Contemporary Italian Literature and Publishing System
A.Y. 2020/2021
Learning objectives
Consistent with the objectives of the Master's course in ECCM, and in particular with the aim of providing more in-depth study on the editorial culture in its various aspects, the course aims to provide students with a broad historical picture on the relationship between Italian literature and the publishing system in the twentieth century. Special attention will be paid to the literary models developed and formed by the decisions of the publisher based on their identity and the readers they hope to reach. Along the same lines, some prestigious figures of editorial directors and series directors of the past who interwove the literary system and publishing system will be presented, demonstrating how their idea of literature manifests itself in the publications of the editors for which they work, and vice versa how the appearance of the publishers imposes, even to men-of-letters, choices according to the readers wishes. With regard to the situation of the publishing within the present time, some active publishing operators (editorial directors, editors, press editors) will be invited to present in the course of the lessons the manner of today's editorial work.
Expected learning outcomes
The very specific re-reading from a publishing perspective of the events of literary culture of the twentieth century will lead to the deepening of knowledge of both literature and editorial work. By focusing on the characteristics and reasons behind editorial decision-making and the way in which many twentieth-century publishers are published, the student will eventually be able, moving from the historical plan of the interweaving between the literary system and the publishing system, to also achieve a theoretical awareness of the relationship between the two systems. At the same time, the student will acquire a particular competence on the editorial characteristics of a book, which will allow them, in the professional field, to recognize the problems posed by the production of different types of publications in relation to the different groups of readers, and to identify the ways in which to deal with different editorial dynamics.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Lessons of this course will be held in remote mode, mostly in synchronous form, through TEAMS platform; asynchronous lessons will be announced on the ARIEL teaching site (https://acadiolilseimc.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/).
All lessons will be supported by teaching materials, images and videos, also available on the Ariel website, on the teaching pages (https://acadiolilseimc.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/).
This is the program of the lessons, which will follow three blocks of topics, to each of which ten lessons are dedicated (the first block will present the publishing system in its development from the Unification of Italy to the 1960s, with particular reference to the years after World War II; the second block the relationship writer and reader, the third will present the ways of writers and publishers to search the reader).
1. Presentation of the course. Literary and editorial system
2. New publishing horizons after the Unification of Italy. Milan's role in defining a new publishing system in front of new readers. The example of Treves
3. Publishing system between works of culture and entertainment on early twentieth.
4.The Mondadori case: from small local printer to national publisher. The Mondadori series on thirties
5. Meeting with publishing house workers
6. New protagonists of publishing system: Bompiani and Einaudi
7. Publishing on immediate post-war period: reader's research
8. Meeting with publishing house workers
9. Publishing between tradition and innovation
10. Clarification of student questions
11. The literary series: definition and usefulness of his study
12. Experts: definition and usefulness of their study
13. Literary system, editorial system
14. Meeting with publishing house workers
15. Exemple of peritext: titles
16. Exemples of peritext: covers
17. Meeting with publishing house workers
18. Exemples of peritext: publisher's writings
19. Other peritexts
20. Clarification of student questions
21. Presentation of the form. Literary system after the Second World War
22. Writers' choices: representation of reality
23. Again on representation of reality
24. Publishers' choices: new fiction series
25. Still on publishers' choices: new titles or marketing?
26. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno
27. The memoir: Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo
28. Between fairytale and reality: Calvino, Il Visconte dimezzato
29. Module and course conclusions
30. Clarification of student questions
Students will be able to find informations to access to every lesson on Ariel teaching site; here they will also find all information regarding lessons and any changes in reference bibliography.
Test will take place with an oral interview, according to the Syllabus and the modalities that will be communicated on the Ariel website at the end of the course.
All lessons will be supported by teaching materials, images and videos, also available on the Ariel website, on the teaching pages (https://acadiolilseimc.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/).
This is the program of the lessons, which will follow three blocks of topics, to each of which ten lessons are dedicated (the first block will present the publishing system in its development from the Unification of Italy to the 1960s, with particular reference to the years after World War II; the second block the relationship writer and reader, the third will present the ways of writers and publishers to search the reader).
