Portuguese and Brazilian Studies (3)
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
This course aims to provide students with a general understanding of historical and literary evolution of portuguese and brazilian culture. An introduction to formation («formação») of national literatures of Portugal and Brazil is offered, with a specific attention to complex colonial and political history. For Portugal, we analyze the development of Literature from medieval origins to contemporary era, for Brazil we analyze the evolution of literature from colonial formation in XVI century until the culture of our days. Particular attention is given to the history of ideas (colonialism, imperialism, cultural hiper-identity, semi-periphery) and concepts.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: outline of national and imperial Portuguese history; formation of colony-Brazil and development of Brazilian Literature as national literature (colonial canon, imperial canon, republican canon), main authors and literary movements from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era; fundamental elements of history of ideas and conceptual history that help analyze the societies and cultures of two countries.
Applying knowledge and understanding: ability to read and contextualize some paradigmatic works of portuguese and brazilian thought and literature; ability to read three significant works from selected period; understanding of historic, cultural, and social implications of literary texts; ability to place authors, movements and works in their context; ability to analyze literary texts through the application of ideas and concepts borrowed from literary criticism, post-colonial theory and cultural studies.
Applying knowledge and understanding: ability to read and contextualize some paradigmatic works of portuguese and brazilian thought and literature; ability to read three significant works from selected period; understanding of historic, cultural, and social implications of literary texts; ability to place authors, movements and works in their context; ability to analyze literary texts through the application of ideas and concepts borrowed from literary criticism, post-colonial theory and cultural studies.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is titled: The Formation of a Double Literature: Portugal and Brazil as Projects of Nationhood.
Section A (40 hours) Vincenzo Russo
Portugal: Myth, History, and Identity: From Its Foundation to Brazilian colony
Section B (20 hours) Marianna Scaramucci
Aspects of the Formation of Brazilian Literature
The course is divided into two sections:
· A: Ideas, Concepts, and Contexts of Portuguese History and Literary History
· B: Ideas, Concepts, and Contexts of Brazilian History and Literary History
· Section A will focus on the history of Portugal and the history of Portuguese literature from its origins to the Renaissance, which coincides with the transition from a European kingdom to an intercontinental empire.
· Section B will focus on the formation of the Brazilian colony and on the colonial literary canon up to the 19th century, the moment of Brazil's independence from Portugal.
The course provides 9 credits. It is not possible to acquire only 6.
The course program is valid until September 2026. From the summer session 2026 it will be possible to apply only for the program of the academic year 2026-27.
Section A (40 hours) Vincenzo Russo
Portugal: Myth, History, and Identity: From Its Foundation to Brazilian colony
Section B (20 hours) Marianna Scaramucci
Aspects of the Formation of Brazilian Literature
The course is divided into two sections:
· A: Ideas, Concepts, and Contexts of Portuguese History and Literary History
· B: Ideas, Concepts, and Contexts of Brazilian History and Literary History
· Section A will focus on the history of Portugal and the history of Portuguese literature from its origins to the Renaissance, which coincides with the transition from a European kingdom to an intercontinental empire.
· Section B will focus on the formation of the Brazilian colony and on the colonial literary canon up to the 19th century, the moment of Brazil's independence from Portugal.
The course provides 9 credits. It is not possible to acquire only 6.
The course program is valid until September 2026. From the summer session 2026 it will be possible to apply only for the program of the academic year 2026-27.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is aimed at first-year Portuguese students, and at those students who choose to attend one year of Portuguese and Brazilian literature, even if they have no Portuguese language training.
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: lectures and moments of discussion focusing on the proposed literary and theoretical texts. The course is taught entirely in Italian. Theoretical texts are in Italian, the literary texts can be studied whether in Italian or Portuguese.
Teaching Resources
The course has a site on the online platform MYAriel (accessible here https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=8460) , and a Teams channel to which reference is made for lecture PowerPoint and other materials and information provided by the teachers.
Assessment texts, available at the University libraries or on the course platforms, are the following:
Section A
1) Roberto Vecchi-Vincenzo Russo (a cura di), La Letteratura Portoghese. I testi e le idee, Le Monnier, Firenze, 2017. (Parte 1) [Bookshops or library]
2) Eduardo Lourenço, Il labirinto della saudade. Portogallo come destino, a cura di R. Vecchi e V. Russo, Diabasis, Parma, 2013. [Bookshops or library]
3) J. H. Saraiva, Storia del Portogallo, Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2007. [capitoli da 1 a 5] [Bookshops or library]
Section B
4) Luciana Stegagno-Picchio, Breve storia della letteratura brasiliana, Il Melangolo, 2005, Introduzione e Capitolo 1. [with more literary texts provided by the teacher] [Library/texts provided by the teacher]
5) Boris Fausto, Storia del Brasile, Fabula, Cagliari, 2011 Capp. da 1 a 5. [Library/texts provided by the teacher]
Program for non-attending students:
Section A
1) Roberto Vecchi-Vincenzo Russo (a cura di), La Letteratura Portoghese. I testi e le idee, Le Monnier, Firenze, 2017. (Parte 1) [Bookshops or library]
2) Eduardo Lourenço, Il labirinto della saudade. Portogallo come destino, a cura di R. Vecchi e V. Russo, Diabasis, Parma, 2013. [Bookshops or library]
3) J. H. Saraiva, Storia del Portogallo, Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2007. [capitoli da 1 a 5] [Bookshops or library]
4) Luiz Vaz de Camões, I Lusiadi, a cura di R. Marnoto e R. Gigliucci, Bompiani, Milano, 2022 [Introduzione e Canto I]
Section B
4) Luciana Stegagno-Picchio, Storia della letteratura brasiliana, Torino, Einaudi, 1997. Chapters 1 to 5 [Library/texts provided by the teacher].
