Anglophone Literatures
A.Y. 2026/2027
Learning objectives
The course investigates some pivotal aspects of African and Indian literatures, in order to involve students in deep critical analyses of the literary texts proposed, supported by the knowledge of history and of local culture. The aim of the course is to take students beyond the traditional boundaries of the British/Irish canon to discover rich and fascinating Anglophone literary traditions in Africa and Asia; accordingly, the programme introduces some of the most relevant non-English writers and some key issues in the current debate on global English literature. The active participation of students will be promoted through presentations and paper submissions, in order to stimulate and enhance their critical and argumentative skills (both oral and written).
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will have a sound knowledge of the historical, cultural and literary background of the investigated cultural and geographical areas. They will be able to carry out in-depth textual and critical analyses of the literary works listed in the syllabus, relying on the critical studies provided in the reading list. They will also acquire critical tools to carry out an independent critical assessment of the literary texts and of the cultural issues dealt with in class, taking into consideration the theoretical and critical perspectives introduced and discussed during the course.
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
Parts A and B: "Representations of violence in Indian novels" (Prof. A. Vescovi)
Part C: "Physical and psychological violence in South African narrative" (Prof. G. Iannaccaro)
Parts A and B take into consideration different kinds of violence and different ways of representing it in the context of Indian history and civilisation. Contrary to a certain stereotype, India can be very violent at times. Violence includes religious violence, political violence, and subtler forms that are often called slow violence. This is the case of caste violence or violence against the environment. The course will explore some examples across different expressive media: novel, short story, movie, and graphic novel.
Part C focuses specifically on the fiction of the South African writer J. M. Coetzee (Nobel Prize in Literature, 2003). Coetzee addresses the 'question of evil' through a spare and lucid prose style, combining realist techniques with narrative experimentation, self-reflexivity, and the metatextual dimensions of writing. Constantly challenged by the way stories are told, and not merely by the events they depict, readers are entrusted with the ethical task of determining how to respond to violence, cruelty, and evil in the world.
Course attendance is highly recommended. Those who cannot attend classes are invited to the first class, in which information regarding the course syllabus and the exam will be provided.
The course bears 6/9 credits. Students wishing to acquire only 6 credits will study Parts A and B.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2028.
Part C: "Physical and psychological violence in South African narrative" (Prof. G. Iannaccaro)
Parts A and B take into consideration different kinds of violence and different ways of representing it in the context of Indian history and civilisation. Contrary to a certain stereotype, India can be very violent at times. Violence includes religious violence, political violence, and subtler forms that are often called slow violence. This is the case of caste violence or violence against the environment. The course will explore some examples across different expressive media: novel, short story, movie, and graphic novel.
Part C focuses specifically on the fiction of the South African writer J. M. Coetzee (Nobel Prize in Literature, 2003). Coetzee addresses the 'question of evil' through a spare and lucid prose style, combining realist techniques with narrative experimentation, self-reflexivity, and the metatextual dimensions of writing. Constantly challenged by the way stories are told, and not merely by the events they depict, readers are entrusted with the ethical task of determining how to respond to violence, cruelty, and evil in the world.
Course attendance is highly recommended. Those who cannot attend classes are invited to the first class, in which information regarding the course syllabus and the exam will be provided.
The course bears 6/9 credits. Students wishing to acquire only 6 credits will study Parts A and B.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2028.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is designed for graduate students, and it is held in English. Therefore, a good knowledge of the English language is required in order to understand complex literary and/or critical texts. A general knowledge of the major authors and currents of English literature is taken for granted.
Teaching methods
The course deploys the following teaching methods: lectures with close reading and textual analysis; whenever possible, videos, images, and music will also be employed. Team projects will also be encouraged and will form part of the course, possibly with students from an Indian university who follow the same course. Students will be asked to take an active part in the critical reading of the texts; they should, therefore, be willing to read some works during the course.
Teaching Resources
MATERIALI DI RIFERIMENTO
PARTS A & B
A final version of this syllabus will be available on Teams at the beginning of the course (code 277pydc).
NARRATOLOGY to analyse literary texts, it is mandatory to be acquainted with the main narrative techniques. Suggested reading: Manfred Jahn, "Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative", 2021 (Free online).
