Teaching code

4S002927

Teacher

Carla Sassi

Coordinator

Carla Sassi

Credits

9

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 module, taught in English, is meant to guide the students through a critical approach to the English Literature of the period going from the Restoration to late Romanticism, especially in relation to a representative range of texts of the canon. Besides, it aims at getting the students familiar with fundamental tools necessary for text analysis and genre criticism. Its overall goal is to provide the students with a good knowledge of the British literature of the set literary period (its historical context, its texts, genres, movements/authors) and of helping them develop skills for analysis, argumentation and exposition in English, in relation to various typologies of literary texts in their historical-cultural context. At the end of the module, students will be able to: - analyze the literary texts set in the syllabus in their historical-cultural contexts; - argumentatively discuss them by taking into account literary conventions and by applying an informed critical approach that is aware of the literary nature of the text; - demonstrate the acquired knowledge and skills, in English and in a clear and consistent way.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Students can sit for this exam only after passing English Literature 1 and English Literature 1.

Program

"Romantic landscapes/ Gothich landscapes"
The course will focus on British literature between the 18th and the 19th century, with special reference to the representation of landscape/nature in three canonical texts published in this period: Fragments of Ancient Poetry by Ossian, The Lady of the Lake by Walter Scott and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRIMARY TEXTS:
-J. MACPHERSON/OSSIAN, Fragments of Ancient Poetry (1760)
-W. SCOTT, The Lady of the Lake (1810)
-E. BRONTE, Wuthering Heights (1847)
SECONDARY TEXTS:
Handbook of literary history: P. Poplawski (ed.), English Literature in Context, Cambridge UP, 2017, chs. 3 + 4
From: The Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism, ed. Stuart Curran:
-“Romanticism, criticism and theory”
-“Romantic poetry”
From: The Edinburgh Companion to Scottish Romanticism ed. Murray Pittock:
-“Travel Writing and the Picturesque” (Matthew Wickman)
From: The International Companion to JAMES MACPHERSON AND THE POEMS OF OSSIAN ed. D. Moore:
-“Landscape and the Sense of Place in The Poems of Ossian” (Sebastian Mitchell)
From: The Edinburgh Companion to Sir Walter Scott ed. Fiona Robertson:
-“The Narrative Poems” (Alison Lumsden and Ainsley McIntosh)
Rena-Dozier, Emily, “Gothic Criticisms: "Wuthering Heights"and Nineteenth-Century Literary History” (2010)
ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
From: The Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism, ed. Stuart Curran:
-“Poetry in an age of revolution” (Dawson, P M S)
From: The International Companion to JAMES MACPHERSON AND THE POEMS OF OSSIAN ed. D. Moore:
-“Introduction” (Dafydd Moore)
From: The Edinburgh Companion to Sir Walter Scott ed. Fiona Robertson:
-“Romancing and Romanticism”, Fiona Robertson
Datskou, Emily, “Queer Temporalities: Resisting Family, Reproduction and Lineage in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights” (2020).

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course will be taught in English. Students will have to register on the e-Learning platform, and check it regularly for updates and supplementary teaching material discussed in class.
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. Prof.ssa Sassi will be available during her office hours throughout the teaching term.

Learning assessment procedures

Oral exam, in the English language. The exam will consist in questions on the critical bibliography, the contents of the course and the primary texts.
Non-attending students will be principally examined on the whole critical bibliography scheduled for them + handbook.
All students may be required to read and comment on passages taken from the primary texts, which they are strictly required to take with them at the exam.

Evaluation criteria

Assessment will be based on the student's:
ability to express themselves with confidence and clarity,
ability to comment / analyse the literary texts discussed in class,
ability to summarize, even in a simple way, the critical texts in the reading list,
discuss the topics discussed in class.
Critical thinking and ability to develop evidence-based arguments will be especially rewarded.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The Italian Grading System ranges from 18/30 to 30/30. Specifically, the highest mark is 30/30
with distinction (defined as “lode” in Italian), while the lower one is 18/30. Exams under 18/30 are
considered as “not passed”.

Exam language

Inglese/English