30931 - Italian Literature 1 (GR. A)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has a good understanding of the Italian literary tradition, knows the fundamental issues of the critical discussion about the authors and texts and is able to use the main methods of analysis of texts and contexts; he has also acquired the ability of adequately expressing himself in writing.

Course contents

The course will be focused on the theme of the forest in some fundamental texts of the Italian literary tradition, from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century: Dante, Commedia; Petrarca, Rerum vulgarium Fragmenta; Boccaccio, Decameron; Ariosto, Orlando Furioso; Tasso, Gerusalemme Liberata; A. Zanzotto, Il Galateo in bosco. The purpose of the course will be to discover the multiplicity of semantic and symbolic functions associated with the forest as a place of sin, error, adventure and magic.

Reading and commenting on a choice of 12 cantos from Dante's Comedy is also required (e.g. Inf. I, II, V, X, XIII, XXVI, XXXIII; Purg. I, III, VI, XXVI; Par. I).

Readings/Bibliography

Texts:

Dante, Commedia ed. by E. Pasquini-A. Quaglio, Milano, Garzanti;

Petrarca, Rerum vulgarium Fragmenta ed. by M. Santagata, "I Meridiani" Mondadori;

Boccaccio, Decameron ed. by V. Branca, Einaudi Tascabili;

Ariosto, Orlando Furioso ed. by L. Caretti, Einaudi Tascabili;

Tasso, Gerusalemme Liberata ed. by L. Caretti, Einaudi Tascabili;

A. Zanzotto, Il Galateo in bosco, Milano, Mondadori, 1978.

At the end of the course attendant students will be given a list of the texts read.

Bibliography:

R.P. Harrison, Forests. The Shadow of Civilization, Chicago, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1992;

G. Baffetti, Foresta, in Luoghi della letteratura italiana, a cura di G.M Anselmi e G. Ruozzi, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2003.

 

It is also recommended to read a critical essay selected among the following list: E. Auerbach, Studi su Dante, Milano, 2005; G. Contini, Un’idea di Dante, Torino, 2001; M. Santagata, I frammenti dell’anima, Bologna, 2004; L. Battaglia Ricci, Scrivere un libro di novelle, Ravenna, 2013; E. Auerbach, Mimesis, Torino, 2000 (cinque saggi a scelta); P. Zumthor, Leggere il Medioevo, Bologna, 1981; E. Raimondi, Rinascimento inquieto, Torino, 1994; C. Dionisotti, Geografia e storia della letteratura italiana, Torino, 1999; J.A. Maravall, La cultura del Barocco, Bologna, 1999; F. Venturi, Settecento riformatore, Torino, 1998; G.M. Anselmi, L’immaginario e la ragione, Roma, 2017; E. Raimondi, Il romanzo senza idillio, Torino, 2000; P.V. Mengaldo, La tradizione del Novecento. Prima serie, Torino, 1996; G. Debenedetti, Il romanzo del Novecento, Milano , 1998.

Teaching methods

Lectures and analyses of literary texts.

Assessment methods

The evaluation of the students' competencies and abilities acquired during the course consists of two phases:

a written test leading up to and preparatory to the specific subjects contained in the course programme, and an oral test aimed at ascertaining a general knowledge of all the subjects covered during the course.

During the year, 3 written tests (one per session) and 6 oral tests are delivered.

The written test responds to criteria relating to orthography, morphology, syntax and semantics, clarity of expression, the ability to summarize.

The oral 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. Access to the oral test depends on having passed the written test. The final mark is not a mathematical average of the two tests.

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 who demonstrate gaps in their knowledge of the subject matter, inappropriate language use, lack of familiarity with the literature in the programme bibliography will not be given a pass mark.

Teaching tools

Some texts will be made available on the Internet (http://campus.unibo.it )

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Baffetti