Parts A & B
D. Rothermund, Storia dell'India, Il Mulino.
About modern India, students will also read Metcalf BD, Metcalf TR. Chapter IX. In: A Concise History of Modern India. Cambridge Concise Histories. Cambridge University Press; 2006: pp. 265-ss.
Pages from the Bhagavad Gita (available on Teams)
From Pages from M.K. Gandhi abstracts from History of My Experiments with Truth (available on Teams)
Amitav Ghosh, The Shadow Lines, 1984, any edition.
Amitav Ghosh, "The Ghosts of Mrs Gandhi", (available on Teams)
Salman Rushdie, "The Prophet's Hair", from East and West (available on Teams)
Arundhati Roy, "The Greater Common Good", from My Seditious Heart (pp. 24-75).
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, The Adivasi Will Not Dance (short stories)
Orijit Sen, River of Stories (graphic novel)
Mira Nair, Water (film)
AUTHORS' BIO/BIBLIOGRAPHIES: Unimi database > Literature Online > Name of author > ProQuest Biographies.
J. M. Coetzee bio/bibliography: Unimi database > Literature Online > Name of author > ProQuest Biographies.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2137917323/74D5590ECC7E4447PQ/2?accountid=12459&sourcetype=Topic%20Pages
Constantine P. Cavafy, "Waiting for the Barbarians" (1904), poem. (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51294/waiting-for-the-barbarians)
Christopher van Wyk, "In Detention", 1986, poem (free online).
John Maxwell Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians, 1980 (any edition).
John Maxwell Coetzee, "Into the Dark Chamber: The Writer and the South African State", 1986, essay (on Teams).
John Maxwell Coetzee, "The Novel Today", Upstream, 6:1, 1988, pp. 2-5 (on Teams).
John Maxwell Coetzee, "Elizabeth Costello and the Problem of Evil", 2003 (Unimi database, Minerva).
David Attwell, "Composition and Craft: Waiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K", in The Cambridge Companion to J.M. Coetzee, Cambridge UP, 2020, pp. 15-28. (Unimi database, Minerva).
Giuliana Iannaccaro, J. M. Coetzee, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2009 (Unimi database, Minerva).
History and Literary History
A good knowledge of the South African history from the 17th century to the present is required. Students who do not attend lectures are required to study this component of the syllabus independently.
Suggested readings:
1. South African History Online (SAHO), http://www.sahistory.org.za/
2. A Concise History of South Africa, by Robert Ross. Cambridge University Press, 2008 (Unimi database, Cambridge Core).
3. The Cambridge History of South Africa, edited by C. Hamilton, B. K. Mbenga, R. Ross, 2 vols, 2010-11. (Scienze della Storia library and Unimi database, Cambridge Core).
4. Particularly useful are the critical essays contained in: The Cambridge History of South African Literature, ed. by D. Attwell and D. Attridge, Cambridge U.P., 2012. (Anglistica Library). This volume can be used to deepen one's knowledge of authors, works, cultural contexts, and literary trends.
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS: Besides this reading list, students who do not attend classes must study supplementary critical materials. It is mandatory to refer to the detailed syllabus on the course Team.
PARTS A & B
A final version of this syllabus will be available on Teams at the beginning of the course (code 277pydc).
NARRATOLOGY to analyse literary texts, it is mandatory to be acquainted with the main narrative techniques. Suggested reading: Manfred Jahn, "Narratology 2.2: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative", 2021 (Free online).
Parts A & B
D. Rothermund, Storia dell'India, Il Mulino.
About modern India, students will also read Metcalf BD, Metcalf TR. Chapter IX. In: A Concise History of Modern India. Cambridge Concise Histories. Cambridge University Press; 2006: pp. 265-ss.
Pages from the Bhagavad Gita (available on Teams)
From Pages from M.K. Gandhi abstracts from History of My Experiments with Truth (available on Teams)
Amitav Ghosh, The Shadow Lines, 1984, any edition.
Amitav Ghosh, "The Ghosts of Mrs Gandhi", (available on Teams)
Salman Rushdie, "The Prophet's Hair", from East and West (available on Teams)
Arundhati Roy, "The Greater Common Good", from My Seditious Heart (pp. 24-75).
