Italian Literature
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The first part intends to offer some exemplary critical readings taken from the main texts of the Italian literary tradition. The second will deepen in a monographic form a work, an author or a literary current.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge of the main currents of Italian medieval, early modern and modern literature, set in their historic and cultural context, with special emphasis on their literary and linguistic peculiarities. Elements of rhetoric and metric. Interpretive tools of critical analysis. Understanding of the specificities of literary texts. Familiarity with the basics of critical scholarship. Acquisition of a personal and grounded judgement. Clarity and rigor of the analysis through a proper use of the critical vocabulary.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Group A
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The class is subdivided into two units.
Unit A offers some exemplary critical readings selected from the main texts of the Italian literary tradition, typically from the Middle Ages and Dante to Romanticism. Its content will be assessed in a written exam at the end of the class.
In Unit B (which may vary every year) the focus is on a specific work, author, or literary movement, treated monographically. Unit B will be the main topic of the discussion during the oral exam.
This year's class examines the main works of siblings Beppe and Marisa Fenoglio.
Unit A offers some exemplary critical readings selected from the main texts of the Italian literary tradition, typically from the Middle Ages and Dante to Romanticism. Its content will be assessed in a written exam at the end of the class.
In Unit B (which may vary every year) the focus is on a specific work, author, or literary movement, treated monographically. Unit B will be the main topic of the discussion during the oral exam.
This year's class examines the main works of siblings Beppe and Marisa Fenoglio.
Prerequisites for admission
The class is conducted entirely in Italian. Course materials and readings require an average knowledge of the main currents of Italian medieval, early modern ad modern literature, set in their historic and cultural context, with special emphasis on their literary and linguistic peculiarities.
Teaching methods
The class consists of 30 lectures. Students are strongly invited to turn in written assignments, the content of which is discussed with the teacher. These papers, though, are not mandatory.
Teaching Resources
Unit A
Course materials are uploaded in the Ariel portal: https://ariel.unimi.it
Unit B
Texts
Beppe Fenoglio, Il partigiano Johnny
Marisa Fenoglio, Vivere altrove, Sellerio
Gino Tellini, Scritture della migrazione. Per una prospettiva globale della letteratura italiana, Le Monnier Università
Plus, one between these two:
Marisa Fenoglio, Casa Fenoglio, Sellerio
Marisa Fenoglio, Il ritorno impossibile, Nutrimenti
Criticism. Either one of the following volumes:
Roberto Bigazzi, Fenoglio
Martino Marazzi, A occhi aperti. Letteratura dell'emigrazione e mito americano, FrancoAngeli
Martino Marazzi, Through the Periscope. Changing Culture, Italian America, SUNY Press, Albany, N.Y., 2022
Sergio Luzzatto, Partigia. Una storia della Resistenza, Mondadori
Additional readings for non-attending students.
Both:
Marisa Fenoglio, Casa Fenoglio, Sellerio
Marisa Fenoglio, Il ritorno impossibile, Nutrimenti
Plus, two among these:
Roberto Bigazzi, Fenoglio
Martino Marazzi, A occhi aperti. Letteratura dell'emigrazione e mito americano, FrancoAngeli
Martino Marazzi, Through the Periscope. Changing Culture, Italian America, SUNY Press, Albany, N.Y., 2022
Sergio Luzzatto, Partigia. Una storia della Resistenza, Mondadori
Course materials are uploaded in the Ariel portal: https://ariel.unimi.it
Unit B
Texts
Beppe Fenoglio, Il partigiano Johnny
Marisa Fenoglio, Vivere altrove, Sellerio
Gino Tellini, Scritture della migrazione. Per una prospettiva globale della letteratura italiana, Le Monnier Università
Plus, one between these two:
Marisa Fenoglio, Casa Fenoglio, Sellerio
Marisa Fenoglio, Il ritorno impossibile, Nutrimenti
Criticism. Either one of the following volumes:
Roberto Bigazzi, Fenoglio
Martino Marazzi, A occhi aperti. Letteratura dell'emigrazione e mito americano, FrancoAngeli
Martino Marazzi, Through the Periscope. Changing Culture, Italian America, SUNY Press, Albany, N.Y., 2022
Sergio Luzzatto, Partigia. Una storia della Resistenza, Mondadori
Additional readings for non-attending students.
