Teaching code

4S002949

Teacher

Lisanna Calvi

Coordinator

Lisanna Calvi

Credits

9

Language

English

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE

Period

I semestre (Area Lingue e letterature straniere) dal Sep 22, 2025 al Dec 24, 2025.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course, held in English, aims at introducing Students to the English Literature from the 16th century to the Restoration (1660), paying emphasis on some canonical literary texts. Besides, it will offer skills and abilities for the critical analysis of literary texts and their genres. The course objective is to provide a good knowledge of the literature of the period (historical context, texts, genres, literary movements and authors) and to develop in Students a capacity of analysis and argumentative abilities in relation to the various typologies of literary texts set in their literary, historical, and cultural context. At the end of the course, students will be able to: - analyse the examined literary texts setting them in their historical and cultural context; - discuss them in an argumentative way, with due consideration to literary conventions, and by applying a critical, knowledgeable, and aware approach to the specificity of the literary texts; - present the acquired competences in English, and in a coherent and clear way.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Before taking the exam, students must have passed English Literature 1 and 2 and English Language 1 and 2.

Program

Shakespeare’s Youth, Youth in Shakespeare
Two early dramas, two dramas written by a young William Shakespeare about young people. With The Two Gentlemen of Verona, the young playwright tries his hand with romantic comedy and at the same time offers a problematic meditation on the ambiguous complexity of human reasons and actions. In Romeo and Juliet, he explores the rising subjectivity of his two very young protagonists while offering lyric images and expressions that have since become proverbial.
Please be advised
The bibliography consists in three parts: a. Primary texts, b1 and 2. Readings, and c. Handbook. Further details on required readings, general information on bibliographical material, and exam method will be given at the beginning of classes.
Supplementary readings (b.2) are mandatory for non-attending students.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
a. Primary texts
- William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, ed. by Roger Warren, Oxford UP, 2008.
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, ed. by Jill Levenson, OUP, 2000.
b. Readings
- L.G. Salingar, “The Elizabethan Literary Renaissance”, in The Age of Shakespeare. The New Pelican Guide to English Literature, ed. by Boris Ford, Penguin, 1982, vol. 2, pp. 51-90.
- Harold F. Brooks, “Two Clowns in a Comedy (to say nothing of the Dog): Speed, Launce (and Crab) in The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in June Schlueter (ed. by), Two Gentlemen of Verona: Critical Essays, Garland, 1996, pp. 71-78.
- Charles A. Hallett, “‘Metamorphising’ Proteus: Reversal Strategies in The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in June Schlueter (ed. by) Two Gentlemen of Verona: Critical Essays, Garland, 1996, pp. 153-177.
- Coppélia Kahn, “Coming of Age in Verona”, Modern Language Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1977-1978, pp. 5-22.
- Ruth Nevo, “Tragic form in Romeo and Juliet”, Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1969, pp. 241-258.
b1. Supplementary readings for non-attending students
- J. L. Styan, The English Stage. A History of Drama and Performance, Cambridge UP, 1996, pp. 88-167.
- Peter Lindenbaum, “Education in The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 15, No. 2, 1975, pp. 229-244.
- Rachel Prusko, “Youth and Privacy in Romeo and Juliet”, Early Theatre, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2016, pp. 113-136.
3. Handbook
As regards the literary and cultural context spanning from the Middle Age to the Renaissance, students will refer to:
- Paul Poplawski (ed.), English Literature in Context, Cambridge University Press, 2017: chapters 1 (“Medieval English, 500-1500”), and 2 (“The Renaissance, 1485-1660).

Bibliography

Didactic methods

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 mandatory readings listed in the BIBLIOGRAPHY section. It is strongly advised, although not mandatory, to attend classes. Upon students’ request, the instructors can assign further bibliographical material. They will also be available during office hours to provide information and answer questions.

Learning assessment procedures

Oral exam (the exam will last approximately 20/30 minutes and will consist of 5/6 questions).
Students may be required to read and comment on passages taken from primary texts (see “PROGRAMME > BIBLIOGRAPHY > a. Primary texts). Please bring your own books on the exam day.
There will be no mid-term tests.

Evaluation criteria

1) the knowledge and comprehension of the module’s topics (texts, authors, and genres) and of the literary and cultural context (from the Middle Ages to 1660);
2) the development of good analytical and synthetic skill levels regarding 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 assessment of the three components listed above (see EVALUATION CRITERIA) will form the final grade, awarded on a 30-point scale. Minimum pass: 18/30; maximum: 30/30 (cum laude).

Exam language

Inglese / English

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