini, 2 voll., il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, "Il canone letterario", Principato (3 voll., including "Il secondo Cinquecento. Seicento. Settecento");
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, "Dove 'l sì suona", Loescher (3 voll.: "Dalle origini ai siculo-toscani"; 1. "Dallo stilnovo a Tasso"; 2. "Dal Barocco a Manzoni");
- Corrado Bologna, "Rosa fresca aulentissima", Loescher (3 voll., including "Dal Barocco all'età dei Lumi").
At the beginning of the course, students will find on the MyAriel website a detailed list of subjects and texts (parts A and B) to be prepared for the exam.
Part C
Text:
Dante Alighieri, "Vita Nova", ed. by Luca Carlo Rossi, Introduction by Guglielmo Gorni, Milano, Mondadori, 1999 (or subsequent reprints).
Students will study the following essays:
1. Stefano Carrai, "Dante elegiaco. Una chiave di lettura per la «Vita nova»", Firenze, Olschki, 2006, pp. 43-75 ("La testura di un racconto artefatto"), pp. 77-112 ("Il rapporto poesie-prosa e la genesi del prosimetro"). A copy of the volume is available in the Library of Scienze dell'antichità e Filologia moderna.
2. Catherine Keen, "Lutto, silenzi e omissioni: la «Vita Nova» fra vissuto e poetato", in "Dante e il prosimetro. Dalla «Vita nova» al «Convivio»", ed. by Paolo Borsa and Anna Maria Cabrini, Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2022, pp. 1-17: https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/quadernidigargnano/article/view/20247/17996
During the lessons, optional critical readings will be indicated on MyAriel.
PART D
Text:
"Antologia della letteratura italiana", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022.
At the beginning of the course, a detailed list of the texts that will be included in the exam will be provided on the MyAriel website. Students will be required to paraphrase the texts, divide the lines into metrical syllables, know their meter, and identify metrical forms and rhetorical figures.
Students will study the following essays:
- Pietro G. Beltrami, "Gli strumenti della poesia", Bologna, il Mulino, 1996 or subsequent reprints (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Bice Mortara Garavelli, "Il parlar figurato. Manualetto di figure retoriche", Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010 (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Uberto Motta, "«Lingua mortal non dice»: guida alla lettura del testo poetico", Bologna, Carocci, 2020, pp. 145-186.
- To consolidate the paraphrasing skills: Gabriele Baldassari, Alessandro Guardigli, "Comprendere e parafrasare", Milano, Cortina, 2024.
Non-attending students
Parts A and B
Students must prepare topics and texts using a handbooks of their own choice and this collection of texts: "Antologia della letteratura italiana. Dalla Scuola poetica siciliana a Alessandro Manzoni", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022). To consolidate the historical and literary framework and the knowledge of the authors and works analyzed, the students are free to choose the handbook of Italian literature. Some handbooks are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, "Profilo storico della letteratura italiana", 2 voll., Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, "Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari", 2 voll., Mondadori Università;
- "Letteratura italiana", ed. by Andrea Battistini, 2 voll., il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, "Il canone letterario", Principato (3 voll., including "Il secondo Cinquecento. Seicento. Settecento");
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, "Dove 'l sì suona", Loescher (3 voll.: "Dalle origini ai siculo-toscani"; 1. "Dallo stilnovo a Tasso"; 2. "Dal Barocco a Manzoni");
- Corrado Bologna, "Rosa fresca aulentissima", Loescher (3 voll., including "Dal Barocco all'età dei Lumi").
At the beginning of the course, students will find on the MyAriel website a detailed list of subjects and texts (parts A and B) to be prepared for the exam.
Part C
Text:
Dante Alighieri, "Vita Nova", ed. by Luca Carlo Rossi, Introduction by Guglielmo Gorni, Milano, Mondadori, 1999 (or subsequent reprints).
