Italian Modern and Contemporary Literature
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide an advanced overview of the modern literary system in Italy, in its historical development to the present day, according to different perspectives. One perspective is critical and methodological: it aims to strengthen the comprehension of the functional relationships among the main actors of literary communication (authors, readers, publishers, critics). The other perspectives focus on specific literary periods, training students to the critical analysis of the authors' choices of genre and style.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge: 1) Essential account of the raise and development of the modern bourgeois literary system: cultural trends, movements and conceptions of literature; genres and styles; analytical knowledge of significant works of Italian literary tradition from Unity to the present day. 2) Main issues related to the modern dynamics of literary experience: modes and forms of literary reading; the narrative pact; functions of publishing mediation.
Skills: 1) Ability to examine the reading list recognizing the authorship and audience features: reading pacts, role of paratexts, discursive regime, space-time narrative coordinates. 2) Ability to delineate the genre system and its main transformations; ability to place the individual works correctly; ability to describe and interpret the paratextual sections. 3) Ability to analyse the works comparing different critical interpretations, and to build up a streamlined bibliography.
Skills: 1) Ability to examine the reading list recognizing the authorship and audience features: reading pacts, role of paratexts, discursive regime, space-time narrative coordinates. 2) Ability to delineate the genre system and its main transformations; ability to place the individual works correctly; ability to describe and interpret the paratextual sections. 3) Ability to analyse the works comparing different critical interpretations, and to build up a streamlined bibliography.
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
A-H
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Students taking the exam for 6 ECTS must study parts A and B
Teaching part A (3 ECTS) is meant to highlight dynamics and phases of the modern literary system, focusing on authors, intellectuals, horizon of expectation-related changes and the functional relationships between the main actors of literary communication (authors, readers, publishers, critics).
Teaching part B: The tradition of the novel in Italy (3 ECTS)
- Development of the novel in Italy from the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the 20th century. Interpretation of Angiò uomo d'acqua (1928) by L. Viani and of Agostino (1944) by A. Moravia
Teaching part C: La lunga strada di sabbia (3 ECTS)
Reading of La lunga strada di sabbia (1959) by P.P. Pasolini and of Rimini (1985) by P.V. Tondelli
In addition to the lessons, the didactic part C offers the opportunity of an optional Critical Writing Workshop, consisting in further seven lessons held by a teacher assistant. For students who decide to take the workshop, attendance is mandatory. The maximum number of participants is 35: enrolment will be possible within the first three lessons of the course.
During the workshop, students will be guided to the composition and discussion of a critical essay of 4/5 pages, about a twentieth-century Italian narrative text agreed with the teacher assistant. For students who will attend the Critical Writing workshop, the exam interview will focus on only La lunga strada di sabbia by P.P. Pasolini.
Teaching part A (3 ECTS) is meant to highlight dynamics and phases of the modern literary system, focusing on authors, intellectuals, horizon of expectation-related changes and the functional relationships between the main actors of literary communication (authors, readers, publishers, critics).
Teaching part B: The tradition of the novel in Italy (3 ECTS)
- Development of the novel in Italy from the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the 20th century. Interpretation of Angiò uomo d'acqua (1928) by L. Viani and of Agostino (1944) by A. Moravia
Teaching part C: La lunga strada di sabbia (3 ECTS)
Reading of La lunga strada di sabbia (1959) by P.P. Pasolini and of Rimini (1985) by P.V. Tondelli
In addition to the lessons, the didactic part C offers the opportunity of an optional Critical Writing Workshop, consisting in further seven lessons held by a teacher assistant. For students who decide to take the workshop, attendance is mandatory. The maximum number of participants is 35: enrolment will be possible within the first three lessons of the course.
During the workshop, students will be guided to the composition and discussion of a critical essay of 4/5 pages, about a twentieth-century Italian narrative text agreed with the teacher assistant. For students who will attend the Critical Writing workshop, the exam interview will focus on only La lunga strada di sabbia by P.P. Pasolini.
Prerequisites for admission
The students must have passed the exam in Italian contemporary literature.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons with use of telematic tools, slides, audio-visual contents.
Dialogic teaching moments; explanation of the learning assessment methods and evaluation criteria.
Attendance is optional, but strongly recommended.
