30129 - History of Literary Criticism (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students have a good knowledge about modern critical movements and figures, with a special focus on methodologies developed in the twentieth century - especially in the field of the theory of literature - and their influence on text analysis. They can also master critical problems and interpretative models about literary history.

Course contents

PLOTS, CONSPIRATIONS, COUNTERHISTORIES

Face to the so-called "crisis of literary criticism", the course will attempt to test the issues of critical thinking directly on literary texts. In particular, we will analyze three novels that narrativize some major features of Twentieth Century's history, with that "particular understanding of the world - to quote Italo Calvino - that literature and only literature can provide".

Period: Second semester (april-may 2015)

Timetable of lessons, classrooms etc: See School of Foreign Languages, Literature and Translation website

Readings/Bibliography

I. Texts:

·      Don DeLillo, Libra (1988), Einaudi

·      Philip Roth, Il complotto contro l'America (2004), Einaudi

·      Javier Cercas, Anatomia di un istante (2010), Guanda

 

II. Critical texts

·      Peter Brooks, Alla ricerca della trama, capitolo contenuto in Peter Brooks, Trame. Intenzionalità e progetto nel discorso narrativo, Einaudi

·      Daniele Giglioli, Oltre la critica, in XXI secolo, vol. 2: Comunicare e rappresentare, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana (il testo potrà essere scaricato dai Materiali didattici dell'insegnamento)

·      Djelal Kadir, La cospirazione della cultura e la cultura della cospirazione, in Cospirazioni, Trame. Quaderni di Synapsis II, Le Monnier, pp. 21-32 (il testo potrà essere scaricato dai materiali didattici dell'insegnamento)

·      Raul Mordenti, L'altra critica, Editori Riuniti University Press

 

Here you can find some texts not required for exam, but useful for further analysis of the novels:

·      Don DeLillo, The Power of History, “The New York Times Book Review” (http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/090797article3.html)

·      “An Outsider in This Society”: An Interview with Don DeLillo , a cura di A. DeCurtis, in Conversations with Don DeLillo, The University Press of Mississippi, pp. 52-74 (vedi anche Materiali didattici)

·      Philip Roth Discusses Latest Novel «The Plot Against America» , intervista a cura di Jeffrey Brown (vedi Materiali didattici)

·      Jason Siegel, «The Plot Against America»: Philip Roth's Counter-Plot to American History, “Melus”, 37, n. 1, 2012 (vedi Materiali didattici)

·      Javier Cercas, El enigma del 23-F es que no hay enigma, intervista a cura di Juanma Romero ( http://www.publico.es/espana/362257/el-enigma-del-23-f-es-que-no-hay-enigma)

·      Javier Cercas, Entrevistas digitales (domande dei lettori) a proposito di Anatomia di un istante ( http://www.elpais.com/edigitales/entrevista.html?encuentro=6097)

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral test that will assess the knowledge of the texts and the student's critical and interpretative skills. It will also assess the student's methodological awareness, the ability to master the bibliography in the course programme and the the field-specific language of the discipline. The ability to establish links between the theoretical framework and the texts will be expecially appreciated. A wide and systematic knowledge of the texts, interpretative insight, critical understanding and rhetorical effectiveness will be evaluated with a mark of excellence, while a mnemonic knowledge of the subject with a more superficial analytical ability and ability to synthesize, a correct command of the language but not always appropriate, will be evaluated with a “fair” mark. A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability will be evaluated with a pass mark or a negative mark.

Teaching tools

Projection of Power point slides. For further teaching material see the website (link "Teaching material" on the right side of this page).

Links to further information

http://www.unibo.it/SitoWebDocente/default.htm?UPN=federico.bertoni@unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Federico Bertoni