30931 - Italian Literature 1 (GR. A)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has a good understanding of the Italian literary tradition, knows the fundamental issues of the critical discussion about the authors and texts and is able to use the main methods of analysis of texts and contexts; he has also acquired the ability of adequately expressing himself in writing.

Course contents

The underworld of literature

The idea of hell belongs to every civilization. In the history of Western culture and literature it - in a dimension that will become predominantly Christian - is constantly present, albeit in different forms, from antiquity to the present day both in a real and metaphorical sense. Indeed, the underworld is the place where the fears, hatreds, sufferings and evils of the human condition are projected and this environment changes over time, adapting to any type of society. The course, after a brief introduction on classical and pagan models, will analyze some literary representations of hell starting from the archetype of Dante's Comedy, to then continue with the works of Boccaccio, Tasso, Marino, Manzoni and others, up to some novels of contemporary Italian literature, also bearing in mind comic and parodic reversals.

Students will also be required to read 10 "canti" of their choice from Dante's Commedia: eg. Inf. I, II, V, X, XXVI, XXXIII; Purg. I, III, XXVI; Par. I. It is recommended to come to the exam with the list of "canti" prepared. Some lessons will be dedicated to the reading of Dante's "canti", to provide, in addition to the basic notions of metrics and rhetoric, models of textual analysis.

Non-attending students must contact the teacher to agree on the program and receive further indications.

Readings/Bibliography

• Dante Alighieri, Inferno I (integrale), III (vv. 1-36), VI (vv. 1-36), VII (vv. 1-16); VIII (vv. 67-108), IX (vv. 1-57; 89-99), XIII (vv. 1-51; 109-129); XXXIV (vv. 1-75).
• Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron III 10; V 8.
• Niccolò Machiavelli, Belfagor arcidiavolo.
• Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata (I,1; II,6; III,56; 74-76; IV,1-19; XIII,1-12; 17-49; XVIII, 2-3; 16-40; XX,144).
• Vittorio Alfieri, La finestrina.
• Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo.
• Curzio Malaparte, La pelle.
• Gesualdo Bufalino, Il ritorno di Euridice.
  
  

• Georges Minois, Piccola storia dell’inferno, Bologna, il Mulino, 1995.
• Ezio Raimondi, Il dramma nel racconto, in Id., Poesia come retorica, Firenze, Olschki, 1980.

Further bibliography will be indicated during the course.

Teaching methods

Lectures and analyses of literary texts.

Assessment methods

The assessment of the student's acquired knowledge and skills consists of an oral test designed to verify general preparation on all course topics.

During the year 6 oral tests are delivered.

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. Access to the oral test depends on having passed the written test. The final mark is not a mathematical average of the two tests.

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.

Students who demonstrate gaps in their knowledge of the subject matter, inappropriate language use, lack of familiarity with the literature in the programme bibliography will not be given a pass mark.

Teaching tools

Some texts will be made available on the Internet (http://virtuale.unibo.it [http://campus.unibo.it/] )

Office hours

See the website of Fabio Giunta