31061 - Portuguese and Brazilian Literature 1

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide basic and weel structured competencies in Portuguese cultural history. More specifically, it considers all the period of the Nation and the Empire fundation and decline, taking into account the main historic directresses and essential concepts in a continuous counterpoint with the principle cultural prudctions.

Course contents

The course is entitled “Floating nations: the Portuguese culture between Baroque and first Romanticism and the literary invention of Brazil “ and structured in two parts. The first deals with a literary and cultural reflection on Portuguese history, since the epoch of the Spanish dual monarchy until the constitutional struggles in the first decades of XIX century. The wide temporal range will be reconstructed through the classical figure of the “translatio imperii”. Such a topic, as a matter of fact, finds in Portuguese history a special function: from the cultural defensive value defined by the 60 years of Spanish domination ("A corte na aldeia" by Rodrigues Lobo, "A Lusitânia transformada" by Fernão Alvares do Oriente etc) turns into a historic concrete form when at the beginning of XIX century – as the unique case in occidental colonial modern history- the court moved from the metropolis to the colony (from Portugal to Brazil). Special attention, during the course, will be paid to an author covering the transition between Arcadian period and Romanticism, Almeida Garrett.

The second part has the aim to re-establish some cultural tensions after the political independence of Brazil from Portugal. Through a adequate readings selection, the lessons will try to focus the “desire of the new Nation to have its own literature” (in Antonio Candido's famous definition), completely free from the Portuguese tradition. The apogee of this formation movement is represented by Machado de Assis' mature narrative (in particular starting from the novel Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas edited in 1881), that is, in a context of overcome of romantic values and in the direction of the fin-de-siècle crisis.

Specific lessons for the students of the 2nd and 3th year, in paticular dedicated to text reading, will be given in Portuguese

Readings/Bibliography

Portuguese Section

-Valeria Tocco, Breve storia della letteratura portoghese, Roma Carocci, =

2011 capp.3, 4 e 5 (solo 5.1)

-J.H Saraiva, Storia del Portogallo, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2004 (da

Alcácer Quibir al Costituzionalismo)

-G. Ricciardi e R. Barchiesi, Antologia della letteratura portoghese. Testi e traduzioni, Napoli, Tullio Pironti, 1998 (da Francisco Rodrigues Lobo ad Almeida Garrett) 

-J. Saramago Memoriale del Convento (Feltrinelli) lettura

Brazilian Section

-Luciana Stegagno Picchio, Storia della letteratura Brasiliana (Einaudi) la formazione della nazione (capp5-8)

-Angelo Trento, Un terra tra tradizione e progresso (l'800) o PaoloLingua Storia del Brasile o Boris Fausto Storia del Brasile

-G Ricciardi Scrittori brasiliani Tullio Pironti 2003 (l'800 con Machado de Assis incluso) 

-Machado de Assis Memorias póstumas de Brás Cubas (edizione BUR Memorie dell'aldila)

Teaching methods

The lessons (partly in Portuguese for the students of the 2nd and 3th years), based on the connection between concepts and contexts, will be followed by a seminar discussion on a selected bibliography. Individual readings on the main primary resources introduced during the course supported by a tutor during the preparation of the final test.

Assessment methods

The final exam is the result of partial tests. At the end of each module, it will be proposed a test structured in 10 questions on the main conceptual and contextual issues of the section in exam. About a week after the test, the students will participate in the interview related to the readings of the part in question. The final grade will therefore be made ​​up of the results of the two tests of the two partial exams and oral interviews. These trials will test the capacity of understanding the main concepts exposed during the course, connected to a descriptive knowledge of the analyzed contexts and the ability to naviagte among the assigned readings, enhancing the capacity of synthesis and precision of expression especially about the conceptual keys. In terms of evaluation, an accurate knowledge of concepts, contexts and texts, combined with an effective capacity of argument, will be judged with the top score. A general knowledge of the historical and literary context and the main sources used but lacking a precise conceptual framework will be evaluated favorably even with intermediate results, while a purely manualistic or fragmentary knowledge of the structure of the course, although sufficient for the purpose of reporting the general framework of the course, it will get only a sufficient feedback. In this context, the expositive capacity, combined with a proper conceptual and terminological precision, contributes to improve the overall outcome of the exam.

Teaching tools

The course defines a strict dialogue between literatures and cultures for the period in exam. For this reason, beside literary texts, to which a specific workshop (reading and commenting) will pay special attention, other multemedia and internet contents will be introduced, in order to build an organic and clear framework of the historical context in discussion. Materials and audio of the lessons are made ​​available to students for a better prepration of the course.

Links to further information

http://www.unibo.it/docenti/roberto.vecchi

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Vecchi