00562 - Italian Literature

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student acquires the instruments for the exegesis of the texts (ancient and modern, edited and unpublished) of our secular literary tradition, seen as a cultural asset and a monument to our national identity.

Course contents

COURSE IS DIVEDED INTO TWO MODULES: MODULE A and MODULE B

Students are required to attend the course and make the written examination of MODULO A before making the oral examination of MODULO B.

MODULE A: XVI-XIX ITALIAN LITERATURE. The aim of the course is to follow the development of the Italian Literature from XVI Century to XIX 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.

CONTENTS: After a short introduction to Literary Text, and the basics of Italian Literature methods (rethoric, prosody and stylistic), and Academic Writing, we will read and analyse some text of the following periods and authors: Tasso, “Barocco” and Marino, Goldoni, Parini, Foscolo, Manzoni, Leopardi, Verga.

 

MODULE B: HISTORY OF MANZONI'S “THE BETHROTED". The course aims to illustrate - through reading and discussion of original documents, manuscripts, prints - the history of The Betrothed from April 1821 to 1840, following Manzoni in the planning, writing, processing and correction of the novel: from the first idea, which will form in Fermo and Lucia, to the second draft, elaborated after the crisis of 1823, the print of 1827, the national and international success, up to the publishing enterprise, managed by Manzoni himself in 1840.

CONTENTS. 1. Introduction to the course; 2. Manzoni in 1821; 3. Chronology of the Novel; 4. The writing of Fermo and Lucia; 5. A strange "summary"; 6. A Gothic novel against the Romanesque; 7. The crisis of 1823; 8. The second Introduction; 9. Looking for language; 10. The second draft; 11. The 1827 press; 12. Manzoni in Tuscany; 13. The 1840 press: Quarantana; 14. Translations in Europe and in the World; 15. Conclusion and introduction to the Exam.

 

Readings/Bibliography

MODULE A: XIV-XIX ITALIAN LITERATURE.

Successful students are required to study:

1. G. Alfano, P. Italia, E. Russo, F. Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Manuale per studi universitari, Milano, Mondadori, 2018 (II volume dal 600 all’800).
2. P. Italia, Scrivere all’Università, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2014 II ed.

The recommended readings are the same for students who attend the lectures and students who do not, because all lessons are recorded and uploaded in iol.unibo.it platform.

 

MODULO B. HISTORY OF MANZONI'S "THE BETHROTED"

A. Manzoni, I Promessi Sposi, a cura di Natalino Sapegno e Gorizio Viti, nuova edizione a cura Paola Italia e Giulia Raboni, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2005.

E. Raimondi, Romanticismo italiano e Romanticismo europeo, Milano, Bruno Mondadori Editore, 1997 (presente e consultabile in Archiginnasio segnatura: 20. H.0000 2817; Biblioteca Raimondi, segnatura D 1200; Biblioteca di Filosofia, segnatura: 9. E. 000397; Biblioteca di Discipline Umanietiche, segnatura: A. 0600 1846; Biblioteca Universitaria, segnatura: T 3545 564401).

Giulia Raboni, Come lavorava Manzoni, Roma, Carocci, 2017.

Giulia Raboni, L’esperimento dei Promessi Sposi. una nuova letteratura per la nazione, in Immaginare e costruire la Nazione. Manzoni tra Napoleone e Garibaldi, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 2012, pp. 123-134 (disponibile in iol.unibo.it platform.

P. Italia, Gli Sposi Promessi. Storia milanese epilogata nel 1824, in “Annali Manzoniani”, terza serie, n. 1 (2018), pp. 123-54 (in open access nel sito degli “Annali manzoniani” http://annali.casadelmanzoni.it/index.php/annali/article/view/17).

Teaching methods

MODULE A + MODULE B Face-to-face classes and php; lessons recording available in iol.unibo.it platform

Assessment methods

MODULO A: LETTERATURA ITALIANA XVI-XIX.

The MODULO A exam is made up of a written text, in which students will deal with the topics of the course and will make a short synthesis of an academic essay to prove their ability of academic writing. A training on the written exam will be done during the course and the students will be provided with a facsimile of the written text in E-learning platform, just to make exercise by themselves before the exam.

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.

MODULO B:

The B module exam consists in an oral exam in which students must show that they know the topics of the course and have studied the compulsory bibliography. As a “free question”, they will choose one or more episodes of the novel, and will compare them in the all the various editions.

Students can also carry out Module B in written form (a facsimile of the test will be included in the online teaching materials).

Teaching tools

MODULO A + MODULO B Power Point, Didactic materials and Audio recording of the lessons available on iol.unibo.it platform

Office hours

See the website of Paola Maria Carmela Italia