13141 - Theory of Literature (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students have a basic knowledge of some general concepts of literature, of literary institutions, of relationships between text and contest and of the dynamic of literary communication. They know and can apply some basic methodologies to analyse literary texts.

Course contents

The literary text: Instructions for use

The course is intented as an introduction to text analysis and to a variety of critical operations: reading, interpreting, commenting, translating etc. The main topic will be the modern novel, from the "great machines" of Nineteenth Century to the "revolutions" of Twentieth Century novelists.

The course comprises two parts (30 hours each):

- Second year students have to attend both parts (9 credits);

- Third year students have to attend only the first part (3 cfu).

Period: First semester (october-december 2009)

Timetable of lessons, classrooms etc: See Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature website

Readings/Bibliography

FIRST PART: Looking for the plot

I. Texts

• Stendhal, Il rosso e il nero (1830), Garzanti
• Charles Dickens, Grandi speranze (1860), Einaudi

II. Critical texts

The students will choose one text in the list below:

• Peter Brooks, Trame. Intenzionalità e progetto nel discorso narrativo, Einaudi (limitatamente ai capitoli I-V, fino a quello su Dickens compreso)
• Franco Moretti, Il romanzo di formazione, Einaudi

SECOND PART: A luminous halo

I. Texts

• James Joyce, Dedalus. Ritratto dell'artista da giovane (1916), Mondadori
• Virginia Woolf, Al faro (1927), Feltrinelli

II. Critical texts

The students will choose one text in the list below:

• Erich Auerbach, Il calzerotto marrone, in Mimesis: Il realismo nella letteratura occidentale, Einaudi, volume II, pp. 305-338
• Giacomo Debenedetti, Joyce e Proust, in Il romanzo del Novecento, Garzanti, pp. 285-305
• Giacomo Debenedetti, Commemorazione provvisoria del personaggio-uomo, in Il personaggio uomo, Garzanti, pp. 11-49
• Mario Lavagetto, Svevo e la crisi del romanzo europeo, in Letteratura italiana del Novecento. Bilancio di un secolo, a cura di A. Asor Rosa, Einaudi, pp. 245-67 (anche con il titolo Svevo nella terra degli orfani, in Lavorare con piccoli indizi, Bollati Boringhieri, pp. 277-298)
• Virginia Woolf, La narrativa moderna, in Il lettore comune, vol. I, Il melangolo, pp. 166-175

Teaching methods

Class lessons

Assessment methods

At the end of the course the students will take an oral examination, with questions on topics and texts analyzed.

Teaching tools

Slides, Power point. For further teaching material see the website.

Links to further information

http://www.unibo.it/SitoWebDocente/default.htm?UPN=federico.bertoni@unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Federico Bertoni