Dialogic teaching moments; explanation of the learning assessment methods and evaluation criteria.
Attendance is optional, but strongly recommended.
Teaching Resources
Course syllabus for attending students
Teaching part A (3 ECTS):
M. Bachtin, Epos e romanzo, in Estetica e romanzo, edited by di C. Strada Janovic, Torino, Einaudi, 1979, pp. 445-482
G. Rosa, Il patto narrativo e Ai margini del sistema, in Il patto narrativo. La fondazione della civiltà romanzesca in Italia, Milano, il Saggiatore, FAAM, 2008, pp. 9-92
V. Spinazzola, La valorizzazione del testo, in L'esperienza della lettura, Milano, Edizioni Unicopli, 2010, pp. 7-68
Teaching part B (3 ECTS):
Students must read one work among the following with critical essay
L. Viani, Angiò, uomo d'acqua, edited by M. Marchi, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2021 - M. Ciccuto, Nota, in L. Viani, Angiò, uomo d'acqua, edited by M. Ciccuto, Milano, Rizzoli, 1982, pp. 142-151
A. Moravia, Agostino, Nuova edizione a c. di S. Casini, con testi di U. Saba e C.E. Gadda, disegni di R. Guttuso, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2017 - S. Casini, "Un tempo oscuro". L'estate di Agostino e la rivelazione della realtà. Introduzione; U. Saba, Il caso Moravia e C.E. Gadda, "Agostino" di Moravia, in A. Moravia, Agostino, Nuova edizione a c. di S. Casini, con testi di U. Saba e C.E. Gadda, disegni di R. Guttuso, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2017, rispettivamente pp. 5-44, pp. 173-4 e pp. 175-182
Teaching part C (3 ECTS):
Students must read two work with critical essays:
P.P. Pasolini, La lunga strada di sabbia, in Romanzi e racconti. 1946-1961, edited by W. Siti and S. De Laude, Mondadori ("I Meridiani"), Milano 1998, 2 voll., vol. I, pp. 1479-1526 - R. Ricorda, La lunga strada di sabbia, un piccolissimo, stenografo "Reisebilder", in Gettiamo il nostro corpo nella lotta. Il giornalismo di Pier Paolo Pasolini, edited by L. De Giusti, A. Felice, Marsilio, Venezia 2019, pp. 45-58
P.V. Tondelli, Rimini, a c. di F. Panzeri, postfazione di E. Sgarbi, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2021 - P. Pellini, L'ambiguo incanto del paesaggio postmoderno. Su "Rimini" di Pier Vittorio Tondelli, in "Contemporanea", 2004, n. 2, pp. 39-52
Course syllabus for non attending students
Part A (3 ECTS):
V. Spinazzola, L'egemonia del romanzo, in L'egemonia del romanzo, Milano, il Saggiatore, 2007, pp. 7-69
Part B (3 ECTS):
L. Bani, La prova dell'anima. La borghesia in spiaggia nella letteratura europea tra Ottocento e Novecento. Sei letture, Introduzione by C. Magris, Cori (Latina), Casa editrice Moderata durant, 2005, pp. 5-44 (cap. I, La spiaggia)
For students who have chosen Angiò uomo d'acqua di L. Viani:
C. Ulivi, Viani, Lorenzo, in Diuzionario biografico degli italiani, vol. 99 (2020) on-line: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/lorenzo-viani_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ - M. Marchi, L'eroe in stracci. Viani scrittore e un suo capolavoro, in L. Viani, Angiò, uomo d'acqua, edited by M. Marchi, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2021, pp. 7-29
For students who have chosen Agostino di A. Moravia:
E. Sanguineti, Agostino, in E. Sanguineti, Alberto Moravia, Milano, Mursia, 1962, pp. 45-74 - T. Tornitore, Introduzione, in Alberto Moravia, Agostino, Presentazione di Enzo Siciliano, Introduzione e note by T. Tornitore, Milano, Bompiani Per Le Scuole Superiori, 1995, pp. IX-LI
Part C (3 ECTS):
A. Agudo, L. del Castillo, Doppio movimento. La lunga strada di sabbia di P.P. Pasolini e P. Di Paolo - on line: https://www.engramma.it/eOS/index.php?id_articolo=4179
P. Pieri, "Rimini" di Pier Vittorio Tondelli, in "Poetiche", 2010, n. 1, pp. 133-155 - Bonus Track, in P. Tondelli, Rimini, edited by F. Panzeri, postfazione di E. Sgarbi, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2021, pp. 331-358
