Teaching code

4S006122

Teacher

Emilio Boaretto

Credits

6

Language

English

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE

Period

I semestre (Area Lingue e letterature straniere) dal Sep 23, 2024 al Dec 21, 2024.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The main aim of the course is the detailed study of Italian literature through the close analysis of a group of literary texts, which have a meaningful role in the literary and cultural international context. At the end of the course the student will be able to: - analyse and consider a literary text as a complex form, in constant dialogue with other literatures and cultures, in particular in their translation and international circulation - show competency in the framework of Italian literature’s European and extra-European tradition

Prerequisites and basic notions

There are no particular prerequisites other than a knowledge, even of high school, of Italian literature

Program

The course aims to delve into Italian literature and its history through a thematic exploration dedicated specifically to the mountain landscape. The "great cathedrals of the earth," as John Ruskin described them, have always occupied and continue to hold a significant role in literary narration. As the ultimate symbol of ascension, but also of hardship, mystery, and sublime disquiet, mountains have served as both a backdrop and a source of inspiration for the great works of our literary tradition, eventually assuming a key role in the last few centuries of our literature; Ruskin himself referred to them as "the playground of Europe." Starting from a selected corpus of texts, from Dante to Rigoni Stern, the course will examine the contexts, modalities, affinities, and significant differences with which mountains have been represented throughout the history of Italian literature. Particular attention will be devoted to the ways and forms of mutual influence between the Italian literary tradition, with its authors, and the literatures beyond the Alps and across the English Channel over the last three centuries of modernity, from the 18th to the 20th century.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course will be structured as follows: in the initial phase, through lectures, reading, and commentary on the most significant texts, the contexts, methods, and general tools necessary for framing the topic will be introduced and critically examined. The final part of the course, which is optional, will take on a seminar format: using the tools provided during the first part of the course, students will individually or in groups select and present a specific case study chosen from the anthologized texts or from the complete readings of the works indicated under the "Testi e materiali d'esame" section.

Learning assessment procedures

The examination will be conducted orally, in English, during the official sessions scheduled in the academic calendar. The final grade, on a scale of thirty, will also take into account any work carried out in class during the seminar part of the course. During the oral exam, students will be assessed on their knowledge of the bio-bibliographical details of the authors of the texts included in the anthology, their ability to read, paraphrase (in Italian, when requested), and comment on one or more excerpts, whether in verse or prose, from the anthologized texts and the selected readings; as well as their ability to present and argue based on the indicated bibliography. Non-attending students are requested to write me (emilio.boaretto@univr.it) to arrange the examination program.

Evaluation criteria

The assessment will verify the student's knowledge and mastery of the topics covered during the lessons and the provided bibliography. In particular, it will evaluate the ability to comprehend and critically analyze the texts studied in the course, as well as the skill to situate them within the chosen thematic path and the relevant historical, cultural, and literary context. Furthermore, the examination will assess the student's ability to reflect upon and interrelate the acquired information, including insights from the critical bibliography. The evaluation will also consider the student's expressive and argumentative skills. The final grade will be expressed on a scale of thirty.

Exam language

Inglese / English