00562 - Italian Literature (A-C)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students are expected to show a sound knowledge of the Italian literary tradition through the close reading of selected texts; they will also be able to develop critical reflections on the material under analysis and present clear and accurate interpretations of it, both orally and in writing, by applying independently and appropriately the methodology introduced by the lecturer.

Readings/Bibliography

The course will be divided into two parts:

1. Course of lessons (monographic part) and 2. Manuals and texts (institutional part)


1. Course of lectures (monographic section)

During the lectures, the instructor will address issues and problems concerning works and authors from the 13th to the 16th centuries included in the syllabus.

In particular, the monographic section—representing the shared journey undertaken in the classroom by professor and students—will focus on a specific theme: "Reading Dangerously." It will examine the reader, the literary "canon," and the responsibility of reading.

The title of the course's monographic section ("Reading Dangerously") is, first and foremost, a tribute to the Iranian writer and scholar of English literature Azar Nafisi. She has dedicated not only her most famous novel (*Reading Lolita in Tehran*) to this theme but also other reflections, starting with the book that inspired this course: *Reading Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times* (Italian translation: *Leggere pericolosamente. Il potere sovversivo della letteratura in tempi difficili*, Milan, Adelphi, 2024). Another work by Azar Nafisi, *The Republic of Imagination* (Italian translation: *La repubblica dell'immaginazione*, Milan, Adelphi, 2015), follows a similar line of thought. Drawing on these books—excerpts of which will be made available on the "Virtuale" platform—the course aims to reflect on the "danger" that the canon of Italian classics itself has posed, both in centuries past and in the "troubled times" closer to our own day. Accustomed as we are to the “canon” and its pedagogical presentation—particularly regarding the literature of the early centuries, as featured in section 2.b of this syllabus—we often lose sight of the implications of the canon itself, as well as the controversies and debates that accompanied its definition. We also tend to overlook the fact that “canonical” authors—far from having been peacefully codified—have, over time, provoked both daring interpretations and harsh condemnations, even leading to their inclusion in the *Index of Prohibited Books* (which first appeared in 1559 and remained in effect until quite recently, only being abolished in 1966).

For attending students, regarding point 1 (Course lectures – thematic module), the requirement is to study the texts and teaching materials listed under point 1 of the "Texts/Bibliography" section, as well as to be familiar with the topics covered in class (facilitated by materials uploaded to the *Virtuale* platform). Regarding point 2 (Manuals and texts), this requirement remains the same for both attending and non-attending students.

2. Independent study: Part 2 (foundational) is carried out through independent study.

All students are required to study the history of Italian literature from its origins up to and including Tasso, as well as a selection of "canonical" literary texts, using the manuals and texts listed under point 2 of the "Texts/Bibliography" section.

As previously mentioned—and reiterated in point 1 below—attending students may limit their study to lecture notes, supplemented by reading only the text by Ezio Raimondi (available among the materials uploaded to *Virtuale*).

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary/permanent disabilities: you are advised to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it) and the instructor immediately to collaboratively identify the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for the exam.

1. Course Outline

1. Course Outline (Monographic Section)

Lecture notes and teaching materials are available online via the Virtuale platform.

Students attending the course are required to read the short essay by Ezio Raimondi, *Un’etica del lettore* (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2007), from the materials available on Virtuale.

Non-attending students must study Raimondi’s text as well as two additional texts of their choice from those made available on Virtuale.

Following a brief theoretical introduction, the monographic section of the course examines a series of literary texts that reflect on the literary "canon" and the meaning of reading (viewed not merely as an individual act but, in a broader sense, as a political one). The literary texts selected for this exploration of the "canon" span the entire history of Italian literature. Consequently, during lectures, students will gain insights and perspectives on how modern and contemporary authors have reflected on the "canon" (ranging from Alfieri to Sciascia).

Particular attention will naturally be paid to the early centuries—from the 13th and 14th centuries up to the *Index of Prohibited Books* of 1559 (covering Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, 14th-century condemnations of poetry, the re-appropriation of the "canon" in the 15th century, philology and modernity, Machiavelli, the "sidelining" of Dante in the 16th century, Tasso, and the *Index of Prohibited Books*). Furthermore, the course will address the role of the "canon" during the Risorgimento (Alfieri, the return to Dante following the French Revolution, Foscolo, Manzoni, Leopardi, Carducci), the crisis of the Great War (Renato Serra), the Fascist era and the Resistance (Gobetti, Gramsci, Sciascia), and up to the present day.

