67173 - English Literature / Literature of English-speaking Countries 1(LM)

Learning outcomes

The student has a deep knowledge of British and Postcolonial Modern Literatures in English, with particular regard to the relationships between literary texts and history, language and the arts. She/he is able to use critical methodologies to read and analyze literary texts. This course is intended for graduate students only. Erasmus and Overseas undergraduates and students who do not have a general knowledge of the principal authors and movements of English and/or North American literature are kindly requested not to choose this course.

Even though the course is in English, knowledge of the Italian language is appreciated.

Course contents

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children

After a first part on Postcolonial theory, the course deals with Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children (1981), universally recognized as a masterpiece of Postolonial literature. By showing how the all main topics and themes of cultural studies can be found in it - from “Border Studies” to “Visual Culture”, from “Cultural Memory” to “Subaltern Studies” - this course stresses the relevance of Rushdie's work as one of the most accomplished examples of contemporary World literature.

This is a post-graduate course. Undergraduates and students who have never studied the new literatures in English and/or do not have a general knowledge of the principal authors and movements of English and/or North American literature are kindly requested not to choose this course.

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

Before sitting for the exam, all the Erasmus and Overseas students are kindly requested to contact Professor Albertazzi to arrange an alternative critical reading list.

Compulsory readings:

S. Rushdie, Midnight's Children.

C. L. Innes, Cambridge Introduction to Postcolonial Literature in English, Cambridge U.P., 2007.

D. Damrosch, What Is World Literature?, Princeton University Press, 2003.

S. Albertazzi, "An Act of Love: Midnight's Children Passage into the Third Millennium" in S. Albertazzi, F. Cattani, R. Monticelli, F, Zullo (eds.), (Post)Colonial Passages. Incursions and Excursions across the Literatures and Cultures in English, Newcastle, Cambridge Scholars, 2018, pp. 52-65.

Erasmus and Overseas students who can read Italian can refer to the Italian programme.

The students who do not attend regularly must read the following essays by Salman Rushdie (besides the texts listed above):

From the collection Imaginary Homelands (Granta Books, 1991 or any other edition): "Imaginary Homelands", "Commonwealth Literature Does Not Exist", "Outside the Whale" e "The Location of Brazil";

From the collection Step Across This Line (Random House, 2002, or any other edition): "Step Across This Line";

From the collection Languages of Truth (London, Jonathan Cape, 2O21): "Part One" ("Wonder Tales", "Proteus", "Heraclitus").

The complete list of critical works (to be found in the LILEC library or on Virtuale) will be uploaded to Virtuale at the end of the course. 

All the students must know all the texts to be found on Virtuale.

ERASMUS AND OVERSEAS STUDENTS AND ALL THE STUDENTS WHO DO NOT ATTEND REGULARLY ARE KINDLY ASKED TO CONTACT THE TEACHER TO ARRANGE WITH HER A DIFFERENT PROGRAMME.

 

 

Teaching methods

Seminar lessons, in English. A series of videos will be shown and discussed during the course. During the course, the students will be invited to do research on a book from group 2. The results of these researches will be uploaded on Virtuale and evaluated during the exam.

Please note that the most difficult topics are to be dealt with also in Italian.

Languages requested: English AND Italian.

 

Assessment methods

Oral exam, in two parts:

1) Postcolonial theory; outline of postcolonial literary history (to be prepared on C.Innes' Cambridge Introduction to Postcolonial Literatures in English). Only those who pass this part will be admitted to the second one.

2) Discussion and critical analysis of two or more of the novels chosen by the students.

The final mark will be averaged out between the two parts and the results of their researches. The students are warmly recommended to read as many novels as possible during the course: the discussion of their reading in class will be highly appreciated. The students must be able to contextualize the literary works. They must show a general knowledge of the outline of the history of British colonisation and decolonisation, and they must know the most important Postcolonial theorists and their ideas as well as the most important writers of Postcolonial literature in English. They must be able to use an appropriate critical language and must avoid impressionistic and/or superficial criticism.

Students are kindly requested to check the following URL for office hours and further information:http://www.unibo.it/SitoWebDocente/default.htm?upn=silvia.albertazzi%40unibo.it&TabControl1=TabContatti .

Teaching tools

Primary texts, critical books, reference books, journals and magazines, video and audio supports. Collaboration of Phd students and experts of the field.

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Albertazzi