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, The Adivasi Will Not Dance (short stories)
Orijit Sen, River of Stories (graphic novel)
Mira Nair, Water (film)
AUTHORS' BIO/BIBLIOGRAPHIES: Unimi database > Literature Online > Name of author > ProQuest Biographies.
J. M. Coetzee bio/bibliography: Unimi database > Literature Online > Name of author > ProQuest Biographies.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2137917323/74D5590ECC7E4447PQ/2?accountid=12459&sourcetype=Topic%20Pages
Constantine P. Cavafy, "Waiting for the Barbarians" (1904), poem. (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51294/waiting-for-the-barbarians)
Christopher van Wyk, "In Detention", 1986, poem (free online).
John Maxwell Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians, 1980 (any edition).
John Maxwell Coetzee, "Into the Dark Chamber: The Writer and the South African State", 1986, essay (on Teams).
John Maxwell Coetzee, "The Novel Today", Upstream, 6:1, 1988, pp. 2-5 (on Teams).
John Maxwell Coetzee, "Elizabeth Costello and the Problem of Evil", 2003 (Unimi database, Minerva).
David Attwell, "Composition and Craft: Waiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K", in The Cambridge Companion to J.M. Coetzee, Cambridge UP, 2020, pp. 15-28. (Unimi database, Minerva).
Giuliana Iannaccaro, J. M. Coetzee, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2009 (Unimi database, Minerva).
History and Literary History
A good knowledge of the South African history from the 17th century to the present is required. Students who do not attend lectures are required to study this component of the syllabus independently.
Suggested readings:
1. South African History Online (SAHO), http://www.sahistory.org.za/
2. A Concise History of South Africa, by Robert Ross. Cambridge University Press, 2008 (Unimi database, Cambridge Core).
3. The Cambridge History of South Africa, edited by C. Hamilton, B. K. Mbenga, R. Ross, 2 vols, 2010-11. (Scienze della Storia library and Unimi database, Cambridge Core).
4. Particularly useful are the critical essays contained in: The Cambridge History of South African Literature, ed. by D. Attwell and D. Attridge, Cambridge U.P., 2012. (Anglistica Library). This volume can be used to deepen one's knowledge of authors, works, cultural contexts, and literary trends.
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS: Besides this reading list, students who do not attend classes must study supplementary critical materials. It is mandatory to refer to the detailed syllabus on the course Team.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral exam: It consists of an oral interview assessed in thirtieths; 18/30 is the passing score.
The interview will ascertain: the student's sound knowledge of the historical, cultural and literary background of the investigated geographical and cultural areas; their ability to carry out in-depth textual and critical analyses of the literary works in the reading list, relying on the scholarly studies provided; their capacity to engage in an independent critical assessment of the literary texts and of the cultural issues dealt with in the classes, taking into consideration the theoretical and critical perspectives introduced and discussed during the course.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in that case, the record will be "ritirato", withdrawn, and they will have to retake the whole exam in a future session).
The language of the exam is English.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Likewise, students with any disabilities are kindly invited to contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along all the literary texts listed in this syllabus to take the exam.
The interview will ascertain: the student's sound knowledge of the historical, cultural and literary background of the investigated geographical and cultural areas; their ability to carry out in-depth textual and critical analyses of the literary works in the reading list, relying on the scholarly studies provided; their capacity to engage in an independent critical assessment of the literary texts and of the cultural issues dealt with in the classes, taking into consideration the theoretical and critical perspectives introduced and discussed during the course.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths; students may accept or reject the mark (in that case, the record will be "ritirato", withdrawn, and they will have to retake the whole exam in a future session).
The language of the exam is English.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Likewise, students with any disabilities are kindly invited to contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along all the literary texts listed in this syllabus to take the exam.
Modules or teaching units
Part A and B
ANGL-01/A - English Literature - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Vescovi Alessandro
Part C
ANGL-01/A - English Literature - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Iannaccaro Giuliana
Professor(s)
Reception:
Tuesday, from 14:30 onwards. Please send me a mail in advance to make an appointment.
Piazza S. Alessandro 1, Anglistica; or Microsoft Teams Platform