00562 - Italian Literature (M-Q)

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.

Course contents

The course will be structured in two parts:

1. Lecture Course

a) During the first part of the course, the instructor will address key methodological issues and foundational critical approaches concerning works and authors from the Origins of Italian literature to the mid-sixteenth century.

b) During the second part, the instructor will examine in greater depth a specific topic in literary studies—drawing on the authors discussed in the first part of the course—focusing on the theme: “Representing the Self through Words and Images: Literary Self-Portraiture from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century (Petrarch, Boccaccio, Alberti, Ariosto, Tasso)”.

2. Independent Student Study

Students are expected to study, through the assigned textbooks and primary texts, the history of Italian literature from its Origins to the mid-sixteenth century, together with the following selection of canonical literary works:

• Dante Alighieri, Vita Nova; Inferno;

• Francesco Petrarca, Canzoniere, poems I, III, V, XI, XVI, XXXV, LII, LXI, XC, CXXVI, CXXVIII, CXXXIV, CXXXVII, CCLXXII, CCCII, CCCLXV, CCCLXVI;

• Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron, Days I, IV, V, VI, X;

• Matteo Maria Boiardo, L'inamoramento de Orlando (Orlando Innamorato), Book I, Cantos I and II;

• Leon Battista Alberti, Autobiography and the Intercenale Somnium;

• Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince;

• Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, Cantos I, XII, XXIII, XXXIV;

• Torquato Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered, Cantos I, XII, XVI.

Written Assessment

The written assessment is compulsory and must be completed before the oral examination, according to procedures that will be explained by the instructor. The online seminars are designed in part to help students prepare for this assessment.

Seminars

Weekly online seminars will be offered to support students in literary text analysis and in preparing for the written assessment. The seminars will be coordinated by Dr Arianna Capirossi and Dr Giacomo Ventura.

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or Temporary/Permanent Disabilities are encouraged to contact both the University's dedicated support office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it) and the course instructor as early as possible, in order to identify the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for the examination.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Lecture Course

a) Required readings:

L. Chines, C. Varotti, Che cos’è un testo letterario, Roma, Carocci, 2016; M. Motolese, Scritti a mano. Otto storie di capolavori italiani da Boccaccio a Eco, Milano, Garzanti, 2017, the first four chapters (up to p. 134).

b) Lecture notes and the bibliographical materials for the second part of the course will be made available by the instructor on the University's VIRTUALE platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/ ).

Students are also required to read one of the recommended critical studies listed for each author.

Students wishing to pursue further study are advised to consult:

G. Inglese, Come si legge un'edizione critica: elementi di filologia italiana, Roma, Carocci, 2016 (4a ed).

2. Textbooks and Primary Texts

Alfano-Italia-Russo-Tomasi, Profilo di letteratura italiana dalle origini a fine Ottocento, Milano, Mondadori Education, 2021, up to p. 385 (including Torquato Tasso).

Students are also required to prepare the anthology:

Anselmi-Chines-Bernardi-Di Franco-Severi, Leggere i classici italiani. Un’antologia, Bologna, Pàtron, 2019, up to p. 99 (including Torquato Tasso).

L. Chines, Glossario dei termini metrici e retorici (available on VIRTUALE).

For students wishing to gain a broader knowledge of Italian literary history, the following work is recommended:

Letteratura italiana, a cura di A. Battistini, Bologna, il Mulino, 2014 (2 voll.).

Primary Texts

• Dante Alighieri, Vita nova (complete reading); recommended annotated edition: Carrai, Rizzoli, 2009; Inferno (complete reading); recommended annotated editions: Pasquini-Quaglio, Garzanti, 1982-86; G. Inglese, Carocci, 2007; Chiavacci Leonardi, Mondadori, 2005; a cura di Marco Veglia e Angelo Mangini, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2026 (pp. 23–28 of this edition are particularly important). Recommended secondary reading (choose one): E. Auerbach, Studi su Dante, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2005; E. Pasquini, Vita di Dante. I giorni e le opere, Milano, Rizzoli, 2006; G. Ledda, Dante, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008.

• Francesco Petrarca, Canzoniere, poems I, III, V, XI, XVI, XXXV, LII, LXI, XC, CXXVI, CXXVIII, CXXXIV, CXXXVII, CCLXXII, CCCII, CCCLXV, CCCLXVI; recommended annotated editions: Vecchi, Bur, 2012; Santagata, Mondadori, 1996 (2004 2a ed.); recommended secondary reading: L. Chines, Petrarca, Bologna, Pàtron, 2017.

• Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron, Days I, IV, V, VI, X; recommended annotated edition: Quondam – Fiorilla – Alfano, Bur, 2013; recommended secondary reading: 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 edition: a cura di A. Canova, Milano, BUR, 2011; recommended secondary reading: Tiziano Zanato, Boiardo, Roma, Salerno, 2015.

• Leon Battista Alberti, Autobiografia e intercenale Somnium; recommended annotated edition: Milano, BUR, 2012, a cura di L. Chines e A. Severi; recommended secondary reading: L. Chines, Introduzione alla suddetta edizione.

• Niccolò Machiavelli, Il principe; recommended annotated editions: Anselmi-Varotti, Bollati Boringhieri, 1992; G. Inglese, Einaudi, 2005; R. Ruggiero, Bur, 2008; recommended secondary reading: G.M. Anselmi, N. Bonazzi, Niccolò Machiavelli, Le Monnier, 2011.

• Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso, Cantos I, XII, XXIII, XXXIV; recommended annotated edition: Bigi - Zampese, Milano, Bur, 2015; recommended secondary reading: C. Dini, Ariosto. Guida all’Orlando furioso, Roma, Carocci, 2001.

• Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata, Cantos I, XII, XVI; recommended annotated edition: a cura di F. Tomasi, Milano, Bur, 2009; recommended secondary reading: G. Alfano, Torquato Tasso, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2010.

Non-attending Students

Students who do not attend classes are required to prepare the following textbook:

Alfano-Italia-Russo-Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Milano, Mondadori, 2018 (2 voll.), and to study the anthology of primary texts included in the volume up to and including Torquato Tasso. They are also required to consult the teaching materials made available by the instructor on the VIRTUALE platform.

Teaching methods

• Lectures

• Seminars devoted to the close reading of literary texts and the discussion of interpretative approaches

• Written exercises

Assessment methods

The written examination lasts two hours and requires students to analyse passages from the primary texts included in the syllabus from thematic, formal, and historical-literary perspectives. Each passage will be accompanied by a number of questions designed to assess students' knowledge of the fundamental concepts of literary history, metrics, rhetoric, and textual criticism (philology).

The written examination must be completed before the oral examination. However, an unsatisfactory result in the written examination does not prevent students from taking the oral examination.

Assessment of the written examination will be based on: the accuracy of the answers; the appropriateness of the language and academic register; the organisation and effectiveness of the argument; the quality of the critical analysis; and the student's knowledge of the course contents and of the methods of literary criticism.

Specific lectures and seminars are devoted to preparing students for the written examination. During these seminars, practice assignments modelled on the examination format will be discussed.

A dedicated seminar will also be offered to support students in preparing both for the written examination and, more generally, for the institutional part of the course.

In exceptional cases (for example, international students), the written examination may be replaced by a research paper of approximately 3,000 words. The topic must be agreed in advance with the instructor.

The oral examination consists of an interview of approximately 30 minutes covering the contents of the syllabus. Assessment will be based on the quality of oral communication, critical and analytical skills, knowledge of the course contents, and familiarity with the methods of literary criticism.

Students may choose either to take the monographic component of the course (Part 1) and the institutional component (Part 2) in a single oral examination or to complete them in two separate examination sessions. In the latter case, the institutional component must be completed before the monographic component.

Grading Criteria

To obtain a final grade between 27/30 and 30/30 with honours (30 cum laude), students must demonstrate the ability to carry out an in-depth analysis of literary texts using the methodological approaches introduced during the course (or, for non-attending students, acquired through the prescribed textbooks and critical readings). They must also demonstrate a thorough and well-organised understanding of the topics covered in class and/or studied through the required bibliography, communicate their ideas with excellent written and oral skills, and employ the specialised terminology of philology and literary criticism accurately and confidently.

A final grade between 23/30 and 26/30 will be awarded to students who demonstrate a good knowledge of the syllabus, the ability to produce generally accurate literary analyses despite some methodological or interpretative shortcomings, and a good command of academic language, although with occasional uncertainty in presentation or in the use of specialised terminology.

A final grade between 18/30 and 22/30 will be awarded where students demonstrate only a basic or partial knowledge of the syllabus, a superficial understanding of the literary texts, limited analytical ability, and oral or written expression that is not always precise or appropriate.

Insufficient knowledge of the literary and critical texts, inadequate analytical skills, or inappropriate or inaccurate written and oral expression will result in a failing grade.

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or Temporary/Permanent Disabilities

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities are encouraged to contact the University's dedicated support office well in advance (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). The office will propose any appropriate accommodations, which must be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days before the examination. The instructor will evaluate the suitability of the requested accommodations in relation to the intended learning outcomes of the course.

Teaching tools

• Seminars

• PowerPoint presentations

• The VIRTUALE e-learning platform

• Digital learning resources

Office hours

See the website of Loredana Chines