Both:
Marisa Fenoglio, Casa Fenoglio, Sellerio
Marisa Fenoglio, Il ritorno impossibile, Nutrimenti
Plus, two among these:
Roberto Bigazzi, Fenoglio
Martino Marazzi, A occhi aperti. Letteratura dell'emigrazione e mito americano, FrancoAngeli
Martino Marazzi, Through the Periscope. Changing Culture, Italian America, SUNY Press, Albany, N.Y., 2022
Sergio Luzzatto, Partigia. Una storia della Resistenza, Mondadori
Assessment methods and Criteria
Written + oral exam:
at the end of the class, either in November or December, a two-hour written exam on Unit A (no dictionary allowed) tests the understanding of the specificities of literary texts, as well as students' familiarity with the basics of critical scholarship, and their acquisition of a personal and grounded judgement. Clarity and rigor of the analysis is required through a proper use of the critical vocabulary. Two additional tests are typically scheduled in May and in September. The exact dates are published in the MyAriel website.
Grades breakdown: Fail, Basic, Average, Good, Excellent.
Once the written part is completed, students can access to the oral exam (Unit B). All students can take part in it, even those who were graded as Fail (in which case, they will have to repeat their preparation of Unit A, in accordance with the teacher).
The oral part asks for the same learning requirements as the written part, and, in compliance with the Italian academic tradition, will be graded on a 30-point scale, from 18/30 to 30/30 cum laude.
at the end of the class, either in November or December, a two-hour written exam on Unit A (no dictionary allowed) tests the understanding of the specificities of literary texts, as well as students' familiarity with the basics of critical scholarship, and their acquisition of a personal and grounded judgement. Clarity and rigor of the analysis is required through a proper use of the critical vocabulary. Two additional tests are typically scheduled in May and in September. The exact dates are published in the MyAriel website.
Grades breakdown: Fail, Basic, Average, Good, Excellent.
Once the written part is completed, students can access to the oral exam (Unit B). All students can take part in it, even those who were graded as Fail (in which case, they will have to repeat their preparation of Unit A, in accordance with the teacher).
The oral part asks for the same learning requirements as the written part, and, in compliance with the Italian academic tradition, will be graded on a 30-point scale, from 18/30 to 30/30 cum laude.
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
Group B
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is divided into three parts (A, B and C), dealt with in sequence:
Part A: Italian literature from the Origins to Machiavelli: authors and fundamental texts (20 hours).
Part B: Italian Literature from Ariosto to Leopardi: authors and fundamental texts (20 hours).
Part C: Dante and the Sea (20 hours).
Parts A and B - of an institutional nature and preparatory to the compulsory written test - deal with fundamental authors and texts (also within a broader European horizon) of Italian literature from the origins to the early nineteenth century from a historical perspective.
Part C - of a monographic nature - deals with the theme Dante and the sea.
Parts A and B - of an institutional nature and preparatory to the compulsory written exam - deal with fundamental authors and texts (also within a broader European horizon) of Italian literature from the origins to the early nineteenth century from a historical perspective:
Prolusion on Literature (Dante Alighieri, Seamus Heaney, Mariangela Gualtieri, Jorge Luis Borges will be discussed).
The dawn of Italian poetry: poets of the court of Frederick II
A new way of love poetry: Dolce stil novo
Fragments of a soul: Francesco Petrarca and Rerum vulgarium fragmenta
Tell in the garden: Giovanni Boccaccio and the Decameron
A current political treatise: Niccolò Machiavelli and The Principe
The poem of beauty: Ludovico Ariosto and The Orlando furioso
Nocturnal: Torquato Tasso, Rime and Gerusalemme liberata
World and theatre: Carlo Goldoni and the theater reform
Love and guilt: Vittorio Alfieri, Mirra
Literature and life: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, Sonetti, Dei Sepolcri
Wedding on the lake: Alessandro Manzoni and I promessi sposi
Infinity beyond the hedge: Giacomo Leopardi, L'infinito.
Part C - monographic - focuses on the reading Dante and the sea.
Part A: Italian literature from the Origins to Machiavelli: authors and fundamental texts (20 hours).
Part B: Italian Literature from Ariosto to Leopardi: authors and fundamental texts (20 hours).
Part C: Dante and the Sea (20 hours).
Parts A and B - of an institutional nature and preparatory to the compulsory written test - deal with fundamental authors and texts (also within a broader European horizon) of Italian literature from the origins to the early nineteenth century from a historical perspective.
Part C - of a monographic nature - deals with the theme Dante and the sea.
