09435 - Literary Theory

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students have a basic knowledge of some general concepts of literature, of literary institutions, of relationships between text and contest and of the dynamic of literary communication. They know and can apply some basic methodologies to analyse literary texts.

Course contents

Introduction to text analysis: Perspectives on historical morphology

The undergraduate course in Theory of Literature has a twofold objective: 1) To propose a new approach to the literary phenomenon, conceiving theory not as a self-referential system but as a point of view, away of seeing, an optical device that sharpens textual comprehension; 2) To provide the basic tools for the analysis and interpretation of texts, countering superficial critical trends where the text serves merely as a pretext to study something else (the author, the themes, the ideology, the historical context, etc.). On the one hand, theory is approached as inquiry, questioning, adventure, and curiosity – an invitation to explore unknown territories (and, if necessary, to retrace our steps). On the other hand, the text becomes a workshop, a workspace where we refine the tools to handle that unique form of language we call literature. In short, the course adopts a “theory in action” approach, examining literary concepts through their historical development and treating the formal features of literary texts not as self-contained technical devices, but as symbolic expressions of specific social and cultural worlds. This perspective will provide both the methodological framework and the guiding thread of the course. It proposes a historical morphology of literature that analyzes forms, genres, narrative techniques, and stylistic devices in close relation to the major intellectual questions, underlying concerns, obsessions, and contradictions of the historical contexts in which literary works were produced and circulated. The course will explore this dynamic relationship between literary form and history through a series of case studies, including the Bildungsroman in Stendhal, impersonality and free indirect discourse in Flaubert, narrative point of view in James, temporality and modernist experimentation in Woolf, the hyper-novel and its engagement with the multiplicity of the Twentieth Century in Calvino, and postmodern irony in DeLillo.

The course, which has a duration of 60 hours, is also offered to students enrolled in the Degree Program in Foreign Languages and Literatures. The syllabus is the same for non-attending students as well.

Period: Second semester (February-May 2027)

Timetable, classrooms, and start dates: Please refer to the teacher's webpage under the "Teaching Section".

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Readings/Bibliography

I. Novels

• Stendhal, Il rosso e il nero (1830), Garzanti o Feltrinelli

• Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857), Garzanti

• Henry James, Che cosa sapeva Maisie (1897), Bompiani

• Virginia Woolf, Al faro (1927), Feltrinelli

• Italo Calvino, Se una notte d’inverno un viaggiatore (1979), Mondadori

• Don DeLillo, Rumore bianco (1985), Einaudi

II. Critical Texts

The critical bibliography is divided into two sections. Students are required to read the mandatory text from Section A, intended as a general introduction to literary theory, and two texts of their choice from Section B. All texts from Section B will be uploaded as pdf to the Virtuale platform as soon as possible.

A. Mandatory text

• Federico Bertoni, Letteratura. Teorie, metodi, strumenti, Carocci

B. Two texts of your choice

Reading list to be determined

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral test (20-30 minutes) that will assess the knowledge of the texts and the student’s critical and interpretative skills.

It is mandatory to read and carefully study all the texts listed in the bibliography, including the manual of Literary Theory, Letteratura. Teorie, metodi, strumenti: specific questions may relate to general and theoretical categories (canon, text, intertextuality, fictional world, genre, mode, theme etc.), beyond the monographic topic of the course.

The exam will be divided in two parts:

1) Textual identification and analysis. As a first step, a short textual fragment (10-15 lines) taken from the novels listed in bibliography (section I) will be submitted to the student, who must identify the text, the author, the date of publication, and must contextualize it with regard to the plot, the characters and the narrative situation. The positive outcome of this first step allows the student to access the next one. A partial of defective identification of the text allows to proceed anyway (but with a pass or “fair” mark), while a complete misunderstanding leads to the failure of the exam.

2) Critical questions. In the following step, the student must answer to some questions: a) About the critical texts (see bibliography, section II, groups A and B); b) About the novels (section I), questioned both in a notional and in a critical-interpretative way.

The exam will also assess the student's methodological awareness, the ability to master the bibliography in the course programme and the the field-specific language of the discipline. The ability to establish links between the theoretical framework and the texts will be especially appreciated. A wide and systematic knowledge of the texts, interpretative insight, critical understanding, and rhetorical effectiveness will be evaluated with a mark of excellence (27-30), while 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 evaluated with a “fair” mark (24-26). A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability will be evaluated with a pass mark (18-23) or a negative 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

Projection of PowerPoint slides. For further teaching material, please visit the Professor's website and "Virtuale".

Office hours

See the website of Federico Bertoni