13338 - Contemporary Italian Literature (D-L)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student has acquired a working knowledge of wide areas of twentieth-century literary history, with special emphasis on the relation between literature and historical, social, anthropological, and more broadly cultural phenomena. Study is assisted by secondary literature and face-to-face tuition and covers close reading of the text as well as problems of form, structure, composition, and reception.

Course contents

Course title: Two perspectives on the twentieth century, via poetry and prose

In 2025, the complete collection of Dino Campana's works, L'opera in versi e in prosa, was published, edited by his major scholar Gianni Turchetta. This edition, philologically accurate, gives us the possibility to study one of the most important european poets of the early 20^th century, as well as his major work, Canti orfici. For a long time, Campana was depicted as an italian "poète maudit", and was interpreted as a symbol of poetic foolishness. Now, the work of Turchetta places him in a wider cultural horizon, which includes the transition between Symbolism and Modernism, the clash between tradition and avantgarde movements, and the World War One tragedy.

While Dino Campana influenced much of Italian poetry to come with a single book, a similar case cannot be found for prose, and therefore the second module chose to analyze an example of narrative (Natalia Ginzburg's Five Short Novels) that nevertheless allows us to reconstruct a vast system of relationships spread throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Ginzburg's human and intellectual biography have to do with national history (World War II, the Holocaust, the Resistance), with editorial dynamics (the birth and role of the Einaudi publishing house), with numerous cultural and sociological events (Feminism, the Years of Lead) and, last but not least, with questions of gender and positioning within the intellectual field

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Readings/Bibliography

Literary texts:

Students will fully read in italian:

Literary texts:

1) Dino Campana, Canti orfici (1914), in Dino Campana, L'opera in versi e in prosa, edt. by G. Turchetta, Milano, Mondadori, 2025, pp. xxxx-xxxx and the following parts:

a) G. Turchetta L'eterno ritorno dell'immagine e la resistenza della poesia, pp. XI-CVIII

b) Cronologia, pp. CXI-CXCVIII

c) Apparato ai Canti Orfici, pp. 853-1139

2) Natalia Ginzburg, Cinque romanzi brevi (1964), Torino, Einaudi 2005

Critical essays:

a) Stefano Colangelo, Come si legge una poesia, nuova edizione Roma, Carocci, 2023.

b) Cesare Garboli, Storie di seduzione, Torino, Einaudi, 2005, pp. 53-99

Given the great breadth and variety of the bibliographies on all the authors in the program, precise indications regarding critical texts or essays to accompany the reading will be provided by the professor in class and, when possible, essays will be uploaded onto "Virtual".

Most of the books in this bibliography are available at Libreria Ubik – via Irnerio 27, or can also be found in the FICLIT Library, the BDU Library, the BUB Library: please check the National OPAC website (www.sbn.it) or the Polo Bolognese OPAC website (https://sol.unibo.it).

Teaching methods

The professor will hold 30 lectures of 2 hours each. Discussion will be encouraged immediately after.

Lessons begins on I semester

Assessment methods

The test consists in an oral interview which has the aim of evaluating the critical and methodological ability of the students. The students will be invited to discuss the tests on the course programme. The student must demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography in the course programme. Those students who are able to demonstrate a wide and systematic understanding of the issues covered during the lessons, are able to use these critically and who master the field-specific language of the discipline will be given a mark of excellence.
Those students who demonstrate 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 given a ‘fair' mark. A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability that is not always appropriate will be rewarded with a pass mark or just above a pass mark.

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Video projector, PC, overhead projector, eventually slides and notes from the lessons.

Office hours

See the website of Luigi Weber