Italian Literature
A.Y. 2022/2023
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with a critical knowledge of the fundamental hubs of the Italian literary system, from the origins to the early nineteenth century, following the tradition and transformation of models, themes, forms.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course the student will have gained knowledge of the fundamental aspects and issues of Italian literature from its origins to the early nineteenth century, with a particular focus on the relationship between Italian literature and the political and cultural history of our country, also within the variety of geographical expressions found throughout the peninsula. The student will then be able to place genres, themes, poetics, authors and works against the background of the historical context, according to a correct periodization, and will have to become familiar with the tools (metric elements, rhetoric, theory of styles and narratology) and methodologies that allow them to analyze and interpret the texts, taking into account the modalities in their transmission and the main issues related to their philological definition.
Among the skills that the student will have to acquire will include the ability to understand literary texts; correctly grasp their thematic and formal aspects; place them in their respective contexts; read and understand contributions of literary nonfiction, focusing on critical and interpretive issues; communicate with clarity and fairness in oral and written exposition, making appropriate use of the lexicon of the discipline. These skills will be acquired through a direct and continuous meeting with the instructor in the classroom. Participation in meetings and seminars organized within the Department of Literature, Philology and Linguistics will also be of great importance.
Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to make use of the educational tools provided by the instructor on Ariel, in addition to procuring the material expressly indicated within the program or eventually put on Ariel, must contact the instructor preferably during office hours.
Among the skills that the student will have to acquire will include the ability to understand literary texts; correctly grasp their thematic and formal aspects; place them in their respective contexts; read and understand contributions of literary nonfiction, focusing on critical and interpretive issues; communicate with clarity and fairness in oral and written exposition, making appropriate use of the lexicon of the discipline. These skills will be acquired through a direct and continuous meeting with the instructor in the classroom. Participation in meetings and seminars organized within the Department of Literature, Philology and Linguistics will also be of great importance.
Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to make use of the educational tools provided by the instructor on Ariel, in addition to procuring the material expressly indicated within the program or eventually put on Ariel, must contact the instructor preferably during office hours.
Lesson period: Activity scheduled over several sessions (see Course syllabus and organization section for more detailed information).
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
A-L
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Course title: The Italian literary civilization: textual and historical-critical paths
Part A: From the Origins to the fifteenth/sixteenth Century: textual paths (the main works on which the study should focus are indicated in brackets):
- the dolce stil novo;
- Dante (Rime, Vita nova and Commedia);
- Petrarch (Canzoniere);
- Boccaccio (Decameron);
- the literature of the fifteenth century: humanism, the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici and Poliziano, Boiardo (Orlando innamorato);
- Bembo (Prose della vulgar lingua) and Castiglione (Il cortegiano).
Part B: From the sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century: textual paths (the main works on which the study should focus are indicated in brackets):
- Machiavelli (Principe);
- Guicciardini (Storia d'Italia);
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso);
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata);
- the Seventeenth Century: the poetry of Baroque (Adone of Marino), Galileo and the scientific revolution ;
- the Lombard Enlightenment and Parini (Dei delitti e delle pene; Il Giorno);
- Carlo Goldoni and Vittorio Alfieri;
- Foscolo (Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis and Dei sepolcri);
- Leopardi (Canti and Operette morali);
- Manzoni (Adelchi and Promessi sposi).
Part C: Alessandro Manzoni's Adelchi.
Part A: From the Origins to the fifteenth/sixteenth Century: textual paths (the main works on which the study should focus are indicated in brackets):
- the dolce stil novo;
- Dante (Rime, Vita nova and Commedia);
- Petrarch (Canzoniere);
- Boccaccio (Decameron);
- the literature of the fifteenth century: humanism, the Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici and Poliziano, Boiardo (Orlando innamorato);
- Bembo (Prose della vulgar lingua) and Castiglione (Il cortegiano).
Part B: From the sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century: textual paths (the main works on which the study should focus are indicated in brackets):
- Machiavelli (Principe);
- Guicciardini (Storia d'Italia);
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso);
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata);
- the Seventeenth Century: the poetry of Baroque (Adone of Marino), Galileo and the scientific revolution ;
- the Lombard Enlightenment and Parini (Dei delitti e delle pene; Il Giorno);
- Carlo Goldoni and Vittorio Alfieri;
- Foscolo (Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis and Dei sepolcri);
- Leopardi (Canti and Operette morali);
- Manzoni (Adelchi and Promessi sposi).