Teaching part A (3 ECTS):
M. Bachtin, Epos e romanzo, in Estetica e romanzo, edited by di C. Strada Janovic, Torino, Einaudi, 1979, pp. 445-482
G. Rosa, Il patto narrativo e Ai margini del sistema, in Il patto narrativo. La fondazione della civiltà romanzesca in Italia, Milano, il Saggiatore, FAAM, 2008, pp. 9-92
V. Spinazzola, La valorizzazione del testo, in L'esperienza della lettura, Milano, Edizioni Unicopli, 2010, pp. 7-68
Teaching part B (3 ECTS):
Students must read one work among the following with critical essay
L. Viani, Angiò, uomo d'acqua, edited by M. Marchi, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2021 - M. Ciccuto, Nota, in L. Viani, Angiò, uomo d'acqua, edited by M. Ciccuto, Milano, Rizzoli, 1982, pp. 142-151
A. Moravia, Agostino, Nuova edizione a c. di S. Casini, con testi di U. Saba e C.E. Gadda, disegni di R. Guttuso, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2017 - S. Casini, "Un tempo oscuro". L'estate di Agostino e la rivelazione della realtà. Introduzione; U. Saba, Il caso Moravia e C.E. Gadda, "Agostino" di Moravia, in A. Moravia, Agostino, Nuova edizione a c. di S. Casini, con testi di U. Saba e C.E. Gadda, disegni di R. Guttuso, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2017, rispettivamente pp. 5-44, pp. 173-4 e pp. 175-182
Teaching part C (3 ECTS):
Students must read two work with critical essays:
P.P. Pasolini, La lunga strada di sabbia, in Romanzi e racconti. 1946-1961, edited by W. Siti and S. De Laude, Mondadori ("I Meridiani"), Milano 1998, 2 voll., vol. I, pp. 1479-1526 - R. Ricorda, La lunga strada di sabbia, un piccolissimo, stenografo "Reisebilder", in Gettiamo il nostro corpo nella lotta. Il giornalismo di Pier Paolo Pasolini, edited by L. De Giusti, A. Felice, Marsilio, Venezia 2019, pp. 45-58
P.V. Tondelli, Rimini, a c. di F. Panzeri, postfazione di E. Sgarbi, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2021 - P. Pellini, L'ambiguo incanto del paesaggio postmoderno. Su "Rimini" di Pier Vittorio Tondelli, in "Contemporanea", 2004, n. 2, pp. 39-52
Course syllabus for non attending students
Part A (3 ECTS):
V. Spinazzola, L'egemonia del romanzo, in L'egemonia del romanzo, Milano, il Saggiatore, 2007, pp. 7-69
Part B (3 ECTS):
L. Bani, La prova dell'anima. La borghesia in spiaggia nella letteratura europea tra Ottocento e Novecento. Sei letture, Introduzione by C. Magris, Cori (Latina), Casa editrice Moderata durant, 2005, pp. 5-44 (cap. I, La spiaggia)
For students who have chosen Angiò uomo d'acqua di L. Viani:
C. Ulivi, Viani, Lorenzo, in Diuzionario biografico degli italiani, vol. 99 (2020) on-line: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/lorenzo-viani_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ - M. Marchi, L'eroe in stracci. Viani scrittore e un suo capolavoro, in L. Viani, Angiò, uomo d'acqua, edited by M. Marchi, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2021, pp. 7-29
For students who have chosen Agostino di A. Moravia:
E. Sanguineti, Agostino, in E. Sanguineti, Alberto Moravia, Milano, Mursia, 1962, pp. 45-74 - T. Tornitore, Introduzione, in Alberto Moravia, Agostino, Presentazione di Enzo Siciliano, Introduzione e note by T. Tornitore, Milano, Bompiani Per Le Scuole Superiori, 1995, pp. IX-LI
Part C (3 ECTS):
A. Agudo, L. del Castillo, Doppio movimento. La lunga strada di sabbia di P.P. Pasolini e P. Di Paolo - on line: https://www.engramma.it/eOS/index.php?id_articolo=4179
P. Pieri, "Rimini" di Pier Vittorio Tondelli, in "Poetiche", 2010, n. 1, pp. 133-155 - Bonus Track, in P. Tondelli, Rimini, edited by F. Panzeri, postfazione di E. Sgarbi, Milano, Bompiani / Giunti, 2021, pp. 331-358
Assessment methods and Criteria
The overall evaluation consists of an oral exam on the issues and the texts included in the syllabus.
