32589 - Germanic Philology 1 (LM)

Learning outcomes

The student has deep knowledge about the fundamental social institutions of the Germanic peoples of the Late-antiquity and Middle Ages.The student possesses the direct knowledge of written sources which he/she reads in the original languages, he/she konws and is able to use the practical methodologies for the analysis and interpretation of the lietary texts through a linguistic and filological education.

Course contents

1st Semester: 6 CFU (30 hrs)

 

Theoderic the Great: the representation of a King

The course will be focused on one of the most important heroic and chivalric characters of the medieval Germanic area: Theoderich the Great. Theoderic was really King of the Ostrogoths, but immediately after his death he was object of heroic narrations in all Germanic area: gothic, lombard, german, anglo-saxon and norse . We work on this hero in order to understand the different representations that the sources left of that King: brave, but also coward, afraid of women,winner against giants, but hesitant in front of coflicts. Thence, where is truth? Does it exist one or more truths? How is it possible that different memories can  exist about a single character? What kind of knowledge can we achieve for our contemporary world from the tellings on Theoderic? During the course, we should try to give answer to all these questions.

Readings/Bibliography

-Texts charged by the teacher in the web pages of the course

- Azzara, Claudio, Teoderico, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2013

- Zironi, Alessandro,Teoderico dalla storia alla leggenda: la regalità nei Gesta Theoderici Regis, in La regalità, a cura di C. Donà e F. Zambon, Roma, Carocci Editore, 2002, pp. 97-125

- Zironi, Alessandro,Il re codardo: nascita e affermazione di un topos teodericiano, in «Linguistica e Filologia», 7, 1998, pp. 39-57

- Meli, Marcello, Teoderico il Grande signore dei Meringi, "Quaderni di Lingue e Letterature - Verona" 12 (1987), pp. 181-192

- Meli, Marcello, La genesi del motivo dell'esilio nella leggenda di Teoderico il Grande, "Romanobarbarica" , 11 (1991), pp. 291-314

Teaching methods

Lectures

Assessment methods

In light of the workshop organization of the course, the assessment will take into account the participation of the students in the classroom on the discussion of the proposed topics. In the examination some textual examples discussed in class will be object of the examination and will be orally discussed together with the theoretical knowledge gained . During the interview the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student will be evaluated . The student will be invited to discuss the texts covered during the course and to move within the sources and bibliographical material in order to be able to identify in them the useful information that will enable to illustrate the similarities and cultural areas of the discipline. The achievement of an organic vision of the issues addressed during the classes and their critical use, which demonstrate ownership of a mastery of expression and specific language, will be assessed with marks of excellence. Mechanical and / or mnemonic knowledge of matter, synthesis and analysis of non-articulating and / or correct language but not always appropriate will lead to discrete assessments; training gaps and / or inappropriate language - although in a context of minimal knowledge of the material - will lead to votes that will not exceed the sufficiency. Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of guidance within the reference materials offered during the course will lead to failed assessments.

Teaching tools

Multimedial tools

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Zironi