Teaching code

4S02889

Teacher

Silvia Bigliazzi

Coordinator

Silvia Bigliazzi

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE

Period

1 A, 1 B

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The module aims at providing specific knowledge about the history of English publishing, compared to the Italian one, with regard to the production of complex texts, such as Renaissance play texts, in relation to the transmission of their printed sources, as well as their own later circulation and re-elaboration in diverse genres and according to different printing practices. The module will offer advanced tools for textual analysis and for the interpretation of literary and dramatic genres within their historical and cultural contexts and in relation to their editorial traditions. It will also introduce students to critical approaches aimed at strengthening their argumentative skills. On successful completion of the module, students will be able to re-elaborate critically the acquired knowledge and to discuss topics employing appropriate linguistic and stylistic registers.

Prerequisites and basic notions

The English Literature for Publishing (LM-19) exam can only be taken if you hold a B2-level English language certification.

Program

"Print and Digital Practices and Multimedia Remediations: the Case of Romeo and Juliet."

This course introduces students to the printing practices of the English Renaissance and the editorial choices made in the contemporary publishing sector in view of today’s diverse audiences, including both print and digital solutions. It also focuses on some examples of remediation of Renaissance works over the centuries, from novellas to drama, musicals and films. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1599), a celebrated exemplification of a myth of love and death, will offer a case study which will be analyzed in relation to its English narrative sources, Arthur Brooke's 1562 poem and William Painter's 1567 novella dedicated to this story. A number of subsequent famous rewrites over the centuries will also be presented, ranging from a manga version to other famous multimedia adaptations: from West Side Story (1961), and its 2021 Spielberg remake, to Baz Luhrmann's postmodern Romeo + Juliet (1996).

Attending and non-attending students alike are required to do all the readings indicated below.

Further teaching material will be available for download from the MOODLE repository.

Primary Texts:
• William Shakespeare, Romeo e Giulietta, a cura di Silvia Bigliazzi, Torino, Einaudi 2012 (or later reprints).

Secondary Texts:
• Alessandra Squeo, Print and Digital Remediations of the Shakespearean Text. A Hermeneutics of Reading from the First Folio to the Web, Pisa, ETS, 2022.
• Stephen Orgel, Authentic Shakespeare, London and New York, Routledge, 2002, chapters 1-4 (pp. 1-47).
• Michael Hunter, Editing Early Modern Texts. An Introduction to Principles and Practices, New York, Palgrave MacMillan, 2009 (optional reading).
• Silvia Bigliazzi, Guida a Romeo e Giulietta, Roma, Carocci, 2022 (optional reading).
• Megan Lynn Isaac, “Retelling the Tales: Examining Editions of Shakespeare”, e “Romeo and Juliet: Reincarnations”, in Heirs to Shakespeare: Reinventing the Bard in Young Adult Literature, Portsmouth, Heinemann, 2000 (optional reading).
• Emma Hayley, “Manga Shakespeare”, in Manga. An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives, ed. by Toni Johnson-Woods, London, Continuum, 2010, pp. 267-280 (optional reading).
• Courtney Lehmann, Screen Adaptations. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The Relationship between Text and Film, London, Bloomsbury, 2010 (optional reading).

Be advised:
- No editions other than those indicated in the syllabus are to be used. Texts are to be read in full. In the case of articles or book chapters, read the indicated page-range. Primary texts must be read in the original language.
- Any files uploaded in moodle other than those indicated in the above list, are not intended as substitutes for the texts in the syllabus.
- Other material in moodle not indicated in the syllabus is intended as optional.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course consists of face-to-face lectures with the active participation of students. The course will be held in English. Attending students will have the opportunity to take one self-assessment test at the end of the course. A written calendar of the topics that will be dealt with will be circulated in class at the beginning of the course.
If you need to isolate because you test positive for Covid, please contact the teacher to arrange for supplementary material.

Learning assessment procedures

Knowledge acquisition will be evaluated through an oral exam, which will consist in a discussion of the topics dealt with during the course. Alternatively, students may submit an essay in English of approximately 5,000 words at least a week before the exam. The essay will then be presented and discussed orally. For essay-writing guidelines please refer to the following text: Richard Marggraf Turley, Writing Essays, London and New York, Routledge, 2016 (2nd edition). Before submitting their essays, students are required to discuss their project with the teacher.
The assessment methods will be the same for attending and non-attending students.

Evaluation criteria

Students are expected to demonstrate:
1) knowledge of the critical methodologies employed during the course, of the history of the book and the literary works discussed during classes;
2) critical reasoning abilities;
3) adequate expository and argumentative skills in English.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade will result from the average mark students will earn on the basis of the three criteria indicated above.

Exam language

Inglese.