Teaching code

4S002912

Teacher

Chiara Battisti

Coordinator

Chiara Battisti

Credits

6

Also offered in courses:

• Anglo-american literature and cultures of the course Bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures

Language

English

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-LIN/11 - ANGLO-AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

Period

I semestre (Area Lingue e letterature straniere) dal Sep 21, 2026 al Dec 23, 2026.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course aims to provide students with a basic knowledge of the literature of the United States in its complexity and plurality. Focus will be on specific texts and on literary movements and trends. At the end of the course, students will be able to recognize specific forms of writing that, originating in the context of different ethnicities and traditions, are collectively gathered under the label of American literature. Students will also be able to approach texts with appropriate critical tools.

Prerequisites and basic notions

As required by the Regolamento Didattico of the degree course, students can sit for the exam of Anglo-American Literature and Cultures only after passing English Literature 1 and English Literature 1.

Program

Haunted Narratives: Adaptation, Race, and Belonging in American Literature and Visual Culture
The course examines the relationship between American literary texts and their screen adaptations, from the nineteenth century to the present day. Drawing on theories of adaptation and intermediality, it approaches adaptation as an interpretive and creative practice through which narratives are reworked and redefined within different historical, cultural, and medial contexts. Literary analysis will be integrated with the critical methodologies of film and television studies in order to investigate the ways in which narrative structures, themes, characters, and aesthetic strategies are transferred, transformed, and reconfigured in the transition from page to screen.
Through the critical analysis of novels, short fiction, films, and television series, the course explores key issues in American literary and cultural history. Particular attention will be devoted to themes such as the Gothic, the construction and performativity of racial identity, migration, family memory, and the dynamics of cultural belonging. These topics will be examined as privileged sites for the articulation and representation of the social, cultural, and ideological transformations that have shaped American society across different historical periods. From this perspective, the course highlights how narratives that circulate across different media contribute to reflecting, negotiating, and redefining representations of identity, memory, and belonging within American culture.
A) Primary Texts:
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw, 1898
Nella Larsen, Passing, 1929.
Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake, 2003.
Short story:
Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 1820.
Film:
Tim Burton, Sleepy Hollow, 1999.
Mira Nair, The Namesake, 2006.
Mike Flanagan, The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
Rebecca Hall, Passing, film adaptation, 2021.
B Critical Texts
Linda Hutcheon, A Theory of Adaptation. Routledge, 2012, Chapter 1.
Thomas Leitch, The History of American Literature on Film, 2019, Introduction.
Required additional critical readings for non-attending students
Sinéad Moynihan, “Beautiful White Girlhood?: Daisy Buchanan in Nella Larsen's Passing” African American Review, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Spring 2014), pp. 37-49
Deborah Cartmell and Imelda Whelehan, Adaptations: from text to screen, screen to text, London ; New York : Routledge, 1999. Chapters PART 1: 1) “Adaptations: The contemporary dilemmas” by Imelda Whelehan; Part 2: “Introduction” by Deborah Cartmell PART III: “Introduction” by Deborah Cartmell
C) R. GRAY. A Brief History of American Literature. Wiley Blackwell, 2011: Chapters 2-3-4-5. (Required for both attending and non-attending students))

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Students who attend the course: the course will be held in English through lectures and will also include parts for reflection and discussion on the part of the students upon the topics under consideration. Slides related to the topics of the course and used during the lessons will be uploaded to Moodle and are part of the program.
Students who do not attend: The program for non-attending students is detailed in the "Programma” section. They can access Moodle and the uploaded slides which are part of the program.
All students can ask for further references or about the topics of the course during the receiving hours (as indicated on the webpage).
Teaching support:
Information and teaching materials will be uploaded in the Moodle platform, with the date of the lesson they refer to.
A specific tutoring service will be activated, the details of which will be explained in class and on the Moodle platform
In addition, Prof. Battisti is available during the receiving hours which can also be arranged via ZOOM if necessary.
Lastly, a specific support and tutoring activity for inclusion and accessibility is being organized, particularly with regard to the Language and Literature courses in the French, English, Russian, Spanish and German areas. The activities will take place from November 2026 to June 2027 and will be advertised on the Department page.

Learning assessment procedures

The exam will be an oral discussion in English on the topic of the course and the texts in the program (parts A,B,C).
Students who do not attend the course are required to contact Prof. Battisti.

Evaluation criteria

The oral exam will verify:
1. knowledge of the topics addressed during the course
2. argumentative and critical analysis skills

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The exam is not divided into parts and therefore the final grade will be determined by the oral exam

Exam language

Inglese/English