Students will study the following essays:
1. Stefano Carrai, "Dante elegiaco. Una chiave di lettura per la «Vita nova»", Firenze, Olschki, 2006, pp. 43-75 ("La testura di un racconto artefatto"), pp. 77-112 ("Il rapporto poesie-prosa e la genesi del prosimetro"). A copy of the volume is available in the Library of Scienze dell'antichità e Filologia moderna.
2. Catherine Keen, "Lutto, silenzi e omissioni: la «Vita Nova» fra vissuto e poetato", in "Dante e il prosimetro. Dalla «Vita nova» al «Convivio»", ed. by Paolo Borsa and Anna Maria Cabrini, Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2022, pp. 1-17: https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/quadernidigargnano/article/view/20247/17996
They will study also Roberto Rea, "Dante: guida alla «Vita nuova»", Roma, Carocci, 2021.
During the lessons, optional critical readings will be indicated on MyAriel.
PART D
Text:
"Antologia della letteratura italiana", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022.
At the beginning of the course, a detailed list of the texts that will be included in the exam will be provided on the MyAriel website. Students will be required to paraphrase the texts, divide the lines into metrical syllables, know their meter, and identify metrical forms and rhetorical figures.
Students will study the following essays:
- Pietro G. Beltrami, "Gli strumenti della poesia", Bologna, il Mulino, 1996 or subsequent reprints (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Bice Mortara Garavelli, "Il parlar figurato. Manualetto di figure retoriche", Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010 (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Uberto Motta, "«Lingua mortal non dice»: guida alla lettura del testo poetico", Bologna, Carocci, 2020, pp. 145-186.
- To consolidate the paraphrasing skills: Gabriele Baldassari, Alessandro Guardigli, "Comprendere e parafrasare", Milano, Cortina, 2024.
- Andrea Afribo, "Petrarca e petrarchismo. Capitoli di lingua, stile e metrica", Roma, Carocci, 2009, pp. 35-61.
- Fabio Magro e Arnaldo Soldani, "Il sonetto italiano. Dalle origini a oggi", Roma, Carocci, 2017, pp. 13-66.
Parts A and B
Students must prepare topics and texts using a handbooks of their own choice and this collection of texts: "Antologia della letteratura italiana. Dalla Scuola poetica siciliana a Alessandro Manzoni", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022). To consolidate the historical and literary framework and the knowledge of the authors and works analyzed, the students are free to choose the handbook of Italian literature. Some handbooks are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, "Profilo storico della letteratura italiana", 2 voll., Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, "Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari", 2 voll., Mondadori Università;
- "Letteratura italiana", ed. by Andrea Battistini, 2 voll., il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, "Il canone letterario", Principato (3 voll., including "Il secondo Cinquecento. Seicento. Settecento");
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, "Dove 'l sì suona", Loescher (3 voll.: "Dalle origini ai siculo-toscani"; 1. "Dallo stilnovo a Tasso"; 2. "Dal Barocco a Manzoni");
- Corrado Bologna, "Rosa fresca aulentissima", Loescher (3 voll., including "Dal Barocco all'età dei Lumi").
At the beginning of the course, students will find on the MyAriel website a detailed list of subjects and texts (parts A and B) to be prepared for the exam.
Part C
Text:
Dante Alighieri, "Vita Nova", ed. by Luca Carlo Rossi, Introduction by Guglielmo Gorni, Milano, Mondadori, 1999 (or subsequent reprints).
Students will study the following essays:
1. Stefano Carrai, "Dante elegiaco. Una chiave di lettura per la «Vita nova»", Firenze, Olschki, 2006, pp. 43-75 ("La testura di un racconto artefatto"), pp. 77-112 ("Il rapporto poesie-prosa e la genesi del prosimetro"). A copy of the volume is available in the Library of Scienze dell'antichità e Filologia moderna.
