02609 - Italian Contemporary Literature

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has deepened his/her knowledge of Italian lit-erature between the nineteenth and twenty-first century, and is able to identify and analyze the main connections between historical events and literary and cul-tural movements in contemporary Italy. He/she has acquired the methodological and terminological knowledge necessary to analyse literary texts, and he/she is able to interpret them at both formal and thematic levels.

Course contents

Humans and Other Beasts. The relationship between human beings and other animal species in twentieth-century Italian literature.

The course presents a reading of some texts from twentieth-century Italian literature following the thematic path of the relationship between human beings and other animal species.

The novels and short stories will be approached in chronological order, within an arc from the first decades of the twentieth century to the nearest contemporary. Thus, starting with Federigo Tozzi's Bestie (1917), we will come to Bernardo Zannoni's I miei stupidi intenti (2021). In addition to the text reading, some issues that touch on the most recent debates that have arisen around Ecocriticism will be investigated. 

An interdisciplinary methodology capable of bringing literary criticism, philosophy and anthropology into dialogue will be favored.

Attending students will follow the analyses conducted by the teacher in class and prepare the texts indicated in the program.

Non-attending students will be required to read all the texts in program, with special attention in the study of the manual: Cent'anni di letteratura italiana, edited by M. A. Bazzocchi (Einaudi, 2021). Other critical texts will be indicated in class and included in the downloadable materials.

 

Readings/Bibliography

Handbooks / Critical Texts:

- Elisa Attanasio, Divenire drago: esplorazioni nell’opera di Ortese, Pendragon, Bologna 2022 (parts mentioned in class).

- Marco Antonio Bazzocchi (a cura di), Cent’anni di letteratura italiana, Einaudi 2021 (parts mentioned in class).

- Serenella Iovino, Gli animali di Calvino. Storie dall’Antropocene, Treccani 2023 (parts mentioned in class).

Readings:

- Federigo Tozzi, Bestie [1917], any edition.

- Italo Calvino, La nuvola di smog, La formica argentina [1965], any edition.

- Italo Calvino, Palomar [1983], any edition.

- Anna Maria Ortese, L’Iguana [1965], Adelphi, Milano 1986 or any later edition. 

- Anna Maria Ortese, Le piccole persone. In difesa degli animali e altri scritti, a cura di A. Borghesi, Adelphi, Milano 2016.

- Bernardo Zannoni, I miei stupidi intenti, Sellerio, Palermo 2021.

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures devoted to explaining the main theoretical issues and reading and interpreting the texts in program.

Moreover, students will be encouraged to actively participate in communal discussions and reflections.

In addition to the texts given in the bibliography, other short essays will be provided.

Assessment methods

Assessment consists of a viva voce 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.

Registration for the assessment is on AlmaEsami (https://almaesami.unibo.it).

Office hours

See the website of Elisa Attanasio