02609 - Contemporary Italian Literature (A-F)

Course contents

True and Missed Double Talent


This course addresses the concept of 'double talent' in Italian literature from the second half of the twentieth century to the present day, considering authors who in their production have demonstrated a dual tension towards narrative writing and the visual arts. In some cases, the dual talent was concretely realised and we can speak of "artist writers"; in other cases, however, the dual talent is manifested as a tension of writing towards drawing and painting without actually materialising. In particular, the analysis focuses on literary works in which the correlation between narrative imagination and artistic creativity clearly emerges: one of these works draws on the author's autobiographical experience as a writer and artist (in the case of Carlo Levi); others testify to the artistic passion of authors who do not possess specific skills in the graphic arts (in the cases of Alberto Moravia, Vincenzo Consolo and Luigi Malerba); others still emerge as true icon-texts (as in Dino Buzzati and Tommaso Pincio).

 

The topics addressed during the course are: 1) the concept of dual talent 2) the relationship between literature and the visual arts 3) ekphrasis, i.e. the different ways of verbally describing a picture 4) the characteristics of iconotestual forms 5) the question of the gaze in literature.

Readings/Bibliography

The students have to read the following books:

 

Literary works:

• Carlo Levi, Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, Einaudi, 1945 (now Einaudi 2014)
• Alberto Moravia, La noia, Bompiani, 1960 (now Bompiani 2017)
• Dino Buzzati, Poema a fumetti, Mondadori, 1969 (or new editions)
• Vincenzo Consolo, Retablo, Sellerio, 1987 (or new editions)
• Luigi Malerba, Le pietre volanti, Mondadori, 1992 (or new editions)
• Tommaso Pincio, Hotel a zero stelle, Laterza, 2011

Critical essays:

• Michele Cometa, La scrittura delle immagini, Milano, Raffaello Cortina, 2012 (Only Chapter 1, pp. 11-166)
• Filippo Milani, Il pittore come personaggio. Itinerari nella narrativa italiana contemporanea, Carocci, 2020.
• All the documents uploaded on VIRTUALE

Non-attending students add:

• Cento anni di letteratura italiana 1910-2010, a cura di Marco A. Bazzocchi, Einaudi, 2021 (Parte Quarta only)

Teaching methods

Lessons, class discussion, active participation in class, videos, power points, movies.

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.

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.

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 Filippo Milani