Students are expected to understand and explain correctly the issues addressed, and to properly analyse the relevant literary texts.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher of the course. Also students with disabilities (SLD) should contact the teacher of the course, in order to discuss alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent Office.
The evaluation is expressed in 30 out of 30; minimum grade: 18/30.
Students are expected to understand and explain correctly the issues addressed, and to properly analyse the relevant literary texts.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher of the course. Also students with disabilities (SLD) should contact the teacher of the course, in order to discuss alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent Office.
The evaluation is expressed in 30 out of 30; minimum grade: 18/30.
Modules or teaching units
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
I-Z
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
*** This year's course offers the opportunity to follow, in the second part, six lectures given by Mayerín Bello Valdés (Facultad de Artes y Letras, University of Havana) as visiting professor on the subject of Calvino and the novel. The dialogue with Latin American literature and its relationship with Cuba.
*** Students who plan to take this exam for 6 CFU are required to study the Third part and choose one of the First or Second parts.
*** All students are invited to periodically consult the course's MyAriel website, where additional information on the syllabus may be posted, as well as useful teaching materials for exam preparation, such as short annotated readings and PowerPoint pathways summarising relevant aspects of topics addressed in the lectures, which are also valuable for non-attending students.
First part: Written Neorealisms (prof. B. Falcetto)
A history of the development of various forms of realistic fiction from the end of the Twenties to the mid-Fifties.
Second part: Calvino and the novel. The dialogue with Latin American literature and the relationship with Cuba (prof. B. Falcetto e prof.ssa Mayerín Bello Valdés, Facultad de Artes y Letras, Università dell'Avana)
The first lessons will outline the initial phases of Calvino's career as a novelist, from his debut with Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno to the beginning of Nostri antenati, within the context of narrative research that moves in various directions with different outcomes (B. Falcetto).
The following six lectures (Prof. M. Bello Valdés) are divided into two sequences:
In the first phase, they will present a conception of the novel based on a literary idea guided by the imagination according to the ways of a personal 'new fantastic'. Through the study of some essays, they will demonstrate how the perception of the relationship between literature and reality changes in its multiple dimensions and how narrative representation is transformed. They will pay specific attention to The Non-Existent Knight and If on a Winter's Night a Traveller, which are fundamental to the thematic and analytical core. These works are compulsory reading and will also be the basis for a seminar in which students will be actively involved.
In the second phase, the lectures will focus on Calvino's fruitful dialogue with Latin American culture, thought, and literature. Finally, in a sort of 'return to the roots', the relationship between Calvino and Cuba, the country of his birth, will be explored, particularly from 1964 when he returned as a member of the Premio Casa de las Américas jury.
Third part: The modern literary system (prof. B. Falcetto)
This part is meant to highlight the dynamics and phases of the modern literary system, focusing on authors, intellectuals, the horizon of expectation-related changes, and the functional relationships between the main actors of literary communication (authors, readers, publishers, critics).
Critical Writing Workshop
In addition to the lessons, the didactic unit B offers the opportunity of an optional Critical Writing Workshop, consisting in six further lessons held by a teacher assistant. For students who decide to take the workshop, attendance is mandatory. The maximum number of participants is 35: enrolment will be possible within the first three lessons of the course.
During the workshop, students will be guided to the composition and discussion of a critical essay of 4/5 pages, about a twentieth-century Italian narrative text agreed with the teacher assistant. The evaluation of the paper will contribute to the final assessment of the exam. For students who will attend the Critical Writing workshop, the exam interview on the Second part of the course will focus the exam interview will focus on only the essays of Auerbach, Debenedetti and Falcetto. The positive evaluation of the workshop's short essay favours the possibility of writing the Bachelor final paper in the discipline.