Part C: Alessandro Manzoni's Adelchi.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements different from those requested for the degree admission.
Teaching methods
Attendance to classes is strongly recommended although not compulsory. The teaching is delivered through frontal lectures aimed primarily at the acquisition of knowledge, competence and specific language of the subject. Discussion with the teacher in the classroom is integrant part of the didactic method and aims at promoting a critical attitude and the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge.
Also thanks to slide projections, lessons will focus on movements, authors and works and their cultural context; on the main critical problems of each topic, through quotations from critical essays and comparisons among different critical views; on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects. All the materials will be available on ARIEL.
Analysis of the texts will start from the undestanding of their meaning, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
The lectures devoted to Manzoni's Adelchi will aim to set the work in historical and ideological context and provide all the elements useful for its understanding, including in connection with its drafting history.
Non-attending students must use the materials expressly indicated in this program and will have to ask the teacher for advice either by e-mail or during office hours.
Also thanks to slide projections, lessons will focus on movements, authors and works and their cultural context; on the main critical problems of each topic, through quotations from critical essays and comparisons among different critical views; on tradition and reception of works and texts; on their most interesting formal aspects. All the materials will be available on ARIEL.
Analysis of the texts will start from the undestanding of their meaning, paying attention to the most important differences in interpretation, and will consider the prominent cultural and formal elements.
The lectures devoted to Manzoni's Adelchi will aim to set the work in historical and ideological context and provide all the elements useful for its understanding, including in connection with its drafting history.
Non-attending students must use the materials expressly indicated in this program and will have to ask the teacher for advice either by e-mail or during office hours.
Teaching Resources
Attending students:
Program for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of topics covered in class in parts B and C, with related texts.
For part B, the student will be required to prepare pp. 165-313 on the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 and study the same topics on a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be provided in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Niccolò Machiavelli, Lettera a Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II Scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- course notes with all references to other works by Manzoni that will be covered during the lectures.
Program for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics covered in class (parts A, B and C).
For parts A and B, the student should prepare the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 (with regard to the topics indicated above in the syllabus part), and study the same topics in a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be given in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Guido Guinizelli, Al cor gentil rempaira sempre amore (pp. 17-20); Guido Cavalcanti, Tu m'hai così piena di dolor la mente (pp. 21-22); Dante Alighieri, Guido, i' vorrei che tu e Lapo ed io (pp. 32-33); Dante Alighieri, Così nel mio parlar vogli'esser aspro (pp. 33-37); Dante Alighieri, Inferno X (pp. 40-47); Petrarch, Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse il suono (pp. 64-65); Petrarch, Italia mia, benché 'l parlar sia indarno (pp. 69-74); Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron IV, Introduction 5-31 (pp. 83-88); Lorenzo de' Medici, Canzona di Bacco (pp. 125-127); Matteo Maria Boiardo, Inamoramento de Orlando I xviii 32-48 (pp. 132-137); Niccolò Machiavelli, Letter to Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- course notes with all references to other works by Manzoni that will be covered during the lectures.
Non-attending students:
Attending students:
Program for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of topics covered in class in parts B and C, with related texts.
For part B, the student will be required to prepare pp. 165-313 on the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 and study the same topics on a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be provided in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Niccolò Machiavelli, Lettera a Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II Scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Francesco Bruni, Adelchi, eroe shakespeariano, in La maschera e il volto. Il teatro in Italia, a cura di F. Bruni, Venezia, Marsilio, 2002, pp. 275-291 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Matteo Di Gesù, Tragedia all'italiana: Adelchi, i padri, la patria, «In Verbis», 2, 2014, pp. 139-154 (available on the unimi opac site).
Program for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics covered in class (parts A, B and C).
