American Literature 2
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course is a second formative step in the curriculum specializing in American Literature, which is organized by literary genres, and it is addressed to second-year students. The second year will complete the historical and literary background from the origins to Modernism and is a survey of prose writing, both autobiographical and fiction, and it will offer the tools necessary for a critical analysis of the prose text, both in its contents and aesthetic forms. The course is divided into three didactic units, which will treat three specific literary periods: "The Colonial Period," "The Nineteenth Century," and "The Modernism."
Expected learning outcomes
Required knowledge: at the end of the course, students should be able to situate the primary texts included in the reading list in their historical, cultural and literary context. They should also be able to contextualize each author within the or literary period to which they belong. They should demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of all the literary works included in the reading list. Required linguistic skills: at the end of the course, students should demonstrate the ability to read and translate the original versions of the literary works included in the reading list, (or to paraphrase them in English, in the case of international students), to discuss in English what they learned during the course. Required literary skills: at the end of the course, students should be able to perform a critical and formal text analysis of the literary works included in the reading list, and an ability to make connections between the various authors and works they have been studying.
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
Course syllabus
The course is titled American Prose: Life Writing, the Novel, and the Short Story and consists of the following didactic units that will be taught in this chronological order:
A: Autobiography, fiction, and the rise of a national literature
B: The XIX century American novel and the short story
C: Voices from the late XIX and the beginning of the XX century
Students from Lingue who major in American Literature must attend the whole course, which provides 9 credits, and are required to complete the whole course syllabus.
Students from Lettere, Storia, Filosofia and other departments can opt for either a 9 or a 6 credit course. The latter are invited to discuss and set the program in advance.
The course is an introduction to US narrative, from colonial autobiographical writing through the birth and flourishing of a national literature during the XIX century and its two main genres, the novel and the shot story. It then focuses on Realism, Naturalism at the turn of the century and finally on Modernist prose writing before and during the Jazz age.
The course syllabus is valid until July 2026.
A: Autobiography, fiction, and the rise of a national literature
B: The XIX century American novel and the short story
C: Voices from the late XIX and the beginning of the XX century
Students from Lingue who major in American Literature must attend the whole course, which provides 9 credits, and are required to complete the whole course syllabus.
Students from Lettere, Storia, Filosofia and other departments can opt for either a 9 or a 6 credit course. The latter are invited to discuss and set the program in advance.
The course is an introduction to US narrative, from colonial autobiographical writing through the birth and flourishing of a national literature during the XIX century and its two main genres, the novel and the shot story. It then focuses on Realism, Naturalism at the turn of the century and finally on Modernist prose writing before and during the Jazz age.
The course syllabus is valid until July 2026.
Prerequisites for admission
Students from Lingue must have taken and passed the English language test administered by the degree course and the exam American Literature I.
The course is completely delivered in English. Its materials and bibliography require a sound knowledge of the English language.
International students and Erasmus students are most welcome as long as they own the required linguistic skills.
The course is completely delivered in English. Its materials and bibliography require a sound knowledge of the English language.
International students and Erasmus students are most welcome as long as they own the required linguistic skills.
Teaching methods
Classes start with an introductory discussion/brainstorming, followed by a lecture focused on the context, the analysis and interpretation of the texts listed in the syllabus, students' questions and comments. Students are asked to read the texts in advance.
Teaching Resources
1) From The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Tenth Edition, 2022, vol. A, B, C and D):
Volume A:
John Winthrop, "A model of Christian Charity"
Mary Rowlandson, from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson"
Jonathan Edwards, "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God"
Benjamin Franklin, from The Autobiography
Volume B:
Washington Irving, "The Author's Account of Himself"; "Rip Van Winkle"; "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
Nathanael Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Edgar Allan Poe, "William Wilson"; "The Purloined Letter"
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself"
Volume C:
Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Jack London, "To Build a Fire"
Volume D:
Susan Glaspell, Trifles
Zora Neale Hurston, "Sweat", "How Does it Feel to be Colored Me"
Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily"
Ernest Hemingway, "Indian Camp"
2) The following novels (not included in the Norton Anthology):
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
3) ONE of the following texts:
James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans (1826)
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Or Life in the Woods (1854)
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861)
Henry James, Portrait of a Lady (1881)
Stephen Crane, Maggie. A Girl of the Street (1893 - Norton, vol. C)
Abraham Cahan, Yekl: A tale of the New York Ghetto (1896 - Norton, vol. C)
Kate Chopin, The Awakening (1899)
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)
Jack London, The Iron Heel (1908)
Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio (1919)
Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence (1920)
Willa Cather, My Antonia (1924 - Norton, vol. D)
John Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer (1925)
William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury (1929)
Nella Larsen, Passing (1929 - Norton Volume D)
Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms (1932)
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
Nathanael West, The Day of the Locust (1939)
James Agee, Walker Evans, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (1941)
Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night (1940-1946 - Norton vol. D)
Richard Wright, Black Boy (1945)
In addition to the primary texts, students are required to study the introductions to the historical and cultural contexts, the timelines and the introductions to the authors in the volumes of The Norton Anthology (A, B, C, D) and the selected chapters of the handbook.
