24431 - Seminars (5 Credits) (G.E)

Learning outcomes

Title: Origins of the Novel. Rise and Development of its Medieval Forms

 The seminary of the duration of 30 hours is divided in two parts (A: Obsevations on Romance Linguistics and Literary Culture, 10 hours; B: Origins of the Novel. Medieval Forms: rise and development, 20 hours). The subject of the seminary is the origin of the principal modern form of narrative. Starting out from the philological reading of texts,  students will be able to recognize critically the prinicipal peculiarities of the novel.

 

Course contents

Philological reading of passages of famous novels (in italian translations): Tristan and Yseut, novels on classical themes (history of Troy, the figure Alexander the Great etc.), Arthurian novels (Lancelot, Perceval etc.). In parallel we observe literary and visual expressions wich conserve traces of medieval forms (parts of modern novels, films, plays etc.).

Readings/Bibliography

Photocopies of the texts will be supplied. Some texts wich will be commented in class are taken from:

Memoria, storia, romanzo. Intersezioni e forme della scrittura francese medievale a cura di G. Brunetti, in «Francofonia», Firenze, Olschki, 2003; - Il romanzo, a cura di M.L. Meneghetti, Bologna, il Mulino, 1988 (in part. Au. Roncaglia, «Romanzo». Scheda anamnestica d'un termine chiave, ivi, pp. 89-122); E. Auerbach, Mimesis. Il realismo nella letteratura occidentale. Con un saggio introduttivo di Au. Roncaglia, Torino, Einaudi, 1956;  Il romanzo. III., a cura di F. Moretti, Torino, Einaudi, 2002 (in part. le sezioni: Mythos / Fabula di M. Bettini, pp. 93-107; Historiadi G. Paradisi, pp. 109-116; I romanzi della Romània medievale di A. Vàrvaro, pp. 33-56; Romanzodi P. Boitani; 141-153).

Teaching methods

Seminary with projection of documentary films and practical exercices with medieval manuscripts in the University Library of Bologna

Assessment methods

Oral (possibility of writing a short paper).

Teaching tools

PowerPoint Projections, short films etc.

Links to further information

http://www.lingue.unibo.it/brunetti

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppina Brunetti