*** Students who plan to take this exam for 6 CFU are required to study the Third part and choose one of the First or Second parts.
*** All students are invited to periodically consult the course's MyAriel website, where additional information on the syllabus may be posted, as well as useful teaching materials for exam preparation, such as short annotated readings and PowerPoint pathways summarising relevant aspects of topics addressed in the lectures, which are also valuable for non-attending students.
First part: Written Neorealisms (prof. B. Falcetto)
A history of the development of various forms of realistic fiction from the end of the Twenties to the mid-Fifties.
Second part: Calvino and the novel. The dialogue with Latin American literature and the relationship with Cuba (prof. B. Falcetto e prof.ssa Mayerín Bello Valdés, Facultad de Artes y Letras, Università dell'Avana)
The first lessons will outline the initial phases of Calvino's career as a novelist, from his debut with Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno to the beginning of Nostri antenati, within the context of narrative research that moves in various directions with different outcomes (B. Falcetto).
The following six lectures (Prof. M. Bello Valdés) are divided into two sequences:
In the first phase, they will present a conception of the novel based on a literary idea guided by the imagination according to the ways of a personal 'new fantastic'. Through the study of some essays, they will demonstrate how the perception of the relationship between literature and reality changes in its multiple dimensions and how narrative representation is transformed. They will pay specific attention to The Non-Existent Knight and If on a Winter's Night a Traveller, which are fundamental to the thematic and analytical core. These works are compulsory reading and will also be the basis for a seminar in which students will be actively involved.
In the second phase, the lectures will focus on Calvino's fruitful dialogue with Latin American culture, thought, and literature. Finally, in a sort of 'return to the roots', the relationship between Calvino and Cuba, the country of his birth, will be explored, particularly from 1964 when he returned as a member of the Premio Casa de las Américas jury.
Third part: The modern literary system (prof. B. Falcetto)
This part is meant to highlight the dynamics and phases of the modern literary system, focusing on authors, intellectuals, the horizon of expectation-related changes, and the functional relationships between the main actors of literary communication (authors, readers, publishers, critics).
Critical Writing Workshop
In addition to the lessons, the didactic unit B offers the opportunity of an optional Critical Writing Workshop, consisting in six further lessons held by a teacher assistant. For students who decide to take the workshop, attendance is mandatory. The maximum number of participants is 35: enrolment will be possible within the first three lessons of the course.
During the workshop, students will be guided to the composition and discussion of a critical essay of 4/5 pages, about a twentieth-century Italian narrative text agreed with the teacher assistant. The evaluation of the paper will contribute to the final assessment of the exam. For students who will attend the Critical Writing workshop, the exam interview on the Second part of the course will focus the exam interview will focus on only the essays of Auerbach, Debenedetti and Falcetto. The positive evaluation of the workshop's short essay favours the possibility of writing the Bachelor final paper in the discipline.
Prerequisites for admission
Students must have passed the exam in Italian contemporary literature.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons with use of telematic tools, slides, audio-visual contents.
Dialogic teaching moments; explanation of the learning assessment methods and evaluation criteria.
Attendance is optional, but strongly recommended.
Dialogic teaching moments; explanation of the learning assessment methods and evaluation criteria.
Attendance is optional, but strongly recommended.