2. Manuals and texts (foundational section)

2.a) Manuals: Alfano-Italia-Russo-Tomasi, *Profilo di Letteratura italiana. Dalle origini a fine Ottocento*, Milan, Mondadori, 2021 (single volume), up to and including Torquato Tasso; L. Chines, *Glossario dei termini metrici e retorici* (available on Virtuale); the anthology edited by Anselmi-Chines-Bernardi-Di Franco-Severi, *Leggere i classici italiani. Un’antologia*, Bologna, Pàtron, 2019, up to p. 98.

2.b) Texts (the “recommended critical readings” listed alongside each text are indeed merely "recommended" and, therefore, not mandatory):

Dante Alighieri, *Vita Nova* (complete text); recommended annotated edition: Luca Carlo Rossi, Mondadori, 2016; recommended critical readings: R. Rea, *Dante guida alla "Vita nuova"*, Rome, Carocci, 2021; *Inferno* (complete text); recommended annotated edition: Mangini-Veglia, Feltrinelli, 2026; recommended critical readings (choose one): E. Auerbach, *Studi su Dante*, Milan, Feltrinelli, 2005; E. Pasquini, *Vita di Dante. I giorni e le opere*, Milan, Rizzoli, 2006; G. Ledda, *Dante*, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008; M. Veglia, *Beatrice profetica*. Poetry, History, and Citizenship from the *Vita Nova* to the *Commedia*, Rome, Carocci, 2026.

F. Petrarca, *Canzoniere*, poems 1, 3, 5, 23, 35, 50, 61, 62, 90, 126, 133, 134, 189, 191, 197, 199, 226, 227, 234, 264, 272, 273, 279, 302, 310, 347, 361, 364, 365, 366; recommended annotated editions: Vecchi, BUR, 2012; recommended critical readings: L. Chines, *Petrarca*, Bologna, Pàtron, 2017;

Cepparello), I.2 (Abraham the Jew), I.3 (Melchizedek); Day II: tales II.4 (Landolfo Rufolo), II.5 (Andreuccio da Perugia), II.6 (Beritola), II.7 (Alatiel), II.8 (the Count of Angers), II.9 (Zineva, Bernabò, and Ambrogiuolo da Piacenza); Day III: tales III.1 (Masetto da Lamporecchio), III.6 (Ricciardo Minutolo), III.8 (Ferondo), III.9 (Giletta di Narbona), III.10 (Rustico and Alibech); Day IV: Introduction, tales IV.1 (Tancredi and Ghismonda), IV.2 (Friar Alberto), IV.4 (Gerbino), IV.5 (Elisabetta da Messina), IV.7 (Simona and Pasquino), IV.9 (Guiglielmo Rossiglione); Day V: tales V.1 (Cimone), V.2 (Gostanza and Martuccio), V.3 (Pietro Boccamazza and Agnolella), V.8 (Nastagio degli Onesti), V.9 (Federigo degli Alberighi); Day VI: tales VI.1 (Madonna Oretta), VI.2 (Cisti the baker), VI.4 (Chichibio), VI.5 (Giotto), VI.9 (Guido Cavalcanti), VI.10 (Friar Cipolla); Day VII: tales VII.1 (Gianni Lotteringhi), VII.5; Day VIII: tales VIII.2 (the priest of Varlungo and Monna Belcolore), VIII.3 (Calandrino and the heliotrope), VIII.6 (Calandrino and the pig); Day IX: tales IX.1 (Madonna Francesca), IX.6; Day X: tales X.5 (Madonna Dianora), X.9 (Saladin and Messer Torello), X.10 (Griselda); Author’s Conclusion. Recommended annotated editions: Veglia, Feltrinelli, 2020; Quondam – Fiorilla – Alfano, BUR, 2013; recommended critical readings: F. Bausi, *Leggere il Decameron*, Bologna, il Mulino, 2017;

Matteo Maria Boiardo, *Orlando innamorato* (*L'inamoramento de Orlando*), Book I, cantos I and II; recommended annotated editions: edited by A. Canova, Milan, BUR, 2011; recommended critical reading: Tiziano Zanato, *Boiardo*, Rome, Salerno, 2015;

