29027 - Italian Medieval Literature (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will be familiar with the figures and most significant works of the main authors of medieval Italian literature, in relation to their poetics and their historico-cultural and political framework. The student will be acquainted with the perspectives of medieval Italian literature, its cultural and textual premises, and its span in a literary season that begins in our thirteenth century and feeds into our Humanism. Literary history, cultural history, philology and exegesis will be the methodological keys to address the characteristics of an era that connects the thirteenth-century birth of our literary tradition with the forms and orientations, already projected towards Europe, of our Humanism.

Course contents

The course focuses on Three figures from the "Comedy" (Beatrice, Brunetto, and Francis of Assisi)—all of them pivotal figures that compel a re-examination of Dante’s entire biographical and intellectual journey. Ten hours of the course will be dedicated to each of the three figures.

Readings/Bibliography

For exam preparation, the required readings are as follows:

PART ONE. G. Inglese, Dante. Guida alla "Divina Commedia", Rome, Carocci, 2025.

E. Auerbach, Studi su Dante (Foreword by Dante della Terza), Milan, Feltrinelli, 1986 (and current editions), pp. 165–240.

Dante, Inferno, edited by M. Veglia and A. M. Mangini, Milan, Feltrinelli, 2026, pp. 459–496 (for the commentary on Inf. XV).

M. Veglia, Beatrice profetica. Poesia, storia e cittadinanza dalla "Vita Nova" alla "Commedia", Rome, Carocci, 2026.

PART TWO. L. Dell'Oso, Il poeta alle "scuole delli religiosi". Dante, Pietro delle Travi e il convento di Santa Croce (1294-1296), Rome, Carocci, 2025, pp. 41–119.

O. Capitani, Chiose minime dantesche, Bologna, Pàtron, 1983, pp. 115–143.

Id., Figure e motivi del francescanesimo medievale, Bologna, Pàtron, 2000, pp. 11–91.

L. Marcozzi, Dante e la povertà. Il personaggio di Francesco nel "Paradiso", Rome, Carocci, 2024.

Students attending the course may choose only two works from the following list (under PART TWO): Dell'Oso, Capitani 1983, Capitani 2000, Marcozzi 2024. The readings for PART ONE are mandatory.

Non-attending students must prepare the complete syllabus.

Teaching methods

The lesson, especially the lessons of the "laurea magistrale", should have a seminar character. For this reason it would be important for students to bring the texts to class and get used to discussing them with the teacher.

Assessment methods

The test consists of an oral exam on the topics covered in class and on the texts in the exam program (with the distinctions provided for attending and non-attending students). There are no written tests or essays.

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it) well in advance. That office will propose any necessary accommodations to the students concerned; these proposals must be submitted to the lecturer for approval at least 15 days beforehand, so that the lecturer can assess their suitability in light of the course's learning objectives.

Teaching tools

The tools to support teaching are and remain mainly texts, to be read and understood in the classroom, in the conversation between teacher and students.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Veglia