02609 - Contemporary Italian Literature (N-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of this class, students are expected to achieve a wide knowledge of Italian Twentieth-Century literature, with a main focus on relationships between literature and sociology, anthropology and civilization; the course load goes together with general notions in criticism and textual analysis, in formal, structural, compositional matters, and in their reception as well. During the course students become able to analyze by themselves texts belonging to the contemporary Italian literary tradition.

Course contents

Topic of the course: Economies of Fear.

The course lasts 60 hours, equivalent to 12 training credits. It consists on a reading path through literary works of Italian twentieth century and the present time, both in verse and prose, in which the representation of fear - its origins, its rituals, its consequences in human relationships, and the strategies with which it is oriented by the political power - may gather prominence. The course requires a basic knowledge of Italian literature of the twentieth century, but does not require prior skills or notions of psychology, sociology or political science.

The course starts on Monday, 19 September, 2022. Lectures take place in person. Here is the timetable:

- Monday, 9-11 am, Room V, Via Zamboni 38;

- Tuesday, 9-11 am, Room V, Via Zamboni 38 [from 20 September to 25 October 2022], then Aula Pascoli, Via Zamboni 32 [from 8 November to 13 December 2022];

- Thursday, 11-13, Room VI, Via Zamboni 38 [from 22 September to 27 October 2022], then Aula II, Via Zamboni 38 [from 12 November to 15 December 2022].

Readings/Bibliography

This course splits in a series of lectures and an individual study programme, which is not mandatory for Erasmus and Overseas students.

A seminar in support of the Individual Study Programme, instructed by Dr. Marta Serena, with start on November, 2022, will be activated. The seminar will take place with schedule and procedures to be notified during the course.

Lectures

Readings and discussions of narrative, poems and criticism are framed in six units as detailed below. All resources can be read in editions and reprints that are different from those suggested, even in e-reading formats.  

1. Luigi Pirandello, La paura del sonno [The Fear of Sleep, 1896-1900] and La paura [The Fear, 1897], in Tutte le novelle, 1, 1884-1901, Milan: Rizzoli, 2016; Federico De Roberto, La paura [The Fear, 1921], in La paura e altri racconti di guerra, ed. by Gabriele Pedullà, Milan: Garzanti, 2015.

2. Tommaso Landolfi, Il mar delle blatte [The Sea of Cockroaches, 1939], in Il mar delle blatte e altre storie, Milan: Adelphi, 1997; Dino Buzzati, Paura alla Scala [Fear at the Scala, 1949], introduction by Fausto Gianfranceschi, Milan: Mondadori, 2019.

3. Alberto Moravia, La paura [The Fear], in Nuovi racconti romani [New Roman Tales, 1959], then in Opere. 3. Romanzi e racconti, 1950-1959, Milan: Bompiani, 2004; Giuseppe Berto, Il male oscuro [The Dark Evil, 1964], preface by Carlo Emilio Gadda, Milan: Rizzoli, 2013.

4. Dario Bellezza, Morte segreta [Secret Death, 1964], in Tutte le poesie, ed. by Roberto Deidier, Milan: Mondadori, 2015; Giovanni Raboni, Cadenza d'inganno [Deceptive Cadence, 1975], in L'opera poetica, ed. by Rodolfo Zucco, Milan: Mondadori, 2006.

5. Patrizia Vicinelli, Non sempre ricordano. Poema epico [They don't always remember. An Epic, 1985], in Non sempre ricordano. Poesia prosa performance, ed. by Cecilia Bello Minciacchi, Florence: Le Lettere, 2009; Vivian Lamarque, Il signore degli spaventati [The Lord of the Scared, 1992], in Poesie. 1972-2002, introduction by Rossana Dedola, Milan: Mondadori, 2002.

6. Anna Maria Ortese, In sonno e in veglia [In Sleep and Wakefulness], Milan: Adelphi, 1987; Fabrizia Ramondino, Passaggio a Trieste [Passage to Trieste], Turin: Einaudi, 2000.

Useful directions on these and other resources will be provided throughout the lectures. Samples will be partially made available on time with a view to the exam.

Unibo Students who attend the course for six credits are expected to choose and study an amount of three units on those making up the course as a whole.

Erasmus and Overseas exchange students who are attending the course for 6 credits will be requested to write a short essay (up to 20000 bytes) upon a topic related to the course programme. This topic will be negotiated with the teacher, who will assign a specific set of bibliographical references. The essay will be discussed at the oral examination session. Beyond this essay, Erasmus+ and Overseas exchange students who are attending the course for 12 credits will be requested to study at least one unit among those included in the forementioned lectures, and to briefly explain it during the oral examination appointment.

Students who are not going to attend the class will add: Sistema periodico. Il secolo interminabile delle riviste, ed. by Francesco Bortolotto, Eleonora Fuochi, Davide Antonio Paone, and Federica Parodi, Bologna: Pendragon, 2018.

Individual Study Programme

This study programme has to be prepared individually by students. It is not mandatory for Erasmus and Overseas exchange students. Throughout the series of lectures some directions will be provided, and some of the texts discussed will be put in relationship with those included in the individual study programme.

Please note that B.0 Section is mandatory for students in Humanities (code 8850), as well as in History (code 0962). However, it is not mandatory for students in Communication Sciences (code 8885), and for all students enrolled in Erasmus and Overseas international programmes.