N. Machiavelli, *Il principe* (complete text); recommended annotated editions: Anselmi-Varotti, Bollati Boringhieri, 1992; G. Inglese, Einaudi, 2005; R. Ruggiero, BUR, 2008; recommended critical readings: R. Bruscagli, *Machiavelli*, Il Mulino, 2008; G.M. Anselmi, N. Bonazzi, *Niccolò Machiavelli*, Le Monnier, 2011;

F. Guicciardini, *Ricordi* (complete text). Recommended editions: E. Pasquini, Milan, Garzanti, 1975 (and subsequent reprints); V. De Caprio, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 1990; C. Varotti, Rome, Carocci, 2013. Recommended critical readings: E. Cutinelli Rendina, *Guicciardini*, Rome, Salerno Editrice, 2009; C. Varotti, *Francesco Guicciardini*, Naples, Liguori, 2010;

L. Ariosto, *Orlando furioso*, Cantos I, VIII, XVIII, XIX, XXIII; recommended annotated edition: Bigi - Zampese, Milan, BUR, 2015; recommended readings: S. Zatti, *Leggere l’Orlando furioso*, Bologna, il Mulino, 2016; C. Dini, *Ariosto. Guida all’Orlando furioso*, Rome, Carocci, 2001;

T. Tasso, *Gerusalemme liberata*, Cantos I, XII, XVI; recommended annotated edition: edited by F. Tomasi, Milan, BUR, 2009; recommended critical readings: M. Residori, *Tasso*, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2009; G. Alfano, *Torquato Tasso*, Florence, Le Monnier, 2010.

NB: Publication dates are indicative and do not exclude subsequently published reprints.

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons. Due to the characteristics of the course, which is based on dialogue with texts, widespread student participation is desirable.
Before tackling a text, one or more lessons will be dedicated to the presentation of the author and the work.
Before each lesson, therefore at the end of the previous lesson, students are invited to ask which text the following lesson will focus on. It is advisable for students to have the text they are discussing with them in class.

Assessment methods

The course includes a written exam and an oral exam.

The written exam takes place in two hours and requires the analysis of texts included in the program from a thematic, formal, and historical-literary perspective. The texts will be accompanied by questions designed to assess knowledge of fundamental notions of literary history, metrics, rhetoric, and philology. The written exam should preferably be taken before the oral exam, but students are free to choose whether to take the written exam before or after the oral exam (obviously, the exam can be closed, and the final grade determined, only after all parts of the exam have been taken).

A failing grade on the written exam, as mentioned above, does not preclude the student from taking the oral exam, but it does affect the overall judgment.

The written exam will evaluate: the accuracy of the answers, the appropriateness of the linguistic register, the structure and effectiveness of the argument, the quality of the critical analysis, knowledge of the content covered by the syllabus and the methods of literary criticism.

To prepare for the written exam and, more generally, for the oral exam, students with any doubts or uncertainties may contact the professor during office hours.

In special cases (e.g., international students): the written exam may be replaced with a short essay of approximately 3,000 words, the topic of which must be agreed upon with the professor.

The oral exam consists of an interview focusing on the syllabus. The following will be assessed: the quality of oral expression, critical analysis skills, knowledge of the syllabus content, and the methods of literary criticism. The lecture-related portion (item 1) and the general portion (item 2) may be covered in a single oral exam, or, if the student prefers, in two separate sessions.

Evaluation Criteria: To obtain an overall grade between 27 and 30 with honors, students must: be able to thoroughly analyze the literary text following the methodological guidelines learned in class (or, for non-attending students, by reading manuals and critical texts); possess and be able to communicate a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in class and/or studied in manuals and critical texts in the bibliography (especially for non-attending students); demonstrate excellent oral and written expression and argumentation skills; and competently use the technical language of philology and literary criticism. An overall grade between 23 and 26 will be awarded to those who demonstrate (orally and in writing): a good knowledge of the syllabus; the ability to perform a generally correct analysis of the texts, albeit marked by some imperfections in method and content; good command of the language with some uncertainty in exposition and/or imprecision in the use of technical language. An acceptable but superficial knowledge of the syllabus, a superficial understanding of the texts, limited analytical skills, and inappropriate expression will result in barely satisfactory grades (between 18 and 22). Poor knowledge of critical and literary texts, inadequate analytical skills, and incorrect or inappropriate written and oral expression will result in a failing grade.

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

 Seminars (on request; online);


'Virtual' e-learning platform (for in-depth texts and essays).

Office hours

See the website of Marco Veglia