2. Catherine Keen, "Lutto, silenzi e omissioni: la «Vita Nova» fra vissuto e poetato", in "Dante e il prosimetro. Dalla «Vita nova» al «Convivio»", ed. by Paolo Borsa and Anna Maria Cabrini, Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2022, pp. 1-17: https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/quadernidigargnano/article/view/20247/17996
During the lessons, optional critical readings will be indicated on MyAriel.
PART D
Text:
"Antologia della letteratura italiana", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022.
At the beginning of the course, a detailed list of the texts that will be included in the exam will be provided on the MyAriel website. Students will be required to paraphrase the texts, divide the lines into metrical syllables, know their meter, and identify metrical forms and rhetorical figures.
Students will study the following essays:
- Pietro G. Beltrami, "Gli strumenti della poesia", Bologna, il Mulino, 1996 or subsequent reprints (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Bice Mortara Garavelli, "Il parlar figurato. Manualetto di figure retoriche", Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010 (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Uberto Motta, "«Lingua mortal non dice»: guida alla lettura del testo poetico", Bologna, Carocci, 2020, pp. 145-186.
- To consolidate the paraphrasing skills: Gabriele Baldassari, Alessandro Guardigli, "Comprendere e parafrasare", Milano, Cortina, 2024.
Non-attending students
Parts A and B
Students must prepare topics and texts using a handbooks of their own choice and this collection of texts: "Antologia della letteratura italiana. Dalla Scuola poetica siciliana a Alessandro Manzoni", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022). To consolidate the historical and literary framework and the knowledge of the authors and works analyzed, the students are free to choose the handbook of Italian literature. Some handbooks are suggested here below:
- Giulio Ferroni, "Profilo storico della letteratura italiana", 2 voll., Einaudi;
- Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, "Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari", 2 voll., Mondadori Università;
- "Letteratura italiana", ed. by Andrea Battistini, 2 voll., il Mulino;
- Hermann Grosser, "Il canone letterario", Principato (3 voll., including "Il secondo Cinquecento. Seicento. Settecento");
- Claudio Marazzini, Simone Fornara, "Dove 'l sì suona", Loescher (3 voll.: "Dalle origini ai siculo-toscani"; 1. "Dallo stilnovo a Tasso"; 2. "Dal Barocco a Manzoni");
- Corrado Bologna, "Rosa fresca aulentissima", Loescher (3 voll., including "Dal Barocco all'età dei Lumi").
At the beginning of the course, students will find on the MyAriel website a detailed list of subjects and texts (parts A and B) to be prepared for the exam.
Part C
Text:
Dante Alighieri, "Vita Nova", ed. by Luca Carlo Rossi, Introduction by Guglielmo Gorni, Milano, Mondadori, 1999 (or subsequent reprints).
Students will study the following essays:
1. Stefano Carrai, "Dante elegiaco. Una chiave di lettura per la «Vita nova»", Firenze, Olschki, 2006, pp. 43-75 ("La testura di un racconto artefatto"), pp. 77-112 ("Il rapporto poesie-prosa e la genesi del prosimetro"). A copy of the volume is available in the Library of Scienze dell'antichità e Filologia moderna.
2. Catherine Keen, "Lutto, silenzi e omissioni: la «Vita Nova» fra vissuto e poetato", in "Dante e il prosimetro. Dalla «Vita nova» al «Convivio»", ed. by Paolo Borsa and Anna Maria Cabrini, Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2022, pp. 1-17: https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/quadernidigargnano/article/view/20247/17996
They will study also Roberto Rea, "Dante: guida alla «Vita nuova»", Roma, Carocci, 2021.
During the lessons, optional critical readings will be indicated on MyAriel.
PART D
Text:
"Antologia della letteratura italiana", ed. by Gabriele Baldassari and Guglielmo Barucci, Milano, Cortina, 2022.
At the beginning of the course, a detailed list of the texts that will be included in the exam will be provided on the MyAriel website. Students will be required to paraphrase the texts, divide the lines into metrical syllables, know their meter, and identify metrical forms and rhetorical figures.
