Teaching code

4S002903

Academic staff

Cristiano Ragni, Carla Sassi

Coordinator

Cristiano Ragni

Credits

6

Language

English

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE

Period

I semestre (Lingue e letterature straniere) dal Sep 25, 2023 al Dec 22, 2023.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course, held in English, aims at introducing students to relevant aspects of English literature, from the Pre-Romantic to the contemporary period, through the reading of a selection of canonical texts. Primary notions about possible methodological approaches for the analysis of literary texts and genres will be imparted. Furthermore, the course will provide a sound knowledge of the English literature of the period (historical context, texts, genres, literary movements and authors) and stimulate abilities and skills for the critical analysis of texts, their discussion and analysis, in consideration of their historical, cultural, and context specificities. At the end of the course, students will be able to: - Analyse the literary texts of the syllabus discussing them in relation to their historical and cultural context; - Discuss the texts using an appropriate critical approach demonstrating the knowledge of the literary conventions of their time; - Express the acquired literary and critical knowledge demonstrating an adequate competence also in the English language.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Being a first-year exam, no preliminary skills, other than those required to enroll, are required. A sufficient competence in English, however, is advisable in order for students to understand lectures conducted in English, comprehend primary texts and scholarly work in the discipline in English, and take the exam in English.

Program

Women Writers in Modern and Contemporary Britain: Fictions of Independence? Three Voices?
MODULE 1 (C. Sassi, 12 hrs, 2 cfu)
This module will focus on Emily Brönte’s "Wuthering Heights" (1847) in the wider context of British Romanticism and the Gothic genre, and of women’s predicament in the 19th century. Special attention will be devoted to the novel’s female characters.
MODULE 1’s programme consists in three parts (see the “BIBLIOGRAPHY” section below):
A. Primary text
B. Readings
Further details on required readings, general information on bibliographical material, and exam method will be given during classes.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Primary text
- Emily Brontë, "Wuthering Heights", Oxford World's Classics (latest edition)
B. Readings
- Flint, Kate. “Women writers, women's issues”. In "The Cambridge Companion to the Brontës", edited by Glen, Heather, 170-191. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2137995155/89EEC884B8E4FC6PQ/8?accountid=14836
- Yukari Oda, “Emily Brontë and the Gothic: Female Characters in Wuthering Heights”,
LISA (Caen, France), 2010, p.1-19 https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/3496
B1. Further readings for non-attending students
- - Pike, Judith E. “'My name was Isabella Linton': coverture, domestic violence, and Mrs Heathcliff's narrative in Wuthering Heights”. Nineteenth-century literature, 2009, Vol.64 (3), p.347-383. https://univr.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_1035964178&context=PC&vid=39UVR_INST:39UVR_VU1&lang=it&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,wuthering%20heights%20isabella&offset=0
MODULE 2 (C. Ragni, 24 hrs, 4 cfu)
The module aims to introduce students to two important female writers of the British twentieth century: Virginia Woolf and Angela Byatt. Through the reading of "Mrs Dalloway" (1925) and "Ragnarök" (2011), the module will focus on the writers’ characterisation of the two female protagonists and reflect on their search for balance between inner and outer worlds, between past and present and, above all, between life/love and death, in the context of the two World Wars.
MODULE 2’s programme consists in two parts (see the “BIBLIOGRAPHY” section below):
A. Primary texts
B. Readings
Further details on required readings, general information on bibliographical material, and exam method will be given during classes.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Primary texts
- Virginia Woolf, "La signora Dalloway" (con testo inglese a fronte), a cura di Marisa Sestito, Venezia, Marsilio, 2012.
- Antonia S. Byatt, "Ragnarök. The End of the World" (any edition).
B. Readings
- Marisa Sestito, “Introduzione”, in Virginia Woolf, "La signora Dalloway" (con testo inglese a fronte), a cura di Marisa Sestito, Venezia, Marsilio, 2012, pp. 9-35.
- Lisbeth Larsson, “Walking in Upper-Class Westminster – Mrs Dalloway”, in Lisbeth Larsson, "Walking Virginia Woolf’s London", Palgrave Macmillan, 2017, pp. 107-38.
- Charlotte Beyer, “‘Life Was a State in Which a War Was On’: A.S. Byatt’s Portrayal of War and Norse Mythology in Ragnarok: The End of the Gods”, in Sara Buttsworth, and Maartje Abbenhuis (eds), "War, Myths, and Fairy Tale", Palgrave, 2017, pp. 195-218.
B1. Further readings for non-attending students
- David Bradshaw, “Introduction”, in Virginia Woolf, "Mrs Dalloway", Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. ix-xlvi.
- Leanne Bibby, “Afterword: Ragnarök. The End of the World”, in Leanne Bibby, "A. S. Byatt and Intellectual Women: Fictions, Histories, Myths", Palgrave, 2022, pp. 217-24.
MODULE 1 and MODULE 2
As regards the literary and cultural context spanning from the Romantic Age to nowadays, students will refer to:
- Paul Poplawski, "English Literature in Context" (Cambridge University Press, 2017 - second edition): chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Lectures in English.
Supplementary teaching materials (slides, images, videos, other texts, etc.) that will be used during classes will be available for download from the MOODLE e-repository. These contents do not substitute but complement the readings listed in the “PROGRAMME > Bibliography” section above.
Teaching support:
Information and teaching materials will be uploaded in the Moodle platform. Students will be encouraged to think critically and to take active part in the class, by asking questions and engaging with the discussion topics. Teachers will be available during their office hours throughout the teaching term.

Learning assessment procedures

Oral exam. Students may be required to read and comment on passages taken from primary texts (see “PROGRAMME > Bibliography > a. Primary texts).
There will be no mid-term tests. Students will have to take with them primary texts on the day of the exam.

Evaluation criteria

Students will have to show:
1) a knowledge and critical understanding of the topics discussed in class (texts, authors, and genres) and of the wider literary and cultural context (from the Romantic Age to the present);
2) good analytical and synthetic skills with regard to the discussion of the main historical, cultural, textual, and critical topics of the module;
3) ability to use an appropriate vocabulary.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade will be the sum of the scores obtained in module 1 (up to 10 pts) and module 2 (up to 20 pts).

Exam language

Inglese/English