00562 - Italian Literature

Learning outcomes

The student will obtain a good knowledge of the Italian literature by means of the direct reading of some textes, in order to possess adequate critical sense and writing abilities.

Course contents

THE COURSE IS DIVIDED INTO TWO MODULES:

MODULE A: XIII-XVI Centuries Italian Literature

The aim of the course is to follow the development of the Italian Literature from XIII Century to XVI Century, through some literary text, both poetical and in prose, of different periods; these texts will be studied within their historical and literary context, will be read and analyzed with students.

The course will offer a method of text analysis which may be used by students also with other literary texts in order to reconstruct their historical and literary period.

MODULE B: Poetry and History: An Introduction to Dante's «Comedy»

The aim of the course is to give an introductory reading of the most important and influential masterwork of Italian literature, by means of an analytical commentary of some relevant sections (canti).

Special attention will be given to literary end rhetorical aspects of the text as well as to its relationships with the historical and culturale context.

Readings/Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Module A: XIII-XVI Centuries Italian Literature

For and introduction to the Italian literature students will study the following handbook:

G. Alfano, P. Italia, E. Russo, F. Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Dalle Origini a metà Cinquecento. Manuale per studi universitari, Milano, Mondadori, 2018.

Foreign students do not need to study the following chapters: I.1; I.8; II.4; II.5; III.3; III.4; IV.1; IV.4; IV.5; V.6; V.7; V.8; V.9; V.10; V.11.

Students can also read, for adjunctive information, the following handbooks:

A. Battistini, 1. Dalle origini al Seicento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014.

La letteratura italianadiretta da E. Raimondi, 1. Dalle origini al Cinquecento, a cura di L. Chines, G. Forni, G. Ledda, - E. Menetti, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2007.

Itinerari nella letteratura italiana. Da Dante al web, a cura di N. Bonazzi, A. Campana, F. Giunta, N. Maldina, coordinamento di G.M. Anselmi, Roma, Carocci, 2013.

For the analysis of literary texts can be useful reading the following anthology:

G.M. Anselmi, L. Chines, Leggere i classici italiani. Un’antologia, Bologna, Pàtron, 2019, pp. 9-98. This is a mandatory reading for students who cannot attend the course.

An essential synthesis of Rhetorics, Metrics, and Bibliography will be published on IOL. It will be a mandatory reading fo all students.

Module B: Poetry and History: An Introduction to Dante's «Comedy»

Texts:

The student will study the prescribed cantos in one of the following recommended commented editions: A.M. Chiavacci Leonardi (Bologna, Zanichelli); E. Pasquini-A.E. Quaglio (Milano, Garzanti); U. Bosco- G. Reggio (Firenze, Le Monnier); N. Sapegno (Firenze, La Nuova Italia); R. Merlante-S. Prandi (Brescia, La Scuola); G. Inglese (Roma, Carocci); S. Bellomo (Torino, Einaudi: only the Inferno)

A complete reading and a general knowledge of the Comedy is required.

The following cantos must be studied with special attention in one of the recommended commented editions:

Inf. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 15, 17, 26, 30, 32, 34;

Purg. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 19, 22, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33;

Par. 1, 2 (vv. 1-45), 3, 4 (vv. 1-63), 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 30, 31, 33.

N.B. Foreign students will study the following cantos:

Inf. 1, 2, 4, 5, 11, 17, 26, 34; Purg. 1, 3, 9, 17, 30; Par. 1, 4 (vv. 1-63), 17, 30, 33.

Critical Literature

G. Ledda, Leggere la «Commedia», Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016 (mandatory reading).

- Four articles or book chapters chosen among the following

(Students who cannot attend the course will read six articles; they are also requested to contact the teacher for further information)

(N.B.: foreign students will read only two articles):

- E. Auerbach, Studi su Dante, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1984 (il cap. Sacrae Scripturae sermo humilis oppure il cap.Figura).

- Z. Barański,Dante e i segni, Napoli, Liguori, 2000 (il cap. V, Segni e struttura: Inferno XI, pp. 127-146).