Students will study the following essays:
- Pietro G. Beltrami, "Gli strumenti della poesia", Bologna, il Mulino, 1996 or subsequent reprints (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Bice Mortara Garavelli, "Il parlar figurato. Manualetto di figure retoriche", Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010 (the sections to be studied will be indicated during the lessons).
- Uberto Motta, "«Lingua mortal non dice»: guida alla lettura del testo poetico", Bologna, Carocci, 2020, pp. 145-186.
- To consolidate the paraphrasing skills: Gabriele Baldassari, Alessandro Guardigli, "Comprendere e parafrasare", Milano, Cortina, 2024.
- Andrea Afribo, "Petrarca e petrarchismo. Capitoli di lingua, stile e metrica", Roma, Carocci, 2009, pp. 35-61.
- Fabio Magro e Arnaldo Soldani, "Il sonetto italiano. Dalle origini a oggi", Roma, Carocci, 2017, pp. 13-66.
Assessment methods and Criteria
- Assessment methods: the 6 ECTS exam consists of an oral test on teaching parts A and C. The exam for 12 or 9 ECTS consists of a preliminary written test on parts A and B and an oral test on parts C and D (only C for a 9 ECTS exam). The written test will be held in December 2025, February, May and September 2026; passing the written test is a prerequisite for access to the oral exam. Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be part of the final overall grade. Grades of the written test will be published on the MyAriel website, in the specifically dedicated section.
- Type of test: the written test has to be completed within 90 minutes and consists of three open-ended questions: the first concerns one of the literary works or authors or schools on the syllabus, the second the comment of a text from the anthology; the third consists in the paraphrase of one of the texts from the anthology and in few short questions about it. Students who have passed the final exam of written test preparatory course will not have to take the third question.
The oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C and on poetic forms, meters and rhetorical figures analyzed during the part D. The student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text.
- Criteria: the criteria used to evaluate the written test are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the right formal register and to use the appropriate specialized vocabulary, and, for the third question, the ability to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language. The student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text.
The criteria used to assess the oral test are: ability to critically organize information from lectures and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using the appropriate technical language.
- Grade: the final grade will be determined in 30s, and it will take into consideration the grade of the written test.
Information on the programme and on the exam will be provided during the first lecture of the course.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities must be be defined in advance with the teacher, as well as the relevant office.
- Type of test: the written test has to be completed within 90 minutes and consists of three open-ended questions: the first concerns one of the literary works or authors or schools on the syllabus, the second the comment of a text from the anthology; the third consists in the paraphrase of one of the texts from the anthology and in few short questions about it. Students who have passed the final exam of written test preparatory course will not have to take the third question.
The oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C and on poetic forms, meters and rhetorical figures analyzed during the part D. The student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text.
- Criteria: the criteria used to evaluate the written test are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the right formal register and to use the appropriate specialized vocabulary, and, for the third question, the ability to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language. The student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text.
The criteria used to assess the oral test are: ability to critically organize information from lectures and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using the appropriate technical language.
- Grade: the final grade will be determined in 30s, and it will take into consideration the grade of the written test.
Information on the programme and on the exam will be provided during the first lecture of the course.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities must be be defined in advance with the teacher, as well as the relevant office.
Modules or teaching units
Part A and B
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Alziati Federica
Part C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Baragetti Stefania
Part D
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Baragetti Stefania
O-Z
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Title of the course: "History and interpretation of the literary text" (80 hours, 12 cfu)
Teaching part A (20 hours, 3 cfu): The first centuries [Sandra Carapezza]
Teaching part B (20 hours, 3 cfu): From Humanism to Baroque [Sandra Carapezza]
Teaching part C (20 hours, 3 cfu): Angelica who escapes: a reading of Orlando Furioso [Sandra Carapezza]
Teaching part D (20 hours, 3 cfu): Skills for the analysis of literary text [Sandra Carapezza]
The first year course is aimed at undergraduate Humanities students whose surname begins with O-Z. Humanities students will take a 12 cfu exam; Liberal Studies in Communication students enrolled from 2019/20 until 2020/21 and Single Course students can choose between 6 (parts A and C) and 9 cfu (parts A, B, C) and 12 (parts A, B, C, D). Students who take a 6 CFU exam will take only an oral exam.
