28991 - Contemporary Italian Literature (LM) (A-L)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student understands a literary text in its ideological, structural, and stylistic elements and dialectico-social relationships, with particular attention to cultural semantics and symbolism of language. The student knows how to approach a text through a critico-narratological reading.

Course contents

The course is worth twelve credits, amounting to 60 hours (30 lectures, 2 hours each). The first week will be introductory and dedicated to the presentation of the authors whose novels will be discussed during the course. In the following weeks we will approach their works with closer and deeper reading and analysis.

 

Title: Modernism and Late Modernism in Italy.The heritage of James Joyce in Contemporary Italian Literature 

In the last few years, many critics (i.e. Tortora, Toracca, Giorgio, etc.) have highlighted the impact and the importance of Modernism in the Italian literary culture of the 20th century. The aim of the course is to underline the relevance of the reception of Ulysses by James Joyce in Italian postwar culture. The main focus will be on Gianni Celati, who studied Joyce as a scholar and essayist, translated Ulysses for Italian publishing house Einaudi and adopted some of his techniques in his early novels. Beyond Celati, however, there is a number of Italian authors who were influenced by Modernism, notably by Joyce.

Please Note:

Students who are not native speakers of Italian must prepare a shorter program than Italian students. They are also requested to inform the professor of any difficulties understanding the lessons.

 

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

Students will fully read:

I) Literary Texts: 

a) James Joyce Ulisse nella traduzione di Gianni Celati, Torino, Einaudi, 2013

Furthermore Two books from the following list:

a) Anna Banti, Artemisia (1947), a cura di D. Brogi, Milano, Mondadori Oscar Cult 2023

b) Raffaele la Capria, Ferito a morte (1961), Milano, Oscar Mondadori o Oscar Cult o Mondadori Edizione del Cinquantenario (con scritti di Pampaloni, Pomilio, Magris e Starnone)

c) Luciano Bianciardi, La vita agra (1962), Milano, Feltrinelli

d) Emilio Tadini Le armi l'amore (1963), Milano, Rizzoli BUR, 1989

e) Gianni Celati, Comiche (1971), Macerata, Quodlibet, 2012 o La banda dei sospiri (1976), Macerata, Quodlibet, 2015

f) Giuliano Gramigna L'empio enea (1972), nuova edizione Roma, Il ramo e la foglia, 2025

II) Critical essays:

a) Simone Giorgio, L'ascolto di una tradizione. Gianni Celati e l'Ulisse di Joyce, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2025.

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".

Non-attending students will add the reading of: Massimiliano Tortora e Annalisa Volpone (eds), Il romanzo modernista europeo. Autori, forme, questioni, Roma, Carocci, 2019, chapters I-II (pp. 13-61).

Students presenting a 6-credit course will have their program shortened, in a way to be agreed with the professor by email or during the dedicated office hours.

 

Texts that are less available, or possibly no longer on stock, are in any case available at the Library of the Department of Classical and Italian Philology or in other libraries of the Polo Bolognese. The locations can be found thanks to the national Opac (www.sbn.it) or the Polo Bolognese Opac (https://sol.unibo.it).

 

Teaching methods

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

Timetable:

Modulo 1

monday 13:00-15:00 - AULA 2 - Accesso via del Guasto 3

tuesday 13:00-15:00 - AULA 3 - Accesso via del Guasto 3

thursday 13:00-15:00 - AULA 4 - Accesso via del Guasto 3

Modulo 2

wednesday 15:00-17:00 - AULA 4 - Accesso via del Guasto 3

thursday 13:00-15:00 - AULA 4 - Accesso via del Guasto 3

friday 13:00-15:00 AULA 4 - Accesso via del Guasto 3

Lessons begins on II 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 texts 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, possibly slides and notes from the lessons. Essays from open access literary journals.

Office hours

See the website of Luigi Weber