Teaching Resources
First part
- V. Spinazzola, Il realismo dei lettori, in La democrazia letteraria. Saggi sul rapporto fra scrittore e lettori, Milano, Edizioni di Comunità, pp. 111-137
- E. Auerbach, Il calzerotto marrone, in Mimesis. Il realismo nella letteratura occidentale, Einaudi, pp. 305-338, e G. Debenedetti, Personaggi e destino, in G. Debenedetti, Saggi, progetto editoriale e saggio introduttivo di A. Berardinelli, Milano, I Meridiani Mondadori, 1999, pp. 900-921
- B. Falcetto, Neorealismi scritti, in Neorealismo. La nuova immagine in Italia 1932-1960, a cura di Enrica Viganò, Milano, Admira, 2006, pp. 41-51
- La lettura di una delle seguenti opere, accompagnata dal saggio critico indicato:
A. Moravia, Gli indifferenti, Milano, Bompiani, Tascabili (M. Mascia Galateria, Come leggere gli "Indifferenti" di Alberto Moravia, Milano, Mursia, 1975)
C. Alvaro, Gente in Aspromonte (G. Rando, Alvaro fra mito e "modernità". L'elaborazione di "Gente in Aspromonte", in La bussola del realismo. Verga, Alvaro, Moravia, Roma, Bulzoni, 1992, pp. 165202)
I. Silone, Fontamara, Milano, Mondadori Oscar (G. Baldi, "Fontamara": ottica dal basso, straniamento e comico antifrastico, in Id. Eroi intellettuali e classi popolari nella letteratura italiana del Novecento, Napoli, Liguori, 2005, pp. 255-276)
C. Bernari, Tre operai, Milano, Mondadori Oscar (F. Bernardini Napolitano, Introduzione, in Tre operai, op. cit., pp. V-XLII)
G. Piovene, Lettere di una novizia, Milano, Bompiani Tascabili (G. Barberi Squarotti, L'intrico delle finzioni: "Lettere di una novizia", in Guido Piovene tra idoli e ragione, a c. di S. Strazzabosco, Venezia, Marsilio, 1996, pp. 23-42)
V. Brancati, Don Giovanni in Sicilia, Bompiani (F. Spera, Le storie di malumore, in Vitaliano Brancati, Milano, Mursia, 1981, pp. 91-109)
E. Lussu, Un anno sull'altipiano, Torino, Einaudi (G. Falaschi, "Un anno sull'altipiano" di E. L., in Letteratura italiana. Le Opere, dir. A. Asor Rosa, vol. IV, Il Novecento, to. II, Torino, Einaudi, 1996, pp. 167-199)
E. Vittorini, Uomini e no, Milano, Mondadori Oscar (V. Spinazzola, "Uomini e no" ovvero amore e resistenza, in La modernità letteraria, Milano, il Saggiatore - FAAM, 2001, pp. 293-312)
I. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno, Mondadori Oscar (C. Milanini, Esistenzialismo e neorealismo: "Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno", in L'utopia discontinua. Saggio su Italo Calvino, Milano, Garzanti, 1990, pp. 13-37)
B. Fenoglio, La malora, Torino, Einaudi (N. Palmieri, Avventure di un narratore. "La malora", in Beppe Fenoglio. La scrittura e il corpo, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2012, pp. 45-70).
G. Testori, Il dio di Roserio, Milano, Feltrinelli (V. Spinazzola, Testori, a Roserio un delitto senza castigo, in L'egemonia del romanzo. La narrativa italiana nel secondo Novecento, Milano, il Saggiatore-Fondazione Arnoldo e Alberto Mondadori, 2007, pp. 252-266)
V. Pratolini, Metello, Mondadori Oscar (B. Falcetto, Gli spazi di Metello, in Studi sulla letteratura italiana della modernità. Per Angelo Pupino, vol. 2, Dal secondo Novecento ai giorni nostri, a c. di Elena Candela, Liguori, Napoli 2009, pp. 185-195)
Second Part: Calvino and the novel. The dialogue with Latin American literature and the relationship with Cuba (prof. B. Falcetto e prof.ssa Mayerín Bello Valdés, Facultad de Artes y Letras, Università dell'Avana)
Primary literature: 1) I. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno oppure Il cavaliere inesistente, Milano, Mondadori o Torino, Einaudi; 2) Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore, Milano, Mondadori o Torino, Einaudi; Note e notizie sui testi (Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno or Il cavaliere inesistente and Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore), in I. Calvino, Romanzi e racconti, edizione diretta da Claudio Milanini, a c. di Mario Barenghi e Bruno Falcetto, vol. I, Milano, Mondadori, 1991.
Secondary literature: C. Milanini, Genesi e struttura dei Nostri antenati*, in Italo Calvino narratore. Atti della giornata di studi (19 novembre 2004), a c. di Paolo Grossi, Parigi, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 2005, pp. 33-57; B. Falcetto, Italo Calvino*, in Il contributo italiano alla storia del pensiero. Letteratura, a c. di Giulio Ferroni, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani, Roma 2016, pp. 717-724; M. Bello Valdèz, Multiplicidad e hipernovelas. La curiosa y afín amistad entre Rayuela, de Julio Cortázar, y Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore Italo Calvino*, Cuba y Latinoamérica. Edición al cuidado de Mayerín Bello y Laura Di Nicola, Fondo editorial Casa de las Américas, 2023, pp. 250-269.
