28923 - Theory of Literature (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students have a good insight in the specificity of literary language, a depth knowledge about the general concepts of literature, the literary institutions, the relationships between text and context, the dynamics of literary communication, as well as stylistic traditions, genres, modes and forms of representation. They can master the interpretative tools for the analysis of literary texts.

Course contents

THE NOVEL MULTIPLIED

Period: Second semester (february-march 2016)

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

 

Readings/Bibliography

I. Apologues

• Jorge Luis Borges, Il giardino dei sentieri che si biforcano (1941), in Finzioni, Einaudi
• Italo Calvino, Il conte di Montecristo (1967), in Ti con zero, Mondadori

II. Novels

• Carlo Emilio Gadda, Quer pasticciaccio brutto de via Merulana (1957), Garzanti
• Vladimir Nabokov, Fuoco pallido (1962), Adelphi
• Georges Perec, La vita istruzioni per l’uso (1978), Rizzoli
• Don DeLillo, Underworld (1997), Einaudi

II. Critical Texts

Gli studenti leggeranno tre testi a scelta tra i seguenti:

• Federico Bertoni, Il romanzo moltiplicato: Gadda nel Novecento (il testo verrà reso disponibile tra i materiali didattici dell’insegnamento)
• Italo Calvino, Lezioni americane, Mondadori
• Don DeLillo, The Power of History, “The New York Times Book Review” (http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/090797article3.html )
• Stefano Ercolino, Il romanzo massimalista, Bompiani
• Carlo Emilio Gadda, Meditazione milanese, in Scritti vari e postumi, edizione diretta da Dante Isella, Garzanti, pp. 615-894
• Donata Meneghelli, Storie proprio così. Il racconto nell’era della narratività totale, Morellini
• Franco Moretti, Opere mondo. Saggio sulla forma epica dal «Faust» a «Cent’anni di solitudine», Einaudi
• Georges Perec, La maison des romans e La vie: règle du jeu, in Georges Perec, Entretiens et conférences, Joseph K., vol. I, pp. 236-244 e 267-285 (in caso di difficile reperibilità, i testi potranno essere richiesti direttamente al docente)

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