Students who have already taken an exam of Italian literature must contact the teacher.
The teaching programme of parts A and B focuses on the history of Italian literature from Origins to Baroque:
Part A:
Sicilian School; Tuscan School; Dolce Stil Novo; Dante's "Vita nuova" and "The Rhymes"; Comics Poetry; Petrarch; Boccaccio
Part B:
Humanism in Florence and Ferrara; Poliziano and Boiardo; Pulci's "Morgante"; Lyric Poetry from Bembo to Marino; Poem: Gerusalemme Liberata by Tasso; Adone by Marino.
Treatise: The Prince by Machiavelli; The Book of the Courtier by Castiglione and treatise about the querelle des femmes; Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galilei.
Part C: teaching part C is dedicated to the analysis of Ludovico Ariosto's "Orlando furioso" in its formal and cultural context.
Part D: teaching part D will consist of an in-depth analysis and reading of poems and texts, providing the students with elements of metrics, rhetoric and paraphrase.
Teaching part A (20 hours, 3 cfu): The first centuries [Sandra Carapezza]
Teaching part B (20 hours, 3 cfu): From Humanism to Baroque [Sandra Carapezza]
Teaching part C (20 hours, 3 cfu): Angelica who escapes: a reading of Orlando Furioso [Sandra Carapezza]
Teaching part D (20 hours, 3 cfu): Skills for the analysis of literary text [Sandra Carapezza]
The first year course is aimed at undergraduate Humanities students whose surname begins with O-Z. Humanities students will take a 12 cfu exam; Liberal Studies in Communication students enrolled from 2019/20 until 2020/21 and Single Course students can choose between 6 (parts A and C) and 9 cfu (parts A, B, C) and 12 (parts A, B, C, D). Students who take a 6 CFU exam will take only an oral exam.
Students who have already taken an exam of Italian literature must contact the teacher.
The teaching programme of parts A and B focuses on the history of Italian literature from Origins to Baroque:
Part A:
Sicilian School; Tuscan School; Dolce Stil Novo; Dante's "Vita nuova" and "The Rhymes"; Comics Poetry; Petrarch; Boccaccio
Part B:
Humanism in Florence and Ferrara; Poliziano and Boiardo; Pulci's "Morgante"; Lyric Poetry from Bembo to Marino; Poem: Gerusalemme Liberata by Tasso; Adone by Marino.
Treatise: The Prince by Machiavelli; The Book of the Courtier by Castiglione and treatise about the querelle des femmes; Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galilei.
Part C: teaching part C is dedicated to the analysis of Ludovico Ariosto's "Orlando furioso" in its formal and cultural context.
Part D: teaching part D will consist of an in-depth analysis and reading of poems and texts, providing the students with elements of metrics, rhetoric and paraphrase.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no required prerequisites
Teaching methods
The course will be offered in a lecture format; attendance is not mandatory, though strongly recommended.
Teaching parts A and B will be taught on texts included in the lecture notes. During the lectures, slide projections will be used. The focus will be on movements, authors and works and their cultural context; on the main critical problems of every topic, through quotations from critical essays and comparisons between different positions; on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects. All the materials will be available on MyAriel.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
In teaching part C, through the analysis of the Ludovico Ariosto's "Orlando furioso", of the materials provided on MyAriel, and of the critical bibliography, one of the most important works of Italian literature will be studied in its cultural, social and political context.
Teaching part C will provide an opportunity to refine critical and formal tools and to better learn the technical lexicon.