5) Boris Fausto, Storia del Brasile, Fabula, Cagliari, 2011, Chapters 1 to 5. [Library/texts provided by the teacher].
6) An essay of the student's choice between: Ettore Finazzi-Agrò, "A invenção da ilha. Tópica literária e topologia imaginária na descoberta do Brasil", Remate de Males, v. 13, 2012, p. 93-103: https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/remate/article/view/8636199. Or: Ettore Finazzi-Agrò, "La parola situata. José de Anchieta tra acculturazione e transculturazione."Voci del passato nella complessità della memoria, Nuova Cultura, 2020, p. 141-155: https://vieira.uniroma1.it/sites/default/files/VocidelpassatoPDF_compressed.pdf
Non-attending students must contact the teachers to arrange an appropriate program.
Assessment texts, available at the University libraries or on the course platforms, are the following:
Section A
1) Roberto Vecchi-Vincenzo Russo (a cura di), La Letteratura Portoghese. I testi e le idee, Le Monnier, Firenze, 2017. (Parte 1) [Bookshops or library]
2) Eduardo Lourenço, Il labirinto della saudade. Portogallo come destino, a cura di R. Vecchi e V. Russo, Diabasis, Parma, 2013. [Bookshops or library]
3) J. H. Saraiva, Storia del Portogallo, Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2007. [capitoli da 1 a 5] [Bookshops or library]
Section B
4) Luciana Stegagno-Picchio, Breve storia della letteratura brasiliana, Il Melangolo, 2005, Introduzione e Capitolo 1. [with more literary texts provided by the teacher] [Library/texts provided by the teacher]
5) Boris Fausto, Storia del Brasile, Fabula, Cagliari, 2011 Capp. da 1 a 5. [Library/texts provided by the teacher]
Program for non-attending students:
Section A
1) Roberto Vecchi-Vincenzo Russo (a cura di), La Letteratura Portoghese. I testi e le idee, Le Monnier, Firenze, 2017. (Parte 1) [Bookshops or library]
2) Eduardo Lourenço, Il labirinto della saudade. Portogallo come destino, a cura di R. Vecchi e V. Russo, Diabasis, Parma, 2013. [Bookshops or library]
3) J. H. Saraiva, Storia del Portogallo, Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2007. [capitoli da 1 a 5] [Bookshops or library]
4) Luiz Vaz de Camões, I Lusiadi, a cura di R. Marnoto e R. Gigliucci, Bompiani, Milano, 2022 [Introduzione e Canto I]
Section B
4) Luciana Stegagno-Picchio, Storia della letteratura brasiliana, Torino, Einaudi, 1997. Chapters 1 to 5 [Library/texts provided by the teacher].
5) Boris Fausto, Storia del Brasile, Fabula, Cagliari, 2011, Chapters 1 to 5. [Library/texts provided by the teacher].
6) An essay of the student's choice between: Ettore Finazzi-Agrò, "A invenção da ilha. Tópica literária e topologia imaginária na descoberta do Brasil", Remate de Males, v. 13, 2012, p. 93-103: https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/remate/article/view/8636199. Or: Ettore Finazzi-Agrò, "La parola situata. José de Anchieta tra acculturazione e transculturazione."Voci del passato nella complessità della memoria, Nuova Cultura, 2020, p. 141-155: https://vieira.uniroma1.it/sites/default/files/VocidelpassatoPDF_compressed.pdf
Non-attending students must contact the teachers to arrange an appropriate program.
Assessment methods and Criteria
For attending students only (attending 75% of the hours), the exam consists of a preliminary written test, which mainly focuses on the topics of the lessons, and an optional oral exam to improve the result of the written test. For non-attending students and for those who do not take the written exam, the examination will consist of an oral exam that focuses on the bibliography provided. In any case, non-attending students will have to arrange a program with the teachers before registering for the exam.
Written and oral tests are taken in Italian, and they aim to verify the students' knowledge of the topics covered by the course. In particular, students' understanding of the literary and historical chronology of the two contexts, Portugal and Brazil, will be assessed. The tests also aim to verify the knowledge of literary texts studied, which must be related to the theoretical and conceptual tools that the course has provided.
The final grade is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be established with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
Written and oral tests are taken in Italian, and they aim to verify the students' knowledge of the topics covered by the course. In particular, students' understanding of the literary and historical chronology of the two contexts, Portugal and Brazil, will be assessed. The tests also aim to verify the knowledge of literary texts studied, which must be related to the theoretical and conceptual tools that the course has provided.
The final grade is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be established with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
L-LIN/08 - PORTUGUESE AND BRAZILIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Russo Vincenzo
Professor(s)