Parts A and B - of an institutional nature and preparatory to the compulsory written exam - deal with fundamental authors and texts (also within a broader European horizon) of Italian literature from the origins to the early nineteenth century from a historical perspective:
Prolusion on Literature (Dante Alighieri, Seamus Heaney, Mariangela Gualtieri, Jorge Luis Borges will be discussed).
The dawn of Italian poetry: poets of the court of Frederick II
A new way of love poetry: Dolce stil novo
Fragments of a soul: Francesco Petrarca and Rerum vulgarium fragmenta
Tell in the garden: Giovanni Boccaccio and the Decameron
A current political treatise: Niccolò Machiavelli and The Principe
The poem of beauty: Ludovico Ariosto and The Orlando furioso
Nocturnal: Torquato Tasso, Rime and Gerusalemme liberata
World and theatre: Carlo Goldoni and the theater reform
Love and guilt: Vittorio Alfieri, Mirra
Literature and life: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, Sonetti, Dei Sepolcri
Wedding on the lake: Alessandro Manzoni and I promessi sposi
Infinity beyond the hedge: Giacomo Leopardi, L'infinito.
Part C - monographic - focuses on the reading Dante and the sea.
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites are requested. The class is conducted entirely in Italian.
Teaching methods
Lectures, including critical discussions and analysis of literary texts. Use of projector to facilitate note-taking. Integral handouts will also be provided for some lectures.
Teaching Resources
Part A and Part B:
At the beginning of the course, the teacher will publish a handout on the Ariel website containing all the texts that will be read, paraphrased and commented on in class.
The lecture notes are the fundamental part of the exam program.
To complete the preparation, it is advisable to have a certain historical and cultural framework of the authors and of the texts analyzed in class using a good manual for high schools. In any case, updated manuals of Italian literature will be indicated in the dispensation, as well as useful tools for the study of texts from a metric, rhetorical and stylistic point of view.
Part C:
Notes of the lessons
Donato Pirovano, Dante e il mare, Roma, Donzelli, 2025.
The materials and the bibliography for examination require literary history skills, use of specific terminology and analysis tools of the literary text acquired during secondary school.
At the beginning of the course, the teacher will publish a handout on the Ariel website containing all the texts that will be read, paraphrased and commented on in class.
The lecture notes are the fundamental part of the exam program.
To complete the preparation, it is advisable to have a certain historical and cultural framework of the authors and of the texts analyzed in class using a good manual for high schools. In any case, updated manuals of Italian literature will be indicated in the dispensation, as well as useful tools for the study of texts from a metric, rhetorical and stylistic point of view.
Part C:
Notes of the lessons
Donato Pirovano, Dante e il mare, Roma, Donzelli, 2025.
The materials and the bibliography for examination require literary history skills, use of specific terminology and analysis tools of the literary text acquired during secondary school.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam (entirely in Italian) consists of a preliminary written test (which can be taken at a choice of one of three sessions: in December 2025, in May 2026, in September 2026) and an oral exam to be taken (in one of the calls as per the teaching calendar) only after passing the written test. Both tests are compulsory and determine an overall final assessment.
The written paper covers the subjects of Part A and Part B, and consists of three questions: two open questions on aspects and authors of Italian literature covered during the first 40 hours of lessons, and an exercise in paraphrasing and commenting on a text (or part of a text) analysed in class and included in the handout. The time available for the written test is 90 minutes. The assessment is expressed by a grade: insufficient - sufficient - more than sufficient - fair - more than fair - good - more than good - very good. In particular, the ability to provide correct information by constructing a clear and coherent discourse and to provide a timely paraphrase and commentary of the proposed text will be assessed positively. No material may be consulted during the written test: no books, notes or dictionary.
The oral exam covers only the subject of part C (last 20 hours) and consists of an interview designed to ascertain the students' preparation on the subject of Dante and the sea, their ability to put their specific knowledge to good use (in particular in paraphrasing and commenting on Dante's texts), and their expository property.
The final assessment of the examination (which takes into account both the written test and the oral test) is expressed in thirtieths.
Class attendance is strongly recommended.
Students unable to attend lectures are invited to go to the lecturer's reception, who will provide precise indications on the supplementary bibliography with which to replace attendance. Foreign and Erasmus incoming students who have particular language difficulties with Italian may write an email to the lecturer to arrange a reception and agree on a special programme. The course programme is valid until February 2027.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or DSA must be agreed in good time with the lecturer, in agreement with the relevant office.
