30649 - English Literature 2 (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

Students will have a deep knowledge of Modern British Literature, with particular regard to the relationships between literary texts and history, language and the arts. They will be able to use critical methodologies to read and analyze literary texts.

Course contents

Youth, love and anger

The years between 1956 and 1965 have been a decade of great social and political upheavals in the United Kingdom. How did they influence and were influenced by the literature of the decade? Inspired by the Italian title of the British film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, from a short story by Alan Sillitoe with the same title, the course will analyze English fiction in the 1950s and the 1960s, considering the issues of the teenager rebellion, of women's conditions, the fiction by or about the first migrants and the new themes explored by popular literature.

The introductory lessons of the course on the literature and the culture of the Fifties will be held by prof. Albertazzi whereas the lessons on the literature and the culture of the Sixties will be held by prof. Scatasta.

Readings/Bibliography

Students must read the three texts of the first list and two works at their choosing of the second list.

 

I

John Osborne, Look Back in Anger (1956)

Alan Sillitoe, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1959)

Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (1962)

 

II

Samuel Selvon, Lonely Londoners (1956)

Harold Pinter, The Birthday Party (1957)

Shelagh Delaney, A Taste of Honey (1958)

Colin McInnes, Absolute Beginners (1959)

Ian Fleming, Goldfinger (1959)

Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961)

James G. Ballard, The Drowned World (1962)

John Le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963)

Joe Orton, Loot (1965)

 

Critical references

Silvia Albertazzi, Questo è domani. Gioventù, cultura e rabbia nel Regno Unito 1956-1967, Milano, Paginauno, 2020

Roberto Bertinetti, Dai Beatles a Blair: la cultura inglese contemporanea, capp. 1, 2, 3, Roma, Carocci, 2001, pp. 7-61

Dominic Head, "Class and Social Change", in The Cambridge Introduction to Modern British Fiction, 1950-2000, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. 49-72

At the end of every lesson, critical extracts concerning the issues discussed in the lessons will be uploaded in IOL.

Teaching methods

Due to the Covid-19 emergency, the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures has decided that all courses taught in the first semester will combine two teaching methods: live online followed by live on-site and online according to a fixed timeline.

More in details:

a) Live online (first month). All students will attend online. Classes will run live on the Microsoft Teams platforms (no recording allowed).

b) Live on-site and online (following weeks). Due to the Covid-19 emergency, rooms cannot be used to their full capacity. Students who wish to attend live on-site will have to confirm this in due time, following the instructions they will receive from the University. They will then be required to alternate on-site and online shifts (on Microsoft Teams), based on the room capacity, in order to ensure the necessary form of social distancing.

Further details will be given during the first week of class.

Assessment methods

Assessment Criteria. To be awarded a final mark between 27 and 30 cum laude students are expected to: show the ability to analyse in depth literary texts following the methodology introduced by the lecturer and/or in the set critical readings; possess and be able to present a thorough and organic knowledge of the topics discussed in class and/or in the set readings; show an excellent standard of expression; show the ability to use properly the technical language of philology and literary criticism. A mark between 23 and 26 will be awarded to students who will show: a good knowledge of the course contents; the ability to provide an accurate analysis of literary texts (although there might be some minor imperfections); a good standard of expression (with occasional minor flaws in the presentation and/or in the use of technical language). Students obtaining a mark between 18 and 22 will typically show: an adequate but superficial knowledge of the contents; a basic understanding of the texts and a limited ability to analyse them, an acceptable standard of expression with a fairly competent (although not always accurate) use of technical language. Poor knowledge of the set texts and course topics, inadequate ability to analyse literary texts; inaccurate and inappropriate expression with major problems in the use of technical language will result in a fail.

Office hours

See the website of Gino Scatasta

See the website of Silvia Albertazzi