1. Presentation of the course. Literary and editorial system
2. New publishing horizons after the Unification of Italy. Milan's role in defining a new publishing system in front of new readers. The example of Treves
3. Publishing system between works of culture and entertainment on early twentieth.
4.The Mondadori case: from small local printer to national publisher. The Mondadori series on thirties
5. Meeting with publishing house workers
6. New protagonists of publishing system: Bompiani and Einaudi
7. Publishing on immediate post-war period: reader's research
8. Meeting with publishing house workers
9. Publishing between tradition and innovation
10. Clarification of student questions
11. The literary series: definition and usefulness of his study
12. Experts: definition and usefulness of their study
13. Literary system, editorial system
14. Meeting with publishing house workers
15. Exemple of peritext: titles
16. Exemples of peritext: covers
17. Meeting with publishing house workers
18. Exemples of peritext: publisher's writings
19. Other peritexts
20. Clarification of student questions
21. Presentation of the form. Literary system after the Second World War
22. Writers' choices: representation of reality
23. Again on representation of reality
24. Publishers' choices: new fiction series
25. Still on publishers' choices: new titles or marketing?
26. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno
27. The memoir: Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo
28. Between fairytale and reality: Calvino, Il Visconte dimezzato
29. Module and course conclusions
30. Clarification of student questions
Students will be able to find informations to access to every lesson on Ariel teaching site; here they will also find all information regarding lessons and any changes in reference bibliography.
Test will take place with an oral interview, according to the Syllabus and the modalities that will be communicated on the Ariel website at the end of the course.
Course syllabus
This is the program of the lessons, which will follow three blocks of topics, to each of which ten lessons are dedicated (the first block will present the publishing system in its development from the Unification of Italy to the 1960s, with particular reference to the years after World War II; the second block the relationship writer and reader, the third will present the ways of writers and publishers to search the reader).
1. Presentation of the course. Literary and editorial system
2. New publishing horizons after the Unification of Italy. Milan's role in defining a new publishing system in front of new readers. The example of Treves
3. Publishing system between works of culture and entertainment on early twentieth.
4.The Mondadori case: from small local printer to national publisher. The Mondadori series on thirties
5. Meeting with publishing house workers
6. New protagonists of publishing system: Bompiani and Einaudi
7. Publishing on immediate post-war period: reader's research
8. Meeting with publishing house workers
9. Publishing between tradition and innovation
10. Clarification of student questions
11. The literary series: definition and usefulness of his study
12. Experts: definition and usefulness of their study
13. Literary system, editorial system
14. Meeting with publishing house workers
15. Exemple of peritext: titles
16. Exemples of peritext: covers
17. Meeting with publishing house workers
18. Exemples of peritext: publisher's writings
19. Other peritexts
20. Clarification of student questions
21. Presentation of the form. Literary system after the Second World War
22. Writers' choices: representation of reality
23. Again on representation of reality
24. Publishers' choices: new fiction series
25. Still on publishers' choices: new titles or marketing?
26. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno
27. The memoir: Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo
28. Between fairytale and reality: Calvino, Il Visconte dimezzato
29. Module and course conclusions
30. Clarification of student questions
1. Presentation of the course. Literary and editorial system
2. New publishing horizons after the Unification of Italy. Milan's role in defining a new publishing system in front of new readers. The example of Treves
3. Publishing system between works of culture and entertainment on early twentieth.
4.The Mondadori case: from small local printer to national publisher. The Mondadori series on thirties
5. Meeting with publishing house workers
6. New protagonists of publishing system: Bompiani and Einaudi
7. Publishing on immediate post-war period: reader's research
8. Meeting with publishing house workers
9. Publishing between tradition and innovation
10. Clarification of student questions
11. The literary series: definition and usefulness of his study
12. Experts: definition and usefulness of their study
13. Literary system, editorial system
14. Meeting with publishing house workers
15. Exemple of peritext: titles
16. Exemples of peritext: covers
17. Meeting with publishing house workers
18. Exemples of peritext: publisher's writings
19. Other peritexts
20. Clarification of student questions
21. Presentation of the form. Literary system after the Second World War
22. Writers' choices: representation of reality
23. Again on representation of reality
24. Publishers' choices: new fiction series
25. Still on publishers' choices: new titles or marketing?
26. Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno
27. The memoir: Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo
28. Between fairytale and reality: Calvino, Il Visconte dimezzato
29. Module and course conclusions
30. Clarification of student questions
Prerequisites for admission
It needs a knowledge of Italian Literature of the last decades of XIX century and all XX century.