In teaching part D, the study of the materials available on MyAriel will allow students to become acquainted with both the formal elements and continuity, transformation and intersection of the metric forms and literary genre.
Teaching parts A and B will be taught on texts included in the lecture notes. During the lectures, slide projections will be used. The focus will be on movements, authors and works and their cultural context; on the main critical problems of every topic, through quotations from critical essays and comparisons between different positions; on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects. All the materials will be available on MyAriel.
Analysis of the texts will start from paraphrase, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
In teaching part C, through the analysis of the Ludovico Ariosto's "Orlando furioso", of the materials provided on MyAriel, and of the critical bibliography, one of the most important works of Italian literature will be studied in its cultural, social and political context.
Teaching part C will provide an opportunity to refine critical and formal tools and to better learn the technical lexicon.
In teaching part D, the study of the materials available on MyAriel will allow students to become acquainted with both the formal elements and continuity, transformation and intersection of the metric forms and literary genre.
Teaching Resources
Teaching part A
Texts to be studied in teaching parts A and B will be available on the MyAriel prior to the beginning of the class. Students are required to download the reading material from MyAriel and bring it to each lesson. No course handouts will be provided.
A full knowledge of the historical and cultural context of works and authors is strictly necessary.
A good handbook for high schools with a wide anthological selection is recommended (e.g. Baldassari-Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Milano, Cortina, 2022; Guglielmino-Grosser, Il sistema letterario, Milano, Principato; Grosser, Il canone letterario, Milano, Principato; Alfano-Italia-Russo-Tomasi, Letteratura italiana, Milano, Mondadori).
Teaching part B
See Teaching part A.
Teaching part C
Text:
Ludovico Ariosto, "Orlando furioso", by Cristina Zampese, Emilio Bigi, Rizzoli; or by Cesare Segre, Mondadori.
An overall knowledge of the work (composition, structure, plot, topics, style) is required
Attending students will study the following texts
1. Chiara Dini, "Ariosto: Guida all'Orlando furioso", Carocci.
2. Nicola Catelli, "Oltre l'involucro del racconto: Angelica in fuga e Angelica in cammino nell'Orlando furioso", in "AOQU", V/2, 2024, pp. 99-134, online open access: link https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/aoqu/article/view/27687
3. "Ludovico Ariosto. Orlando furioso", in Sandra Carapezza, "Questione di genere/i", Federico II University Press, 2025, pp. 283-294, online open access, link: http://www.fedoabooks.unina.it/index.php/fedoapress/catalog/book/637
4. One of the following text: Laura Terracina "Lamento di Bradamante" e "Chi è nemico di donne in altro ha cura"; or Tullia d'Aragona "Il Meschino"; or Moderata Fonte "Tredici canti del Floridoro"; or Margherita Sarrocchi "Scanderbeide"; or Lucrezia Marinelli "L'Enrico", in "POEMA" (pp. 81-148), in Sandra Carapezza, "Questione di genere/i", Federico II University Press, 2025, online at http://www.fedoabooks.unina.it/index.php/fedoapress/catalog/book/637
Teaching part D
Texts for part D will be provided on MyAriel. Furthermore, students will study the book by Gabriele Baldassari and Alessandro Guardigli, "Comprendere e parafrasare", Cortina, 2024; and Pietro G. Beltrami, La metrica italiana, il Mulino, 1991, capitolo 1. Elementi di teoria metrica, capitolo 2. Profilo storico della metrica italiana (§ 2.1. Metrica italiana e metrica romanza dalle origini alla fine del Quattrocento)
BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:
Teaching parts A and B
For teaching parts A and B, in addiction to the programme for attending students, non attending students will study: Baldassari-Barucci, "Antologia della letteratura italiana", Milano, Cortina, 2022, to p. 240. Non-attending students are invited to contact the professor via email for further information on the exam.