4) Handbook
· Cristina Iuli, Paola Loreto (ed. by), La letteratura degli Stati Uniti. Dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni, Roma, Carocci, 2017 (chapters 1, 3, 5, 6, 9)
5) Critical essays: available on Ariel/Teams
Notice for non-attending students:
In addition to the previous texts, students who do not attend classes regularly are asked to study Giorgio Mariani, Melville: guida a Moby-Dick (Carocci, 2022) and the critical essays for non-attending students available on Ariel/Teams.
Non-attending students are invited to contact the Professor.
Volume A:
John Winthrop, "A model of Christian Charity"
Mary Rowlandson, from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson"
Jonathan Edwards, "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God"
Benjamin Franklin, from The Autobiography
Volume B:
Washington Irving, "The Author's Account of Himself"; "Rip Van Winkle"; "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
Nathanael Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Edgar Allan Poe, "William Wilson"; "The Purloined Letter"
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself"
Volume C:
Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Jack London, "To Build a Fire"
Volume D:
Susan Glaspell, Trifles
Zora Neale Hurston, "Sweat", "How Does it Feel to be Colored Me"
Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily"
Ernest Hemingway, "Indian Camp"
2) The following novels (not included in the Norton Anthology):
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
3) ONE of the following texts:
James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans (1826)
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Or Life in the Woods (1854)
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861)
Henry James, Portrait of a Lady (1881)
Stephen Crane, Maggie. A Girl of the Street (1893 - Norton, vol. C)
Abraham Cahan, Yekl: A tale of the New York Ghetto (1896 - Norton, vol. C)
Kate Chopin, The Awakening (1899)
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)
Jack London, The Iron Heel (1908)
Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio (1919)
Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence (1920)
Willa Cather, My Antonia (1924 - Norton, vol. D)
John Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer (1925)
William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury (1929)
Nella Larsen, Passing (1929 - Norton Volume D)
Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms (1932)
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
Nathanael West, The Day of the Locust (1939)
James Agee, Walker Evans, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (1941)
Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night (1940-1946 - Norton vol. D)
Richard Wright, Black Boy (1945)
In addition to the primary texts, students are required to study the introductions to the historical and cultural contexts, the timelines and the introductions to the authors in the volumes of The Norton Anthology (A, B, C, D) and the selected chapters of the handbook.
4) Handbook
· Cristina Iuli, Paola Loreto (ed. by), La letteratura degli Stati Uniti. Dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni, Roma, Carocci, 2017 (chapters 1, 3, 5, 6, 9)
5) Critical essays: available on Ariel/Teams
Notice for non-attending students:
In addition to the previous texts, students who do not attend classes regularly are asked to study Giorgio Mariani, Melville: guida a Moby-Dick (Carocci, 2022) and the critical essays for non-attending students available on Ariel/Teams.
Non-attending students are invited to contact the Professor.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral: the exam is an interview; students have to demonstrate their capacity to read and translate the literary texts listed in the course syllabus (non-Italian students will be asked to paraphrase the same in English); their knowledge of the historical, cultural, and literary context of both the texts and writers; their knowledge of the literary works; their critical abilities (i.e., their capacity to analyze the literary works, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends).
Students from Lingue have to take their exam in English. They should be aware that the quality of their exposition will be part of the exam assessment.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
For attending students, a midterm written exam will be scheduled.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Also students with any disabilities should contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along an academic edition of all the literary texts listed in the syllabus.
Students from Lingue have to take their exam in English. They should be aware that the quality of their exposition will be part of the exam assessment.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
For attending students, a midterm written exam will be scheduled.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Also students with any disabilities should contact the teacher in order to agree on alternative examination methods, in agreement with the competent office.
It is mandatory to bring along an academic edition of all the literary texts listed in the syllabus.
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Schiavini Cinzia
Professor(s)
Reception:
Office hours: Wednesday, 11-12,30; Teams: by appointment. Contact by mail in advance to confirm an appointment.
Piazza S. Alessandro 1, English Department, second floor