Teaching methods
This course is based on frontal lessons, during which textual and visual materials are presented, which will be available in Ariel, on the teaching site. The last lesson of each block will be set so that those who have attended the lessons can ask questions and ask for clarifications, which can also be anticipated to the teacher by email. Attendance, although not compulsory, is strongly recommended.
Teaching Resources
Lessons 1-20
For students who have attended to all lessons:
* to the notes
* teaching materials uploaded in ARIEL
Alberto Cadioli - Giuliano Vigini, Storia dell'editoria in Italia. Dall'unità a oggi, Milano, Editrice Bibliografica, edizione 2018.
G. Turi, Libri e lettori nell'Italia repubblicana, Roma, Carocci, 2019.
The students who had not attended to the lessons will add:
G. C. Ferretti, Storia dell'editoria letteraria in Italia. 1945-2003, Torino, Einaudi, 2004, le pp. 3-157.
Lesson 11-20
For students who have attended to all lessons
* to the notes
* teaching materials uploaded in ARIEL
* the introduction and the chapters 1, 2, 3, 5 of: Alberto Cadioli, Le diverse pagine, il Saggiatore, 2012.
The students who had not attended to the lessons will add:
Barbara Sghiavetta, Editoria a testa alta. Le quarte di copertina de "Gli Struzzi", Bologna, Pàtron, 2009.
Lessons 21-30
Knowledge of twentieth-century Italian fiction is required, which can be reached or deepened by using the twentieth-century part of the Italian literature manual.
For students who have attended to all lessons:
* to the notes
* teaching materials uploaded in ARIEL,
* F. De Nicola, Il neorealismo, Editrice Bibliografica, 2016
AND TWO of these novels:
Vittorini, Uomini e no
Calvino: Il sentiero dei nidi di Ragno
Primo Levi: Se questo è un uomo
Calvino, Il visconte dimezzato
For an in-depth study of the selected novels, it is advisable to use the literature manuals on the pages dedicated to individual authors.
The students who had not attended to the lessons will modify the mentioned program studying all four novels. These students are also advised to use the literature manuals on the pages dedicated to the individual authors to deepen their knowledge of the novels.
For students who have attended to all lessons:
* to the notes
* teaching materials uploaded in ARIEL
Alberto Cadioli - Giuliano Vigini, Storia dell'editoria in Italia. Dall'unità a oggi, Milano, Editrice Bibliografica, edizione 2018.
G. Turi, Libri e lettori nell'Italia repubblicana, Roma, Carocci, 2019.
The students who had not attended to the lessons will add:
G. C. Ferretti, Storia dell'editoria letteraria in Italia. 1945-2003, Torino, Einaudi, 2004, le pp. 3-157.
Lesson 11-20
For students who have attended to all lessons
* to the notes
* teaching materials uploaded in ARIEL
* the introduction and the chapters 1, 2, 3, 5 of: Alberto Cadioli, Le diverse pagine, il Saggiatore, 2012.
The students who had not attended to the lessons will add:
Barbara Sghiavetta, Editoria a testa alta. Le quarte di copertina de "Gli Struzzi", Bologna, Pàtron, 2009.
Lessons 21-30
Knowledge of twentieth-century Italian fiction is required, which can be reached or deepened by using the twentieth-century part of the Italian literature manual.
For students who have attended to all lessons:
* to the notes
* teaching materials uploaded in ARIEL,
* F. De Nicola, Il neorealismo, Editrice Bibliografica, 2016
AND TWO of these novels:
Vittorini, Uomini e no
Calvino: Il sentiero dei nidi di Ragno
Primo Levi: Se questo è un uomo
Calvino, Il visconte dimezzato
For an in-depth study of the selected novels, it is advisable to use the literature manuals on the pages dedicated to individual authors.
The students who had not attended to the lessons will modify the mentioned program studying all four novels. These students are also advised to use the literature manuals on the pages dedicated to the individual authors to deepen their knowledge of the novels.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment will be based on oral test, regarding the subjects of the programs and, for the students that have attended the lessons, on the subjects analysed during the course. The exam will verify the student's ability to express the knowledge acquired and to explain it accurately.
Assessment result will be in Thirtieths.
The Erasmus incoming students and international students are invited to contact as soon as possible the teacher.
Assessment result will be in Thirtieths.
The Erasmus incoming students and international students are invited to contact as soon as possible the teacher.
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/11 - CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Professor Cadioli receives students in his office by appointment. Please write and the day and time will be arranged.
In the teacher's office.