30649 - English Literature 2 (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

Students will have a deep knowledge of Modern British Literature, in particular as far as the relationship between literary texts and their historical, linguistic and artistic context is concerned. They will know the critical methodologies to read and analyze literary texts and be able to use them. He will be able to elaborate complex analyses and formulate independent reflections on specific research topics.

Course contents

Dubliners and dobliners. the Irish short story

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, James Joyce wrote a series of short stories that would be published many years later in the collection Dubliners. They are all short stories set in Dublin in a bleak world, with little chance of redemption for its protagonists.

What remains of that image of Dublin a hundred years later? The short story, in Joyce's time the most popular vehicle for storytelling in Ireland, has now been supplanted by the novel, but there are authors who are still writing short stories in which they describe an Ireland very different from Joyce's.

Readings/Bibliography

a) Three stories from James Joyce, Dubliners, any edition.

b) Louise Kennedy, "The End of the World is a Cul de Sac" in The End of the World is a Cul de Sac (2021)

Kevin Barry, "The Fjord of Killary" in Dark Lies the Island (2012)

Mike McCormack, "Prophet X" in Forensic Songs (2012)

  

Critical texts

Terence Brown, "Introduction", in Dubliners, London Penguin, 1992

For the stories of Dubliners analyzed during the lessons, see the material uploaded in Virtuale

Kuhling, Carmen & Keohane, Kieran. Collision Culture: Transformations in Everyday Life in Ireland. Dublin, The Liffey Press, 2005 (two chapters uploaded in Virtuale)

Mary McGlynn, "Introduction" and first chapter, Broken Irelands, Syracuse, Syracuse University Press, 2002, pp. 3-44:

Eoin Flannery, "Introduction", in Ireland and Ecocriticism Literature, History and Environmental Justice, New York, Routledge, 2016, pp. 1-19

Claire Bracken, "Introduction", in Irish Feminist Futures, New York, Routledge, 2016, pp. 1-19.

 

Assessment methods

The examination consists of an oral interview. The oral interview aims to assess the critical and methodological skills acquired by the student, who will be invited to compare the texts addressed during the course. Particularly assessed will be the student's ability to move within the sources and bibliographical material in order to be able to identify useful information that will allow him to illustrate the cultural aspects and areas of the discipline. The student's attainment of an organic vision of the themes addressed in the lessons together with their critical use, the demonstration of a mastery of expression and specific language will be assessed with marks of excellence. The mostly mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, unarticulated synthesis and analysis skills and/or correct but not always appropriate language will lead to fair grades; formative gaps and/or inappropriate language - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the examination material - will lead to grades that do not exceed sufficiency. Inadequate training, inappropriate language, lack of orientation in the bibliographic materials offered during the course will lead to negative marks.

Erasmus or Overseas students could sit the exam as the Italian students or write an essay (about 10-15 pages), whose topic must be approved by the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Gino Scatasta