02609 - Contemporary Italian Literature (A-G)

Course contents

Subject of study:

Writing between Deformation and Revolt.

This course analyzes 20th century literary texts. By deepening historical and cultural knowledge about poetry and narrative, students will achieve a methodology in order to approach reading and comprehension of the poetical and narrative language.

The authors taken into account are Antonio Porta, Edoardo Sanguineti, Elio Pagliarani, Andrea Zanzotto, Luciano Bianciardi and Nanni Balestrini.

The course is divided into two units, each one of 6 credits. The students with a 5 or 10 credits programme will find further information belows.

Readings/Bibliography

Unit I (30 hours)

Prose between Engagement and Sarcasm

Texts:

1) Andrea Zanzotto, Faier, in Sull'Altopiano. Racconti e prose (1942-1950), Lecce, Manni, 2007;

2) Luciano Bianciardi, La vita agra, Milano, Bompiani, 2001;

3) Nanni Balestrini, Gli invisibili or I furiosi, Roma, DeriveApprodi, 2005;

Bibliography:

1) Upon prose writings included in Sull'altopiano, see the essay by Silvana Tamiozzo Goldmann in Andrea Zanzotto tra Soligo e laguna di Venezia, Firenze, Olschki, 2008; 2) Upon Bianciardi, see Massimo Coppola, Bianciardi!, Milano, Isbn Edizioni, 2008, or Gian Carlo Ferretti, La morte irridente. Ritratto critico di Luciano Bianciardi uomo giornalista traduttore scrittore, Lecce, Manni, 2000; 3) Upon Balestrini, you will find the proper critical essays in the Copy Service "De Rolandis" in Bologna.

The students with a 5 credits programme are requested to concert with the Professor a shorter programme.

Unit II (30 hours)

Poetic Writing: Shapes and Rhythms of Violence

1) Antonio Porta, Tutte le poesie, Milano, Garzanti, 2009;

2) Edoardo Sanguineti, selected poems from Mikrokosmos. Poesie 1951-2004, and from Il gatto lupesco, both Milano, Feltrinelli 2004 and 2002 (a selection will be pointed out throughout the course);

3) Elio Pagliarani, La ragazza Carla, in I romanzi in versi, Milano, Mondadori, 1997 or other editions.

Bibliography:

1) On Porta, see Introduzione and Antologia critica, in A. Porta, Tutte le poesie; Niva Lorenzini, Corporalità e crudeltà nella poesia degli anni Sessanta, in La poesia: tecniche di ascolto, Lecce, Manni, 2003; 2) e 3). Upon Sanguineti  and Pagliarani, see the entitled chapters in Poesia del Novecento italiano. Dal secondo dopoguerra a oggi, Roma, Carocci, 2002.

The students with a 5 credits programme are requested to study, besides Antonio Porta, just another one of the poets included in the programme.

The students with a 10 credits programme are requested to study all the three prose writers included in the I Unit and, moreover, two poets (including Antonio Porta) of the II Unit.

Teaching methods

Lessons scheduled as follows :

Wednesday, h 11-13 – Aula III, Via Zamboni 38;

Thursday, h 9-11 – Aula V, Via Zamboni 38;

Friday, ore 9-11 – Aula V, Via Zamboni 38.

The course begins on Wednesday, February 11, 2009.

Assessment methods

A written exam is obligatory before the oral exame, in one of the five sessions. The written exame is composed of two questions, which requeste 25-30 lines answers, about the two units of the course (just one unit for the students who have a 5 or 6 credits programme). Regarding exams on the previous programmes, a traditional essay is expected.

Foreign students are requested to compose a 8-10-pages paper in Italian, upon a subject arranged with prof. Lorenzini, and connected with the course readings. The subject should be chosen as early as possible, with teacher's agreement, and should be presented almost ten days before the oral examination session.

Enrolment on the following web site:

https://uniwex.unibo.it.

Teaching tools

Two seminars are programmed:

a seminar, by Dott. Beatrice Carletti, on writing in order to prepare the final written exam (6 lessons), every Wednesday, starting from February 2nd 2009, via Centotrecento 18, B classroom, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.;

a seminar, by Dott. Francesco Carbognin, focusing on text analysis (6 lessons), every Wednesday, starting from April 1st 2009, via Centotrecento 18, B classroom, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Both the seminars provide a written exam. A positive evaluation of it will bear on the final exams of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Niva Lorenzini