The written paper covers the subjects of Part A and Part B, and consists of three questions: two open questions on aspects and authors of Italian literature covered during the first 40 hours of lessons, and an exercise in paraphrasing and commenting on a text (or part of a text) analysed in class and included in the handout. The time available for the written test is 90 minutes. The assessment is expressed by a grade: insufficient - sufficient - more than sufficient - fair - more than fair - good - more than good - very good. In particular, the ability to provide correct information by constructing a clear and coherent discourse and to provide a timely paraphrase and commentary of the proposed text will be assessed positively. No material may be consulted during the written test: no books, notes or dictionary.
The oral exam covers only the subject of part C (last 20 hours) and consists of an interview designed to ascertain the students' preparation on the subject of Dante and the sea, their ability to put their specific knowledge to good use (in particular in paraphrasing and commenting on Dante's texts), and their expository property.
The final assessment of the examination (which takes into account both the written test and the oral test) is expressed in thirtieths.
Class attendance is strongly recommended.
Students unable to attend lectures are invited to go to the lecturer's reception, who will provide precise indications on the supplementary bibliography with which to replace attendance. Foreign and Erasmus incoming students who have particular language difficulties with Italian may write an email to the lecturer to arrange a reception and agree on a special programme. The course programme is valid until February 2027.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or DSA must be agreed in good time with the lecturer, in agreement with the relevant office.
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
Group C
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
NOTA BENE, PER LA SCELTA DEL GRUPPO DI AFFERENZA
Se scegli di essere uno studente/essa non frequentante, i docenti di riferimento sono: per i cognomi che iniziano dalla A alla D il Prof. Martino Marazzi, per il range E-O la Prof.ssa Giulia Ravera e per P-Z il prof. Donato Pirovano. Fai riferimento al programma pubblicato nel sito di Studi Umanistici dal docente a cui afferisci ed iscriviti agli appelli d'esame aperti dal tuo docente. Non sono ammessi cambi di assegnazione.
Se sei uno studente/essa frequentante, dovrai seguire le lezioni nel 1º semestre il mercoledì 16.30-18-30, il giovedì 14.30-16.30 e il venerdì 14.30-16.30. Se l'iniziale del tuo cognome è nel range A-L segui le lezioni con il prof. Martino Marazzi, se è M-Z segui le lezioni con il prof. Donato Pirovano. Non sono ammessi cambi di gruppo per garantire una numerosità in aula consona (in caso di numerosità eccessiva, verranno effettuate le riassegnazioni al gruppo blended). Fai riferimento al sito MyAriel del tuo docente, al programma pubblicato nel sito di Studi Umanistici dal docente a cui afferisci ed iscriviti agli appelli d'esame aperti dal tuo docente. I programmi dei gruppi sono equivalenti, pur nel rispetto delle specializzazioni di ricerca dei docenti.
Se sei uno studente/essa frequentante con difficoltà di presenza in classe abbiamo avviato un gruppo specifico con didattica blended tenuto dalla prof.ssa Giulia Ravera, con programma ed impegno di studio equivalenti ai gruppi presenziali. Tale gruppo prevede una lezione frontale il mercoledì alle 16.30, abbinata a studio online in modalità sincrona e asincrona in collaborazione con la docente e i compagni di corso. Richiede quindi un impegno costante nel primo semestre (per es. con la consegna di elaborati, svolgimenti di attività scadenziate, partecipazioni a gruppi di discussione) e non è quindi un mero accesso a lezioni in streaming o a materiali in autoapprendimento. Si tratta di una sperimentazione per l'a.a. 2025/26, che non comporta né la continuità nei prossimi anni accademici, né l'aspettativa che altri corsi o gruppi offrano la stessa modalità.
L'accesso al gruppo blended avviene tramite iscrizione al link https://forms.gle/dN2jUpp2WEPwS7Hn6, non oltre il 10 settembre 2025. L'iscrizione è obbligatoria e non garantisce di per sé l'accesso al gruppo (che sarà confermato solo all'inizio delle lezioni in base alle numerosità complessiva).
