Teaching code

4S002903

Academic staff

Cristiano Ragni, Lisanna Calvi

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 26, 2022 al Dec 23, 2022.

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

MODULE 1 (L. Calvi, 12 hrs, 2 cfu)
"Comedic Takes on (New) Women: Wilde and Shaw"
The module will offer an overview of late nineteenth-century British theatre, with a focus on two dramas by Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. At the dawning of women’s emancipation movements, theatre – also in the wake of contemporary European dramaturgy – interrogates and reflects upon women’s changing roles and at the same time corrosively questions Victorian moral hypocrisy.

MODULE 1’s programme consists in three 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
- Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan, in Id., The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays, ed. by Richard Allan Cave, Penguin, 2000.
- George Bernard Shaw, Mrs Warren’s Profession, in Id., Plays Unpleasant, ed. by Dan H. Laurence, Penguin, 2000.

B. Readings
- Nina Auerbach, “Before the curtain”, in The Cambridge Companion to Victorian and Edwardian Theatre, ed. by Kerry Powell, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 3-14.
- Peter Raby, “Theatre of the 1890s: breaking down the barriers”, in The Cambridge Companion to Victorian and Edwardian Theatre, ed. by Kerry Powell, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 183-206.
- Peter Raby, “Wilde’s Comedies of Society”, in The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wilde, ed. by Peter Raby, Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 143-160.
- Kerry Powell, “New Women, new plays, and Shaw in the 1890s”, in The Cambridge Companion to George Bernard Shaw, ed. by Christopher Innes, Cambridge University Press, 1998, pp. 76-100.

MODULE 2 (C. Ragni, 24 hrs, 4 cfu)
“After Wilde: British Comedy from Coward to Stoppard”.
The course aims to investigate how Oscar Wilde's theatrical legacy remains and is updated in the comedy of the twentieth century. Through the reading of Hay Fever by Noël Coward and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, published respectively in 1925 and 1993, the course will highlight the ways in which wit, irony and learned references - typical of Wilde’s drama - have been taken up by two of the greatest English-speaking playwrights and how they end up embodying a specifically British type of comedy.

MODULE 2’s programme consists in three 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
-  Noël Coward, Hay Fever, Methuen Drama – Modern Classics, London, Bloomsbury, 2002.
- Tom Stoppard, Arcadia, London, Faber & Faber, 1993 (or later editions).

B. Readings
- Maggie Gale, “Theatre and drama between the wars”, in Laura Marcus – Peter Nicholls (eds.), The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century English Literature, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp. 318-334.
- Donald Anderson, “A Hasty Kind of Genius: Noël Coward’s Hay Fever”, Modern Drama 54:1 (2011), pp. 45-61.
- Dan Rebellato, “Post-War British Theatre”, in David Kornhaber – James N. Loehlin (eds.), Tom Stoppard in Context, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2021, pp. 199-206.
- Paul Edwards, “Science in Hapgood and Arcadia”, in Katherine E. Kelly (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Tom Stoppard, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 171-184.
- Hersh Zeifman, “The Comedy of Eros: Stoppard in love”, in Katherine E. Kelly (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Tom Stoppard, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 185-200.

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

MODULE 1 and MODULE 2
Whole class teaching 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.
It is strongly advised, although not mandatory, to attend classes.

Learning assessment procedures

MODULE 1 and MODULE 2
Oral exam (the exam will last approximately 20/30 minutes and will be based on 5/6 questions).
Students may be required to read and comment on passages taken from primary texts (see “PROGRAM > Bibliography > a. Primary texts).
There will be no mid-term tests.

Evaluation criteria

MODULE 1 and MODULE 2
1) the knowledge and comprehension of the module’s topics (texts, authors, and genres) and of the literary and cultural context (from the Romantic Age to the present);
2) the development of good analytical and synthetic skill levels with regard to the main historical, cultural, textual, and critical topics of the module;
3) the use of an appropriate vocabulary.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade, awarded on a 30-point scale, will result from the average of the grades obtained in the assessment of each module.
Minimum pass: 18/30
Maximum: 30/30 (cum laude)

Exam language

Inglese / English