For parts A and B, the student should prepare the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 (with regard to the topics indicated above in the syllabus part), and study the same topics in a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be given in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Guido Guinizelli, Al cor gentil rempaira sempre amore (pp. 17-20); Guido Cavalcanti, Tu m'hai così piena di dolor la mente (pp. 21-22); Dante Alighieri, Guido, i' vorrei che tu e Lapo ed io (pp. 32-33); Dante Alighieri, Così nel mio parlar vogli'esser aspro (pp. 33-37); Dante Alighieri, Inferno X (pp. 40-47); Petrarch, Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse il suono (pp. 64-65); Petrarch, Italia mia, benché 'l parlar sia indarno (pp. 69-74); Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron IV, Introduction 5-31 (pp. 83-88); Lorenzo de' Medici, Canzona di Bacco (pp. 125-127); Matteo Maria Boiardo, Inamoramento de Orlando I xviii 32-48 (pp. 132-137); Niccolò Machiavelli, Letter to Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Francesco Bruni, Adelchi, eroe shakespeariano, in La maschera e il volto. Il teatro in Italia, a cura di F. Bruni, Venezia, Marsilio, 2002, pp. 275-291 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Matteo Di Gesù, Tragedia all'italiana: Adelchi, i padri, la patria, «In Verbis», 2, 2014, pp. 139-154 (available on the unimi opac site).
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
Program for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of topics covered in class in parts B and C, with related texts.
For part B, the student will be required to prepare pp. 165-313 on the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 and study the same topics on a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be provided in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Niccolò Machiavelli, Lettera a Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II Scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- course notes with all references to other works by Manzoni that will be covered during the lectures.
Program for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics covered in class (parts A, B and C).
For parts A and B, the student should prepare the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 (with regard to the topics indicated above in the syllabus part), and study the same topics in a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be given in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Guido Guinizelli, Al cor gentil rempaira sempre amore (pp. 17-20); Guido Cavalcanti, Tu m'hai così piena di dolor la mente (pp. 21-22); Dante Alighieri, Guido, i' vorrei che tu e Lapo ed io (pp. 32-33); Dante Alighieri, Così nel mio parlar vogli'esser aspro (pp. 33-37); Dante Alighieri, Inferno X (pp. 40-47); Petrarch, Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse il suono (pp. 64-65); Petrarch, Italia mia, benché 'l parlar sia indarno (pp. 69-74); Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron IV, Introduction 5-31 (pp. 83-88); Lorenzo de' Medici, Canzona di Bacco (pp. 125-127); Matteo Maria Boiardo, Inamoramento de Orlando I xviii 32-48 (pp. 132-137); Niccolò Machiavelli, Letter to Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- course notes with all references to other works by Manzoni that will be covered during the lectures.
Non-attending students:
Attending students:
Program for 6 cfu:
Knowledge of topics covered in class in parts B and C, with related texts.
For part B, the student will be required to prepare pp. 165-313 on the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 and study the same topics on a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be provided in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Niccolò Machiavelli, Lettera a Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II Scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Francesco Bruni, Adelchi, eroe shakespeariano, in La maschera e il volto. Il teatro in Italia, a cura di F. Bruni, Venezia, Marsilio, 2002, pp. 275-291 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Matteo Di Gesù, Tragedia all'italiana: Adelchi, i padri, la patria, «In Verbis», 2, 2014, pp. 139-154 (available on the unimi opac site).
Program for 9 cfu:
Knowledge of the topics covered in class (parts A, B and C).
For parts A and B, the student should prepare the book Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, Milan, Cortina, 2022 (with regard to the topics indicated above in the syllabus part), and study the same topics in a textbook on the history of Italian literature of their choice (information will be given in the course presentation, which will be available on Ariel at the beginning of the lectures); in particular, preparation of the paraphrase of the following passages in the anthology will be required: Guido Guinizelli, Al cor gentil rempaira sempre amore (pp. 17-20); Guido Cavalcanti, Tu m'hai così piena di dolor la mente (pp. 21-22); Dante Alighieri, Guido, i' vorrei che tu e Lapo ed io (pp. 32-33); Dante Alighieri, Così nel mio parlar vogli'esser aspro (pp. 33-37); Dante Alighieri, Inferno X (pp. 40-47); Petrarch, Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse il suono (pp. 64-65); Petrarch, Italia mia, benché 'l parlar sia indarno (pp. 69-74); Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron IV, Introduction 5-31 (pp. 83-88); Lorenzo de' Medici, Canzona di Bacco (pp. 125-127); Matteo Maria Boiardo, Inamoramento de Orlando I xviii 32-48 (pp. 132-137); Niccolò Machiavelli, Letter to Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513 (pp. 168-174); Niccolò Machiavelli, De principatibus 18 (pp. 178-182); Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso I 1-4 (pp. 190-191); Orlando furioso XII 1-22 (pp. 191-198); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata I 1-5 (pp. 216-218); Torquato Tasso, Gerusalemme liberata III 16-31 (pp. 218-223); Giambattista Marino, Adone X 39-47 (pp. 229-232); Giuseppe Parini, Mattino (1763), 125-57 (pp. 259-261); Filippo, Act II scene IV (pp. 266-271); Ugo Foscolo, De' sepolcri 91-150 (pp. 293-296); Giacomo Leopardi, Canto notturno di un pastore errante dell'Asia (pp. 299-304).