.
* Texts marked with an asterisk will be available on the discipline's MyAriel site.
* Some integrative or optional critical reading may be provided at the beginning of the course.
Third part
- U. Schulz-Buschhaus, Il sistema letterario nella civiltà borghese (capp. I-III), Milano, Unicopli, 1999
- M. Bachtin, Epos e romanzo, in Id., Estetica e romanzo, Torino, Einaudi, 2001, pp. 445-483
- G. Rosa, Il patto narrativo e Ai margini del sistema, in Il patto narrativo. La fondazione della civiltà romanzesca in Italia, Milano, il Saggiatore, FAAM, 2008, pp. 9-92
NON ATTENDING STUDENTS are required to prepare additional readings:
First part: B. Falcetto, Forme della narrativa d'invenzione, in Storia della narrativa neorealista, Milano, Mursia, 1992; oppure
Second part: M. Barenghi, Calvino, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009.
Third part: F. Brioschi, La letteratura e il suo doppio, in id., Critica della ragion poetica, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2002, pp. 20-78
- V. Spinazzola, Il realismo dei lettori, in La democrazia letteraria. Saggi sul rapporto fra scrittore e lettori, Milano, Edizioni di Comunità, pp. 111-137
- E. Auerbach, Il calzerotto marrone, in Mimesis. Il realismo nella letteratura occidentale, Einaudi, pp. 305-338, e G. Debenedetti, Personaggi e destino, in G. Debenedetti, Saggi, progetto editoriale e saggio introduttivo di A. Berardinelli, Milano, I Meridiani Mondadori, 1999, pp. 900-921
- B. Falcetto, Neorealismi scritti, in Neorealismo. La nuova immagine in Italia 1932-1960, a cura di Enrica Viganò, Milano, Admira, 2006, pp. 41-51
- La lettura di una delle seguenti opere, accompagnata dal saggio critico indicato:
A. Moravia, Gli indifferenti, Milano, Bompiani, Tascabili (M. Mascia Galateria, Come leggere gli "Indifferenti" di Alberto Moravia, Milano, Mursia, 1975)
C. Alvaro, Gente in Aspromonte (G. Rando, Alvaro fra mito e "modernità". L'elaborazione di "Gente in Aspromonte", in La bussola del realismo. Verga, Alvaro, Moravia, Roma, Bulzoni, 1992, pp. 165202)
I. Silone, Fontamara, Milano, Mondadori Oscar (G. Baldi, "Fontamara": ottica dal basso, straniamento e comico antifrastico, in Id. Eroi intellettuali e classi popolari nella letteratura italiana del Novecento, Napoli, Liguori, 2005, pp. 255-276)
C. Bernari, Tre operai, Milano, Mondadori Oscar (F. Bernardini Napolitano, Introduzione, in Tre operai, op. cit., pp. V-XLII)
G. Piovene, Lettere di una novizia, Milano, Bompiani Tascabili (G. Barberi Squarotti, L'intrico delle finzioni: "Lettere di una novizia", in Guido Piovene tra idoli e ragione, a c. di S. Strazzabosco, Venezia, Marsilio, 1996, pp. 23-42)
V. Brancati, Don Giovanni in Sicilia, Bompiani (F. Spera, Le storie di malumore, in Vitaliano Brancati, Milano, Mursia, 1981, pp. 91-109)
E. Lussu, Un anno sull'altipiano, Torino, Einaudi (G. Falaschi, "Un anno sull'altipiano" di E. L., in Letteratura italiana. Le Opere, dir. A. Asor Rosa, vol. IV, Il Novecento, to. II, Torino, Einaudi, 1996, pp. 167-199)
E. Vittorini, Uomini e no, Milano, Mondadori Oscar (V. Spinazzola, "Uomini e no" ovvero amore e resistenza, in La modernità letteraria, Milano, il Saggiatore - FAAM, 2001, pp. 293-312)
I. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno, Mondadori Oscar (C. Milanini, Esistenzialismo e neorealismo: "Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno", in L'utopia discontinua. Saggio su Italo Calvino, Milano, Garzanti, 1990, pp. 13-37)
B. Fenoglio, La malora, Torino, Einaudi (N. Palmieri, Avventure di un narratore. "La malora", in Beppe Fenoglio. La scrittura e il corpo, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2012, pp. 45-70).