- T. Barolini,La «Commedia» senza Dio. Dante e la creazione di una realtà virtuale, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2003 (il cap. 1, Dante e la creazione di una realtà virtuale, pp. 11-35).

- A. Battistini,La retorica della salvezza, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016 (il cap. 1, Dalla «parola ornata» alle «vere parole», pp. 17-41).

- E. Brilli e G. Milani, Vite nuove. Biografia e autobiografia in Dante, Roma Carocci, 2021 (la parte terza, Una giovinezza in esilio, pp. 137-184).

- A.M. Chiavacci Leonardi, Le beatitudini e la struttura poetica del «Purgatorio», «Giornale storico della letteratura italiana», 161, 1984, pp. 1-29.

- A. M. Chiavacci Leonardi, Il tema biblico dell’esilio nella «Divina Commedia», in La scrittura infinita. Bibbia e poesia in età medievale e umanistica, a cura di F. Stella, SISMEL-Edizioni del Galluzzo, Tavarnuzze (Firenze), 2001, pp. 177-185.

- G. Contini,Un’idea di Dante. Saggi danteschi, Torino, Einaudi, 1976 (il cap. Dante come personaggio-poeta della «Commedia», pp. 33-62).

- F. Forti, Magnanimitade. Studi su un tema dantesco, Roma, Carocci, 2006 (il capitolo 1, Il limbo e i megalopsicoi della «Nicomachea», pp. 9-48.

- R. Hollander,Il Virgilio dantesco: tragedia nella «Commedia», Firenze, Olschki, 1983 (il cap. III, Tragedia nella «Commedia», pp. 117-154).
-E. Pasquini,Dante e le figure del vero. La fabbrica della «Commedia», Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2001 (il cap. 1, Dai prefazi ai compimenti, pp. 1-26).

- L. Pertile,La puttana e il gigante. Dal Cantico dei Cantici al Paradiso Terrestre di Dante, Ravenna, Longo, 1998 (il cap.: III,Aspettando Beatrice, pp. 51-86).

- M. Picone,Scritti danteschi, Ravenna, Longo, 2017, (il capitolo L’Ovidio diDante, pp. 193-221.

- E. Raimondi,Metafora e storia, Torino, Einaudi, 1970 (il cap. IV, Rito e storia nel I canto del «Purgatorio», pp. 65-94, oppure il cap. V, Semantica del canto IX del «Purgatorio», pp. 95-122).

- C. Segre, Fuori del mondo.I modelli nella follia e nelle immagini dell’aldilà, Torino, Einaudi, 1990 (i capitoli 2, L’invenzione dell’altro mondo, e 3, Viaggi e visioni dell’oltremondo sino alla «Commedia» di Dante, pp. 11-48).*

Teaching methods

- Lectures

- Reading and analysis of literary texts

- Discussions on the interpretation of literary texts

Assessment methods

MODULE A

The final exam is made up of a written text (an oral conversation for foreign students), in which students will deal with the topics of the course and will make an analysis (paraphrase and commentary) of a brief literary text, in order to prove their ability of academic writing.

Reaching a clear view of all the course topics as well as using a correct language terminology will be valued with maximum rankings. Mnemonic knowledge of the course topics or not completely appropriate terminology will be valued with intermediate rankings. Unknown topics or inappropriate terminology use will be valued, depending on the seriousness of the omissions, with minimal or insufficient rankings.

MODULE B

The final exam will be an oral conversation. In the course of this conversation will be verified the achievement of the knwoledge and abilities required, and particularly:

- the general knowledge of Dante's works and especially of the Comedy in its main structural aspects;

- the precise knowledge of the Comedy's cantos specifically indicated in the program; for these cantos will be required the ability to give a paraphrase and an analytical comment;

- the comprehension of the main information and arguments contained in the critical essays chosen by the student from indicated in the program; the ability to present in clear and good italian those contents; the ability to apply critically the essays to the reading of the Dante's texts in program.

Teaching tools

Power Point presentations; web sites; pdf files.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Ledda