02609 - Contemporary Italian Literature (O-Z)

Learning outcomes

By 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

The course offers an itinerary through Italian literature from the late 1960s to the present day, with a particular focus on the relationship between writing, the media and popular culture. Alongside a historical and cultural overview of contemporary Italy, the lectures will focus on the various ways in which literature interacts with other media: from the use of techniques borrowed from other arts, such as montage (Balestrini), to Pasolini’s critique of the ‘anthropological mutation’ brought about by mass culture and television; from the irruption of pop imagery (Tondelli) to the exploration of other media and arts such as comics (Scarpa) and digital culture (Pincio), right through to outright hybridisation with other forms, as seen in phototexts (Janeczek). The aim is to outline a historical and critical framework in which Italian literature is constantly shaped by its engagement with the arts and the media, highlighting the transformations that this engagement has brought about in the forms and imagery of literary writing.

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

Literary works:

• Nanni Balestrini, Vogliamo tutto (1971), qualsiasi edizione
• Pier Paolo Pasolini, Scritti corsari (1975), qualsiasi edizione (articoli da definire)
• Pier Vittorio Tondelli, Rimini (1985), qualsiasi edizione
• Tiziano Scarpa, Occhi sulla graticola (1996), qualsiasi edizione
• Tommaso Pincio, Panorama (2015, 2025), preferire l'edizione Sellerio del 2025 perché corredata di appendice iconotestuale
• Helena Janeczek, La ragazza con la Leica, Milano, Guanda, 2017
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Critical essays:

• La letteratura italiana dal 1895 a oggi. Una storia intermediale, in Giuliana Benvenuti (ed.), Torino, Einaudi, 2025 [Chapters 5-6].
  
• The critical essays uploaded to the Virtual platform in PDF format and marked as reading assignments.

Non-attending students add:

• La letteratura italiana dal 1895 a oggi. Una storia intermediale, in Giuliana Benvenuti (ed.), Torino, Einaudi, 2025 [Cap. 3-4].

 

 

 

Teaching methods

The lessons are, most of all, lectures held by the teacher. During the lessons, students will be encouraged to participate. We will use also some tools to support teaching, especially power-point. Movies and documentaries will be shown for the contextualization of readings scheduled. Finally, scholars will be invited for some specific issues and for the presentation of some texts and authors.

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 only the program of Modulo I or Modulo II and critical essays.

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

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

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 Giuliana Benvenuti

See the website of Lavinia Torti