Teaching part C
In addiction to the programme for attending students, non attending students will study the following texts:
- Sergio Zatti, "Leggere l'Orlando furioso", il Mulino
- Patrizia De Capitani, "Angelica da Ariosto a Boiardo: un percorso a ritroso. Proposta di lettura di Orlando Furioso XIX 18-33", in "Chroniques italiennes web", 22 (1/2012), on line at http://chroniquesitaliennes.univ-paris3.fr/PDF/Web22/DeCapitani.pdf
- Annalisa Izzo, "Misoginia e filoginia nell'Orlando furioso", in "Chroniques italiennes web", 22 (1/2012), on line atk: http://chroniquesitaliennes.univ-paris3.fr/PDF/Web22/Izzo.pdf
Part D:
In addiction to the programme for attending students, non-attending students will study Fabio Magno e Arnaldo Soldani, Il sonetto italiano dalle origini a oggi, Carocci, 2017, §§. 1. La forma, il genere, 2. Le origini, 3. Petrarca e il Trecento
Non-attending students are strongly recommended to contact the teacher via email for further information (for the timetable, check in advance the Who and Where on Unimi.it)
Texts to be studied in teaching parts A and B will be available on the MyAriel prior to the beginning of the class. Students are required to download the reading material from MyAriel and bring it to each lesson. No course handouts will be provided.
A full knowledge of the historical and cultural context of works and authors is strictly necessary.
A good handbook for high schools with a wide anthological selection is recommended (e.g. Baldassari-Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Milano, Cortina, 2022; Guglielmino-Grosser, Il sistema letterario, Milano, Principato; Grosser, Il canone letterario, Milano, Principato; Alfano-Italia-Russo-Tomasi, Letteratura italiana, Milano, Mondadori).
Teaching part B
See Teaching part A.
Teaching part C
Text:
Ludovico Ariosto, "Orlando furioso", by Cristina Zampese, Emilio Bigi, Rizzoli; or by Cesare Segre, Mondadori.
An overall knowledge of the work (composition, structure, plot, topics, style) is required
Attending students will study the following texts
1. Chiara Dini, "Ariosto: Guida all'Orlando furioso", Carocci.
2. Nicola Catelli, "Oltre l'involucro del racconto: Angelica in fuga e Angelica in cammino nell'Orlando furioso", in "AOQU", V/2, 2024, pp. 99-134, online open access: link https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/aoqu/article/view/27687
3. "Ludovico Ariosto. Orlando furioso", in Sandra Carapezza, "Questione di genere/i", Federico II University Press, 2025, pp. 283-294, online open access, link: http://www.fedoabooks.unina.it/index.php/fedoapress/catalog/book/637
4. One of the following text: Laura Terracina "Lamento di Bradamante" e "Chi è nemico di donne in altro ha cura"; or Tullia d'Aragona "Il Meschino"; or Moderata Fonte "Tredici canti del Floridoro"; or Margherita Sarrocchi "Scanderbeide"; or Lucrezia Marinelli "L'Enrico", in "POEMA" (pp. 81-148), in Sandra Carapezza, "Questione di genere/i", Federico II University Press, 2025, online at http://www.fedoabooks.unina.it/index.php/fedoapress/catalog/book/637
Teaching part D
Texts for part D will be provided on MyAriel. Furthermore, students will study the book by Gabriele Baldassari and Alessandro Guardigli, "Comprendere e parafrasare", Cortina, 2024; and Pietro G. Beltrami, La metrica italiana, il Mulino, 1991, capitolo 1. Elementi di teoria metrica, capitolo 2. Profilo storico della metrica italiana (§ 2.1. Metrica italiana e metrica romanza dalle origini alla fine del Quattrocento)
BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:
Teaching parts A and B
For teaching parts A and B, in addiction to the programme for attending students, non attending students will study: Baldassari-Barucci, "Antologia della letteratura italiana", Milano, Cortina, 2022, to p. 240. Non-attending students are invited to contact the professor via email for further information on the exam.