Title of the course: Italian literary civilization: textual and historical-critical paths
Part A: To the Origins to the Fifteenth/Sixteenth century. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Stilnovo (with references to previous lyrical experiences in Italy)
- Dante (Rime, Vita Nova, Commedia)
- Petrarca (Canoniere)
- Boccaccio (Decameron)
- Literature of the Fifteenth century (Lorenzo il Magnifico, Poliziano, Boiardo - Orlando innamorato)
- Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and the foundation of the Italian language (with reference to Petrarchism)
- Castiglione (Cortegiano) and the treatises of the Sixteenth century
Part B: From the sixteenth century to the beginning of the Nineteenth. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Machiavelli (Principe)
- Historical prose (Machiavelli, Guicciardini)
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso)
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata)
- Baroque (Marino - Adone)
- Enlightenment; Parini (Giorno)
- Leopardi (Canti, Operette morali)
- Manzoni (Adelchi, Cinque maggio)
Part C: Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo
Se scegli di essere uno studente/essa non frequentante, i docenti di riferimento sono: per i cognomi che iniziano dalla A alla D il Prof. Martino Marazzi, per il range E-O la Prof.ssa Giulia Ravera e per P-Z il prof. Donato Pirovano. Fai riferimento al programma pubblicato nel sito di Studi Umanistici dal docente a cui afferisci ed iscriviti agli appelli d'esame aperti dal tuo docente. Non sono ammessi cambi di assegnazione.
Se sei uno studente/essa frequentante, dovrai seguire le lezioni nel 1º semestre il mercoledì 16.30-18-30, il giovedì 14.30-16.30 e il venerdì 14.30-16.30. Se l'iniziale del tuo cognome è nel range A-L segui le lezioni con il prof. Martino Marazzi, se è M-Z segui le lezioni con il prof. Donato Pirovano. Non sono ammessi cambi di gruppo per garantire una numerosità in aula consona (in caso di numerosità eccessiva, verranno effettuate le riassegnazioni al gruppo blended). Fai riferimento al sito MyAriel del tuo docente, al programma pubblicato nel sito di Studi Umanistici dal docente a cui afferisci ed iscriviti agli appelli d'esame aperti dal tuo docente. I programmi dei gruppi sono equivalenti, pur nel rispetto delle specializzazioni di ricerca dei docenti.
Se sei uno studente/essa frequentante con difficoltà di presenza in classe abbiamo avviato un gruppo specifico con didattica blended tenuto dalla prof.ssa Giulia Ravera, con programma ed impegno di studio equivalenti ai gruppi presenziali. Tale gruppo prevede una lezione frontale il mercoledì alle 16.30, abbinata a studio online in modalità sincrona e asincrona in collaborazione con la docente e i compagni di corso. Richiede quindi un impegno costante nel primo semestre (per es. con la consegna di elaborati, svolgimenti di attività scadenziate, partecipazioni a gruppi di discussione) e non è quindi un mero accesso a lezioni in streaming o a materiali in autoapprendimento. Si tratta di una sperimentazione per l'a.a. 2025/26, che non comporta né la continuità nei prossimi anni accademici, né l'aspettativa che altri corsi o gruppi offrano la stessa modalità.
L'accesso al gruppo blended avviene tramite iscrizione al link https://forms.gle/dN2jUpp2WEPwS7Hn6, non oltre il 10 settembre 2025. L'iscrizione è obbligatoria e non garantisce di per sé l'accesso al gruppo (che sarà confermato solo all'inizio delle lezioni in base alle numerosità complessiva).
Title of the course: Italian literary civilization: textual and historical-critical paths
Part A: To the Origins to the Fifteenth/Sixteenth century. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Stilnovo (with references to previous lyrical experiences in Italy)
- Dante (Rime, Vita Nova, Commedia)
- Petrarca (Canoniere)
- Boccaccio (Decameron)
- Literature of the Fifteenth century (Lorenzo il Magnifico, Poliziano, Boiardo - Orlando innamorato)
- Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and the foundation of the Italian language (with reference to Petrarchism)
- Castiglione (Cortegiano) and the treatises of the Sixteenth century
Part B: From the sixteenth century to the beginning of the Nineteenth. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Machiavelli (Principe)
- Historical prose (Machiavelli, Guicciardini)
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso)
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata)
- Baroque (Marino - Adone)
- Enlightenment; Parini (Giorno)
- Leopardi (Canti, Operette morali)
- Manzoni (Adelchi, Cinque maggio)
Part C: Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo
Prerequisites for admission
Language of the course is Italian.
Teaching methods
Lectures for the acquisition of general content, particularly for modules A and B and for the introduction to module C. In-depth study and self-assessment online. Group work sessions for in-depth text analysis. Attendance is strongly recommended.