In addition to this section, students will read three texts, each of which must be chosen in a single section among those listed below from B.1 to B.6.

B.0) The Origins of the Modern

-Giacomo Leopardi, Canti [Songs], Milan: Rizzoli, 1998 [Ultimo canto di Saffo, Alla sua donna, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell’Asia, A se stesso, Aspasia, La ginestra];

- Giacomo Leopardi, Operette morali [Little Moral Pieces], Milan: Rizzoli, 2008 [Dialogo della moda e della morte, Dialogo di Torquato Tasso e del suo genio familiare, Dialogo della natura e di un islandese, Cantico del Gallo Silvestre, Dialogo di Federico Ruysch e delle sue mummie, Dialogo di Tristano e di un amico];

- Alessandro Manzoni, I promessi sposi [The Betrothed], Turin: Einaudi, 2015 [chapters 1, 2, 8, 37, 38].

B.1) Avantgarde and Experimentation

- Aldo Palazzeschi, L'incendiario [The Incendiary], Milan: Mondadori, 2001;

- Guido Gozzano, I colloqui [The Talks], in Tutte le poesie, Milan: Mondadori, 2016;

- Dino Campana, Canti orfici e altre poesie [Orphic Songs and Other Poems], Milan: Garzanti, 2007.

B.2) Poetic Streams of the Early Twentieth Century

- Giuseppe Ungaretti, L'Allegria [The Joy], in Vita d'un uomo. Tutte le poesie, Milan: Mondadori, 2009;

- Eugenio Montale, Ossi di seppia [Cuttlefishbones], ed. by Pietro Cataldi and Floriana d'Amely, with an essay by Pier Vincenzo Mengaldo and a writing by Sergio Solmi, Milan: Mondadori, 2016;

- Umberto Saba, Mediterranee [Mediterranean Poems], in Il canzoniere, Turin: Einaudi, 2014.

B.3) Neorealism and the "Resistenza"

- Elio Vittorini, Uomini e no [Men and No-Men], Milan: Mondadori, 2016;

- Renata Viganò, L'Agnese va a morire [Agnese Goes to Die], Turin: Einaudi, 2014;

- Italo Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno [The Path of Spider's Nests], Milan: Mondadori, 2014;

- Primo Levi, La tregua [The Truce], Turin: Einaudi, 2014.

B.4) Literature and Protest Movements

- Pier Vittorio Tondelli, Altri libertini [Other Libertines], Milan: Feltrinelli, 2013;

- Natalia Ginzburg, Caro Michele [Dear Michael], Turin: Einaudi, 2006;

- Enrico Palandri, Boccalone. Una storia vera piena di bugie [Boccalone. A True Story Full of Lies], Milan: Bompiani, 2000;

- Gianni Celati, Comiche [Slapsticks], Macerata: Quodlibet, 2012.

B.5) The Postmodern

- Umberto Eco, Il nome della rosa [The Rose's Name], Milan: Bompiani, 2018;

- Italo Calvino, Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore [If a Traveler on a Winter's Night], Milan: Mondadori, 2016;

- Antonio Tabucchi, Il gioco del rovescio e altri racconti [The Reverse Game and Other Stories], Milan: Feltrinelli, 2013.

B.6) The Late Twentieth Century Poetry

- Vittorio Sereni, Gli strumenti umani [The Human Tools], Milan: Il Saggiatore, 2018;

- Pier Paolo Pasolini, Le ceneri di Gramsci [The Gramsci's Ashes], Milan: Garzanti, 2015;

- Milo De Angelis, Somiglianze [Similarities], in Tutte le poesie, Milan: Mondadori, 2017;

- Amelia Rosselli, Serie ospedaliera [The Hospital Series], in Le poesie, Milan: Garzanti, 1999.

Students attending the course for 6 credits will prepare the B.0 section (not compulsory for students of Communication Sciences), plus a text from another section of the Individual Study Programme at their choice.

Erasmus and Overseas students, as already specified, are not requested to prepare the Individual Study Programme.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures with a strong interaction between students and teacher.

Assessment methods

The final exam consists of an oral appointment, which aims to verify some methodological, personally developed skills. It lasts approx. 20 minutes, split in two parts. The first one focuses on the main theoretical matters approached throughout the class, verifiyng the preparation upon at least two units among those included in the study programme. The second one will consist of the brief exposition of an individual in-depth analysis, even previously submitted in a written sample, upon a review, a topic or a period included in the study programme.

A positive or excellent score (27 to 30/30, with possible distinction) corresponds to a full mastering of technical, theoretical, historical and terminological resources of Twentieth-Century and contemporary literature, and to a proved ability to make connections among single aspects of the course contents, and to show awareness of textual features with appropriate language; an average score (23 to 26/30) goes to students who reveal some lacks in one or more topics or analytical proofs, or are able to use just mechanically their ability in interpretation; a pass or low score (18 to 22/30) to students with severe lacks in one or more topics or exercises, or not enough accurate while they use or quote notions and samples. A negative score is assigned to students who are not able to recall general notions in text samples and/or in general.

Exam sessions take place once in a month, and are scheduled in turns. Students must sign up at the AlmaEsami web site (https://almaesami.unibo.it). Registrations end two days before the oral examination.

Teaching tools

Excerpts from texts and criticism in digital scans.

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Colangelo