02609 - Contemporary Italian Literature (A-F)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - has a non-abstract and non-manualistic awareness of the main lines of development of Italian literary culture from National Unity to the present day; - knows how to apply appropriate methods of analysis to the literary text in prose and verse, distinguishing its relations with different linguistic, artistic and cultural traditions; - is able to read the literary text as an open form, in dialogue with the ideological and social horizon of his time, against the background of the wider European context.

Course contents

Narrating the painter's eye.

The course (10 weeks / 60 hours of lessons) aims to address the relationship between narrative and painting in the Contemporary Italian Literature, from the second part of XX century to our days. Particularly, the attention will be focused on the figure of the character-painter and the relationship between new narrations and system of arts today.

The subjects will be:

1) the relationship between words and images 2) the function of the ekphrasis, the oral description of a picture 3) the problem of the look in literature 4) the "pictorial turn" 5) the literature and the world of arts during the postmodernity.

Readings/Bibliography

The students have to read the following books:

 

I modulo:

 Leonardo Sciascia, Todo modo, Einaudi 1974 (ora Adelphi 1995 e successive edizioni)

Gianni Celati, Quattro novelle sull'apparenza, Feltrinelli 1987 (ora Feltrinelli 1996; anche Quodlibet 2016)

Luigi Malerba, Le pietre volanti, Mondadori 1992 (e successive ristampe)

II modulo:

Melania G. Mazzucco, La lunga attesa dell'angelo, Rizzoli 2008

Tommaso Pincio Il dono di saper vivere, Einaudi 2018

 

The students have to read the following critical essays:

Michele Cometa, La scrittura delle immagini, Milano, Raffaello Cortina, 2012 (Capitolo 1: Descrizioni pp. 11-166)

All the documents uploaded on IOL

 

Teaching methods

Lessons, class discussion, active participation in class, videos, power points, movies.

Assessment methods

The written test consists - only for non-italian students - in a paper (8-10 pages) about one or more arguments of the course. The paper must be previuosly approved by the teacher and must be send with an e-mail attachment at least a week before the oral test.

The oral test consists in an oral interview to evaluating the critical and methodological ability of the students. The studentwill be invited to discuss the scheduled books. The student must demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography.

Students that have to take 6 CFU exam will arrange the program of Modulo I and critical essays.

Assessment consists in an examination aiming to assess the knowledge and critical skills acquired by the candidate during the course.

1. First-class marks will be awarded to candidates who demonstrate an ability to analyse texts in depth and to produce an organic overview of the topics covered in the course. Overall mark between 27 and 30 cum laude (high linguistic ability is required).

2. A mostly mnemonic knowledge of the subject, analytical skills lacking depth, and correct but not always apposite expression will result in a modest mark. Overall mark between 23 and 26.

3. Elementary knowledge, superficial understanding, poor analytical skills, and inapposite expression will lead to a pass or only slightly higher mark. Overall mark between 18 and 22.

4. Gaps in the candidate’s knowledge, inapposite language, and inadequate engagement with the secondary literature offered in the course will result in a fail mark.

Teaching tools

In addition to lectures, held by the teacher, audiovisual tools will be used to support the teaching. Students will also be invited to bring a significant contribution to enreach the issues upon which the course focuses.

Office hours

See the website of Filippo Milani