Teaching Resources
Attending Students:
A thorough understanding of the topics covered in class is required, based on notes and materials provided on MyAriel.
For units A and B, students are required to use the following anthology to understand the historical-literary context and to prepare the texts, the final list of which will be provided at the end of the course:
Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022.
Only the texts covered during lectures are included. Students are also required to deepen their understanding of literary history topics using a good high school literature textbook (some suggestions will be provided in class and on Ariel).
For unit C, students must read the entire novel and carefully study (text comprehension and commentary) the sections analyzed in class (the complete list will be provided at the end of the course). The reference edition is:
Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, edited by G. Nicoletti, Edimedia, 2017 (though the edition edited by P. Frare, Feltrinelli 2013 and reprints, is also acceptable).
Students must also study the introduction of the selected edition and the notes, only for the parts indicated at the end of the course.
Finally, students are required to study the chapter on Foscolo in Storia della letteratura italiana, edited by Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 1998 (further details will be given in class and on MyAriel).
Non-Attending Students:
A thorough understanding of the topics indicated in the detailed syllabus—provided at the end of each teaching unit—and the materials uploaded on MyAriel, including the slides used during lectures, is required.
For teaching units A and B, students must use the following anthology to understand the historical-literary context and to prepare the texts, the final list of which will be provided at the end of the course:
Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022.
Only the texts discussed in class are included. Students must also deepen their understanding of literary history topics through a good high school literature textbook (some suggestions will be provided in class and on Ariel).
For teaching unit C, students must read the entire novel and carefully study (text comprehension and commentary) the sections analyzed in class (the full list will be provided at the end of the course). The reference edition is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, edited by G. Nicoletti, Edimedia, 2017
(alternatively, the edition edited by P. Frare, Feltrinelli 2013 and reprints, is acceptable).
Students are also expected to study the introduction in the selected edition and the notes, only for the sections indicated at the end of the course.
Finally, they must study the chapter on Foscolo in Storia della letteratura italiana, edited by Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 1998 (details on this will be given in class and on MyAriel), as well as Giuseppe Nicoletti, Foscolo, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 2006 and reprints.
A thorough understanding of the topics covered in class is required, based on notes and materials provided on MyAriel.
For units A and B, students are required to use the following anthology to understand the historical-literary context and to prepare the texts, the final list of which will be provided at the end of the course:
Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022.
Only the texts covered during lectures are included. Students are also required to deepen their understanding of literary history topics using a good high school literature textbook (some suggestions will be provided in class and on Ariel).
For unit C, students must read the entire novel and carefully study (text comprehension and commentary) the sections analyzed in class (the complete list will be provided at the end of the course). The reference edition is:
Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, edited by G. Nicoletti, Edimedia, 2017 (though the edition edited by P. Frare, Feltrinelli 2013 and reprints, is also acceptable).
Students must also study the introduction of the selected edition and the notes, only for the parts indicated at the end of the course.
Finally, students are required to study the chapter on Foscolo in Storia della letteratura italiana, edited by Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 1998 (further details will be given in class and on MyAriel).
Non-Attending Students:
A thorough understanding of the topics indicated in the detailed syllabus—provided at the end of each teaching unit—and the materials uploaded on MyAriel, including the slides used during lectures, is required.
For teaching units A and B, students must use the following anthology to understand the historical-literary context and to prepare the texts, the final list of which will be provided at the end of the course:
Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022.
Only the texts discussed in class are included. Students must also deepen their understanding of literary history topics through a good high school literature textbook (some suggestions will be provided in class and on Ariel).
For teaching unit C, students must read the entire novel and carefully study (text comprehension and commentary) the sections analyzed in class (the full list will be provided at the end of the course). The reference edition is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, edited by G. Nicoletti, Edimedia, 2017
(alternatively, the edition edited by P. Frare, Feltrinelli 2013 and reprints, is acceptable).
Students are also expected to study the introduction in the selected edition and the notes, only for the sections indicated at the end of the course.
Finally, they must study the chapter on Foscolo in Storia della letteratura italiana, edited by Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 1998 (details on this will be given in class and on MyAriel), as well as Giuseppe Nicoletti, Foscolo, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 2006 and reprints.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Preliminary written test on parts A and B and an oral test on part C.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's 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, and, for the second question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize information from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical language.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Information on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's 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, and, for the second question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize information from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical language.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Information on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, 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
Part C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
Monday 11.00 A.M
Piazza sant'Alessandro, first floor, near Spanish studies