Teaching part C
In addiction to the programme for attending students, non attending students will study the following texts:
- Sergio Zatti, "Leggere l'Orlando furioso", il Mulino
- Patrizia De Capitani, "Angelica da Ariosto a Boiardo: un percorso a ritroso. Proposta di lettura di Orlando Furioso XIX 18-33", in "Chroniques italiennes web", 22 (1/2012), on line at http://chroniquesitaliennes.univ-paris3.fr/PDF/Web22/DeCapitani.pdf
- Annalisa Izzo, "Misoginia e filoginia nell'Orlando furioso", in "Chroniques italiennes web", 22 (1/2012), on line atk: http://chroniquesitaliennes.univ-paris3.fr/PDF/Web22/Izzo.pdf
Part D:
In addiction to the programme for attending students, non-attending students will study Fabio Magno e Arnaldo Soldani, Il sonetto italiano dalle origini a oggi, Carocci, 2017, §§. 1. La forma, il genere, 2. Le origini, 3. Petrarca e il Trecento
Non-attending students are strongly recommended to contact the teacher via email for further information (for the timetable, check in advance the Who and Where on Unimi.it)
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam for 12 or 9 cfu consists of a preliminary written test on teaching parts A and B and an oral test on teaching parts C and D (only C for a 9 cfu exam); both are aimed at ascertaining students' knowledge of the bibliography. The 6 CFU exam consists of an oral test on teaching parts A and C.
The written test is held in December 2025 (oral test from January), February (oral test from May), May (oral test from June) and September (oral test from September) 2026; passing the written test is a prerequisite for access to the oral exam. Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be part of the final overall grade. Grades of the written test will be published on MyAriel.
The written test, lasting 90 minutes, consists of three open-ended questions: a question for each part A and part B focuses on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the programme, and a third question which consists in the recognition and paraphrase of one of the texts in the programme. Students who have passed final exam of written test preparatory course will not have to take the third question.
The criteria used to assess students' performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon; for the third question, the ability to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered.
The oral test consists of an interview and discussion on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C and on poetic forms and meters (part D). The criteria used to assess students' performance are: ability to critically organise information from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical lenguage.
The final grade will be expressed in the 30 grade point system, and it will take into consideration the grade of the written test. The minimum grade is 18.
Non-attending students, International students and Erasmus students are invited to contact the professor via email for further information on the exam.
Examination methods for students with disabilities or SLD must be defined with the teacher in agreement with the University Disability and SLD Services.
The written test is held in December 2025 (oral test from January), February (oral test from May), May (oral test from June) and September (oral test from September) 2026; passing the written test is a prerequisite for access to the oral exam. Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be part of the final overall grade. Grades of the written test will be published on MyAriel.
The written test, lasting 90 minutes, consists of three open-ended questions: a question for each part A and part B focuses on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the programme, and a third question which consists in the recognition and paraphrase of one of the texts in the programme. Students who have passed final exam of written test preparatory course will not have to take the third question.
The criteria used to assess students' performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon; for the third question, the ability to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered.
The oral test consists of an interview and discussion on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C and on poetic forms and meters (part D). The criteria used to assess students' performance are: ability to critically organise information from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical lenguage.
The final grade will be expressed in the 30 grade point system, and it will take into consideration the grade of the written test. The minimum grade is 18.
Non-attending students, International students and Erasmus students are invited to contact the professor via email for further information on the exam.
Examination methods for students with disabilities or SLD must be defined with the teacher in agreement with the University Disability and SLD Services.
Modules or teaching units
Part A and B
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Part C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Part D
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Prof. Berra will receive on Wednesday, 10.30-13.30, in person or via Teams, by appointment.
Dipartimento di Studi letterari filologici e linguistici, section Filologia Moderna, 1st floor