For Part C the student should prepare:
- Alessandro Manzoni, Adelchi, introduction by Pietro Gibellini, preface and notes by Sergio Blazina, Milan, Garzanti (in its entirety apart from Notes for "Spartacus");
- the chorus of Act III with the commentary found in Antologia della letteratura italiana, edited by G. Baldassari and G. Barucci, pp. 318-321;
- Giuseppe Langella, "Liberi non sarem se non siam uni," in Id., Amor di patria. Manzoni and other literature of the Risorgimento, Novara, Interlinea, 2005, pp. 69-99 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Francesco Bruni, Adelchi, eroe shakespeariano, in La maschera e il volto. Il teatro in Italia, a cura di F. Bruni, Venezia, Marsilio, 2002, pp. 275-291 (it will be made available on Ariel);
- Matteo Di Gesù, Tragedia all'italiana: Adelchi, i padri, la patria, «In Verbis», 2, 2014, pp. 139-154 (available on the unimi opac site).
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
Assessment methods and Criteria
- Method: The exam for 9 cfu consists of a preliminary written test on parts A and B and an oral test on part C. The exam for 6 cfu consists of an oral test on parts B and C. The written test is held in December 2022, May, September 2023; passing the written test is a prerequisite for the oral exam.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program; students may choice between two pairs of questions) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon, and, for the second question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize informations from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical language.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Informations on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel where students will find specimen papers of previous written tests.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program; students may choice between two pairs of questions) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon, and, for the second question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize informations from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical language.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Informations on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel where students will find specimen papers of previous written tests.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
M-Z
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Title of the course: Italian literary civilization: textual and historical-critical paths
Part A: To the Origins to the Fifteenth/Sixteenth century. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Stilnovo (with references to previous lyrical experiences in Italy)
- Dante (Rime, Vita Nova, Commedia)
- Petrarca (Canoniere)
- Boccaccio (Decameron)
- Literature of the Fifteenth century (Lorenzo il Magnifico, Poliziano, Boiardo - Orlando innamorato)
- Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and the foundation of the Italian language (with reference to Petrarchism)
- Castiglione (Cortegiano) and the treatises of the Sixteenth century
Part B: From the sixteenth century to the beginning of the Nineteenth. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Machiavelli (Principe)
- Historical prose (Machiavelli, Guicciardini)
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso)
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata)
- Baroque (Marino - Adone)
- Galileo and the scientific themes in literature (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi)
- Enlightenment; Parini (Giorno)
- Leopardi (Canti, Operette morali)
- Manzoni (Adelchi, Cinque maggio)
Part C: Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo
Part A: To the Origins to the Fifteenth/Sixteenth century. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Stilnovo (with references to previous lyrical experiences in Italy)
- Dante (Rime, Vita Nova, Commedia)
- Petrarca (Canoniere)
- Boccaccio (Decameron)
- Literature of the Fifteenth century (Lorenzo il Magnifico, Poliziano, Boiardo - Orlando innamorato)
- Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and the foundation of the Italian language (with reference to Petrarchism)
- Castiglione (Cortegiano) and the treatises of the Sixteenth century
Part B: From the sixteenth century to the beginning of the Nineteenth. Textual paths (among brackets, authors and works that will be object of specific focus):
- Machiavelli (Principe)
- Historical prose (Machiavelli, Guicciardini)
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso)
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata)
- Baroque (Marino - Adone)
- Galileo and the scientific themes in literature (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi)
- Enlightenment; Parini (Giorno)
- Leopardi (Canti, Operette morali)
- Manzoni (Adelchi, Cinque maggio)
Part C: Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements different from those requested for the degree admission.
