00562 - Italian Literature (CL1)

Learning outcomes

The student - knows the fundamental elements (contents, methods and tools) for the analysis of Italian literary civilization - is able to use them on specific texts in the field of Italian literature - is able to autonomously develop further knowledge and analytic-literary skills of a higher level and to apply them to other specific literary texts.

Course contents

A first part of the course, of a general type, will be aimed at providing a framework including the fundamental features of the history of Italian culture and literature from the third decade of twentieth century to present days. The second part, of a monographic nature, will focus on the figure and work of Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) and on his civil heritage, in the centenary of his birth. A figure of enormous importance of the second half of the twentieth century, Pier Paolo Pasolini went through, perhaps more than any other intellectual of the time, many forms of literary and artistic expression: he was a poet, novelist, playwright, film director, literary critic and journalist, also if he liked to define himself simply as a "writer". In his writings he was able from time to time to deal with the great social, civil and cultural themes of Italy of the last century: fascism and Resistance, post-war politics, the advent of neocapitalism in the phase of the economic boom, the transformation of middle and working class, 1968 and the tragedy of the “strategy of tension”, the condition of art and the artist in society. Provocative in life and works, Pasolini occupies a central role in the culture of contemporary Italy. With each of his works he expressed the will to fight, even alone, against those institutions and mechanisms of consensus that deprive human beings of their authenticity.

Readings/Bibliography

For the preparation of the first part (the general one) it is advisable to refer to Roberto Carnero - Giuseppe Iannaccone, Classe di letteratura, volume 3/B (Dalla Prima guerra mondiale a oggi), Giunti TVP Editori - Treccani (ISBN: 978-88-09-94984-3) or to any other good Italian literature handbook with anthology of texts for secondary school. The handbook will not necessarily be "studied" entirely, but must be used as a constant point of reference for the reconstruction of the historical-cultural and historical-literary context within which Pasolini was trained and worked. For the preparation of the second part (of a monographic type, specifically dedicated to Pasolini's work), students are requested to study the following books:

- Roberto Carnero, Pasolini. Morire per le idee, Bompiani [new edition 2022];

- Pier Paolo Pasolini, I grandi interventi civili, Garzanti (particular attention must be paid to Scritti corsari and  Lettere luterane)

Teaching methods

Lectures, text analysis and commentary, use of multimedia products.

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist of a written test. The objectives of the test will be related to the measurement of the learning outcomes expected by the students; the contents of the test will concern the topics covered in the course; the assessment method will consist of two stages: an objective test (multiple choice test) to be carried out in 20 minutes and the proposal of an open-ended outline (discussion of a topic or essay) to be processed in 60 minutes; evaluation method: overall grade out of thirty. There are no intermediate or partial tests.

Evaluation grid

30-28: in-depth knowledge of the course contents; language that is always exact and precise and of excellent argumentative clarity (the attribution of distinction presupposes, in addition to the previous requirements, a strong and original personal reworking);

27-26: in-depth knowledge of the contents; language mostly exact and congruous and of good argumentative clarity;

25-24: discrete knowledge of the contents; overall correct language, even if characterized by some inaccuracies;

23-21: sufficient knowledge of the course topics; language not always correct; presence of excessive simplifications of concepts;

20-18: overall sufficient knowledge, even if sometimes incomplete, of the contents; incorrect language, characterized by generalizations, inconsistencies and trivializations of concepts;

test not passed: serious gaps in the preparation that testify an overall insufficient knowledge of the course contents and/or incorrect and inadequate critical language with frequent misunderstandings.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Carnero