G. Testori, Il dio di Roserio, Milano, Feltrinelli (V. Spinazzola, Testori, a Roserio un delitto senza castigo, in L'egemonia del romanzo. La narrativa italiana nel secondo Novecento, Milano, il Saggiatore-Fondazione Arnoldo e Alberto Mondadori, 2007, pp. 252-266)
V. Pratolini, Metello, Mondadori Oscar (B. Falcetto, Gli spazi di Metello, in Studi sulla letteratura italiana della modernità. Per Angelo Pupino, vol. 2, Dal secondo Novecento ai giorni nostri, a c. di Elena Candela, Liguori, Napoli 2009, pp. 185-195)
Second Part: Calvino and the novel. The dialogue with Latin American literature and the relationship with Cuba (prof. B. Falcetto e prof.ssa Mayerín Bello Valdés, Facultad de Artes y Letras, Università dell'Avana)
Primary literature: 1) I. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno oppure Il cavaliere inesistente, Milano, Mondadori o Torino, Einaudi; 2) Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore, Milano, Mondadori o Torino, Einaudi; Note e notizie sui testi (Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno or Il cavaliere inesistente and Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore), in I. Calvino, Romanzi e racconti, edizione diretta da Claudio Milanini, a c. di Mario Barenghi e Bruno Falcetto, vol. I, Milano, Mondadori, 1991.
Secondary literature: C. Milanini, Genesi e struttura dei Nostri antenati*, in Italo Calvino narratore. Atti della giornata di studi (19 novembre 2004), a c. di Paolo Grossi, Parigi, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 2005, pp. 33-57; B. Falcetto, Italo Calvino*, in Il contributo italiano alla storia del pensiero. Letteratura, a c. di Giulio Ferroni, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani, Roma 2016, pp. 717-724; M. Bello Valdèz, Multiplicidad e hipernovelas. La curiosa y afín amistad entre Rayuela, de Julio Cortázar, y Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore Italo Calvino*, Cuba y Latinoamérica. Edición al cuidado de Mayerín Bello y Laura Di Nicola, Fondo editorial Casa de las Américas, 2023, pp. 250-269.
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* Texts marked with an asterisk will be available on the discipline's MyAriel site.
* Some integrative or optional critical reading may be provided at the beginning of the course.
Third part
- U. Schulz-Buschhaus, Il sistema letterario nella civiltà borghese (capp. I-III), Milano, Unicopli, 1999
- M. Bachtin, Epos e romanzo, in Id., Estetica e romanzo, Torino, Einaudi, 2001, pp. 445-483
- G. Rosa, Il patto narrativo e Ai margini del sistema, in Il patto narrativo. La fondazione della civiltà romanzesca in Italia, Milano, il Saggiatore, FAAM, 2008, pp. 9-92
NON ATTENDING STUDENTS are required to prepare additional readings:
First part: B. Falcetto, Forme della narrativa d'invenzione, in Storia della narrativa neorealista, Milano, Mursia, 1992; oppure
Second part: M. Barenghi, Calvino, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009.
Third part: F. Brioschi, La letteratura e il suo doppio, in id., Critica della ragion poetica, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2002, pp. 20-78
Assessment methods and Criteria
The overall evaluation consists of an oral exam on the issues and the texts included in the syllabus.
Students are expected to understand and explain correctly the issues addressed, and to properly analyse the relevant literary texts.
The vote is expressed in 30/30 (18/30-30/30 cum laude).
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher of the course. Also students with disabilities should contact the teacher of the course, in order to discuss alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent Office.
Students are expected to understand and explain correctly the issues addressed, and to properly analyse the relevant literary texts.
The vote is expressed in 30/30 (18/30-30/30 cum laude).
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher of the course. Also students with disabilities should contact the teacher of the course, in order to discuss alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent Office.
Modules or teaching units
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)