Teaching methods
Attendance to classes is strongly recommended although not compulsory. The teaching is delivered through frontal lectures aimed primarily at the acquisition of knowledge, competence and specific language of the subject. Discussion with the teacher in the classroom is integrant part of the didactic method and aims at promoting a critical attitude and the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge.
The teaching is also based on didactic and multimedia material provided on Ariel.
The teaching is also based on didactic and multimedia material provided on Ariel.
Teaching Resources
Attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu (parts B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022 (starting from cap. XIII). It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998.
- Programme for 9 cfu (parts A, B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022 (up to part IV, cap. XII: Il Libro del Cortegiano). It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part B, the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022. It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998.
Non-attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu (parts B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022 (starting from cap. XIII). It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998, and Giuseppe Nicoletti, Foscolo, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2019.
- Programme for 9 cfu (parts A, B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022. It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part B, the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022. It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998 and Giuseppe Nicoletti, Foscolo, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2019.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
- Programme for 6 cfu (parts B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022 (starting from cap. XIII). It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998.
- Programme for 9 cfu (parts A, B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022 (up to part IV, cap. XII: Il Libro del Cortegiano). It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part B, the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022. It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998.
Non-attending students:
- Programme for 6 cfu (parts B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022 (starting from cap. XIII). It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998, and Giuseppe Nicoletti, Foscolo, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2019.
- Programme for 9 cfu (parts A, B and C):
a precise study of all aspects presented during frontal lessons is required, both through personal notes and documentation uploaded on Ariel.
Part A: the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022. It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part B, the final list of literary texts, the precise study of which is required, will be defined before the end of the course. It is also required the use of a specific anthology: Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022. It's necessary to complete the study of literary history through a valid highschool level manual (a few suggestions will be given during the lessons and on Ariel.
Part C: it's required to study the chapters of the novel presented during lessons (the final list will be given at the end of the course); the required edition of the novel is: Ugo Foscolo, Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, a cura di Giuseppe Nicoletti, Firenze, Edimedia, 2017. It's necessary to study the critical introduction to the same edition and the notes, as an aide in the comprehension of the listed chapters.
It's also required to study Maria Antonietta Terzoli, Ugo Foscolo, in Storia della letteratura italiana diretta da Enrico Malato, vol. VII: Il primo Ottocento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 1998 and Giuseppe Nicoletti, Foscolo, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2019.
International and Erasmus students are invited to promptly get in touch with the professor in order to arrange a reading plan (available in English) for exam preparation.
Assessment methods and Criteria
- Method: The exam for 9 cfu consists of a preliminary written test on parts A and B and an oral test on part C. The exam for 6 cfu consists of an oral test on parts A and C. The written test is held in January, May or June, September 2022; passing the written test is a prerequisite for the oral exam.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon, and, for the second question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize information from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical language.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Information on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
- Type of examination: written test with two open questions (a question on the authors, works or literary movements listed in the program, and a question which consists in the recognition, paraphrase and commentary of one of the texts in the program) and oral interrogation;
- Length of written examination: 90 minutes;
- As for the written test, the criteria used to assess student's performance are relevance, completeness and correctness; the ability to elaborate an organic and coherent response, to adopt the proper formal register and to employ the appropriate specialized lexicon, and, for the second question, to adequately render a text showing a satisfactory knowledge of the literary language will be considered. Oral test consists of an interview on fundamental topics of the work dealt with in part C: the student will have to demonstrate a full ability to paraphrase the text. The criteria used to assess student's performance are: ability to critically organize information from lessons and bibliography; competence to comprehensively and effectively expose problems and questions using proper technical language.
- Type of evaluation method: Written tests will be graded sufficient, discreet, good, excellent and will be considered in the final overall grade, that will be expressed in the 30 grade point system; even if they do not pass the written test, students can be admitted to the oral test (provided that their assessment is not seriously inadequate).
- Number and types of assessment that contribute to the final evaluation: both written test and oral interrogation.
- Method of communication of the assessment results in case of written examinations: Ariel site.
- Information on the program and on the exam will be provided in the first lesson of the course; a presentation will be available on Ariel.
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Tuesday 9.30-12.30
Department of Literary Studies, Philology and Linguistics, Unit of Modern Studies, second floor