02609 - Italian Contemporary Literature

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has deepened his/her knowledge of Italian lit-erature between the nineteenth and twenty-first century, and is able to identify and analyze the main connections between historical events and literary and cul-tural movements in contemporary Italy. He/she has acquired the methodological and terminological knowledge necessary to analyse literary texts, and he/she is able to interpret them at both formal and thematic levels.

Course contents

Politics and Market in the 19th and 20th century Italian Novel

The course is divided into two parts. The first part is dedicated to two 19th century writers (Ugo Foscolo and Ippolito Nievo) who work – with declared political intention – on the models of the European novel (Rousseau, Goethe, Foscolo himself, Manzoni etc.). The second part, dedicated to the second half of the 20th century, deals with the forms of writing and practices of two authors (Italo Calvino and Leonardo Sciascia) who question the functions of the political novel in the Italy of advanced capitalism.

Readings/Bibliography

Readings:

• U. Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis: 1) edited by G. Ioli, Torino, Einaudi, dal 1995 and reprints; or 2) edited by G. Davico Bonino, Milano, Mondadori, 1986 and reprints;
• I. Nievo, Le confessioni di un Italiano: 1) edited by S. Romagnoli, Venezia, Marsilio, 1990 and reprints; or 2) edited by M. Gorra, Milano, Mondadori, 1981 and reprints;
• I. Calvino, La giornata d'uno scrutatore, Milano, Mondadori, 1990 and reprints;
• L. Sciascia, Il contesto. Una parodia, Milano, Adelphi, 1998 and reprints.

 

Bibliography (during the first lessons, clear indications will be given):

• R. Stracuzzi, Il «Werther» di Foscolo. Una lettura, Bologna, Pendragon, 2020, chapters IV-VI, pp. 185-341;
• M. Allegri, «Le confessioni d’un Italiano» di Ippolito Nievo, in A. Asor Rosa (dir. da), Letteratura italiana. Le opere, vol. III, Dall’Ottocento al Novecento, Torino, Einaudi, 1995, pp. 531-571;
• I. Piazza, I personaggi lettori nell’opera di Italo Calvino, Milano, Unicopli, 2009 (download from Academia.edu page), chapter III, pp. 123-156;
• P. Squillacioti, Un paese dove tutti hanno strani nomi. Luoghi e personaggi nel «Contesto» di Sciascia, «il Nome nel testo», XIV, 2012, pp. 339-348 (read online);
• B. Brecht, Cinque difficoltà per chi scrive la verità (1935), in Scritti sulla letteratura e sull’arte, trad. it. di B. Zagari, Torino, Einaudi, 1973 (and reprint 1975), pp. 118-131; or Milano, Meltemi, 2019.

Teaching methods

The lessons are, most of all, lectures held by the teacher. During the lessons, students will be encouraged to participate and invited to bring a contribution to the course. 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 oral test consists in an oral interview which has the aim of evaluating the critical and methodological ability of the students. The students will be invited to discuss the tests on the course programme. The student must demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography in the course programme.

Those students who are able to demonstrate a wide and systematic understanding of the issues covered during the lessons, are able to use these critically and who master the field-specific language of the discipline will be given a mark of excellence.

Those students who demonstrate 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 given a ‘fair' mark.

A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability that is not always appropriate will be rewarded with a pass mark or just above a pass mark.

Teaching tools

In addition to lectures, held by the teacher, audiovisual tools will be used to support the teaching.

Office hours

See the website of Riccardo Stracuzzi