American Literature Lm
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course is offered in a double annuality as a specialized exploration of selections of US literary production, which will be conducted either from a thematic point of view or from a recent and current critical perspective. The course will present the fundamental theory and methodology of one or more critical approaches. Literary works will be read in class with the aim of training students in the skill of applying literary theory to critical text analysis.
Expected learning outcomes
Required knowledge: at the end of the course, students should demonstrate that they have understood the critical perspectives illustrated in class, and that they have become able to apply them to their analysis of literary texts. Moreover, they should prove their in-depth knowledge of all the literary works included in the course reading list. Required linguistic skills: at the end of the course, students should demonstrate the ability to read the original versions of the literary works included in the reading list, and to translate them into Italian (or to paraphrase them in English, in the case of international students). Moreover, they should demonstrate, in English, their capacity to interpret the literary texts correctly, and to discuss their interpretations, as well as their application of the acquired theory and methodology to literary analysis. Required literary skills: at the end of the course, students should be able to conduct a critical interpretation of the literary works included in the reading list according to the acquired theory and methods, and to perform a literary analysis of the same from both a thematic and a formal point of view. Finally, they should show the 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 can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is titled "Translating from and into American Poetry" and consists of the following didactic parts:
A: Poetry translation in theory
B: Translating from and into American poetry
C: American poetry in translation: some case studies
Students from both Lingue and other-than-Lingue degree courses who want to acquire 6 credits should complete Parts A and B; those who want to acquire 9 credits should complete the whole course syllabus. An option is offered for the 6 credits, consisting of the attendance of Part A plus 10 classes distributed between Parts B and C.
The course will first propose some theory in Translation Studies specifically focused on poetry translation, followed by the critical analysis of translations of both American poems into Italian and Italian poems into American. Poetry translation will be considered also in its intersections with ecocriticism and world literature. Finally, some case studies from the history of the translations of American poetry into Italian will be taken into consideration and illustrated also from the point of view of the editorial processes and dynamics that determined the final literary product. This unit will examine the Italian publishing and translation trajectories of two twentieth-century American poets, Edgar Lee Masters, and William Carlos Williams. The former's Spoon River Anthology (1915) has been translated into Italian several times since 1943. Of the latter, we will read poems from various collections first published in Italy as a volume in 1961.
The course syllabus is valid until July 2026.
A: Poetry translation in theory
B: Translating from and into American poetry
C: American poetry in translation: some case studies
Students from both Lingue and other-than-Lingue degree courses who want to acquire 6 credits should complete Parts A and B; those who want to acquire 9 credits should complete the whole course syllabus. An option is offered for the 6 credits, consisting of the attendance of Part A plus 10 classes distributed between Parts B and C.
The course will first propose some theory in Translation Studies specifically focused on poetry translation, followed by the critical analysis of translations of both American poems into Italian and Italian poems into American. Poetry translation will be considered also in its intersections with ecocriticism and world literature. Finally, some case studies from the history of the translations of American poetry into Italian will be taken into consideration and illustrated also from the point of view of the editorial processes and dynamics that determined the final literary product. This unit will examine the Italian publishing and translation trajectories of two twentieth-century American poets, Edgar Lee Masters, and William Carlos Williams. The former's Spoon River Anthology (1915) has been translated into Italian several times since 1943. Of the latter, we will read poems from various collections first published in Italy as a volume in 1961.
The course syllabus is valid until July 2026.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is open to students from all degree courses. It is delivered in English but requires a knowledge of the Italian language for the writing and discussion of translations. Lectures, materials, and bibliography require a mastery of the English language and good Italian.
International students and Erasmus students are welcome if they possess the required linguistic skills.
International students and Erasmus students are welcome if they possess the required linguistic skills.
Teaching methods
The course is mainly delivered as seminar-and-partly workshop classes, in which students will be involved in reading and interpreting literary texts, discussing theoretical and critical essays, and analyzing poetry translations. Students must come to class having prepared the readings assigned for the week's syllabus. Moreover, they will be asked to do presentations as part of their training in the skills of literary criticism and poetry translation. Audio-visual materials may be used in class.
Teaching Resources
NB: a complete reading list will be posted by the course beginning.
6-CREDIT READING LIST:
· Vincenzi, Gianpaolo. "Per una teoria della traduzione", EUM, 2010.
· Bassnett, Susan. "Preface to the Third Edition", "Introduction" and "Poetry and Translation", in "Translation Studies", Routledge, 2002 (1980).
· Venuti, Lawrence. "How to Read a Translation", "The Poet's Version; Or, An Ethics of Translation" and "Translation Studies and World Literature", in "Translation Changes Everything: Theory and Practice", Routledge, 2013.
· Mary Oliver, "Primitivo americano". Edited and translated by Paola Loreto, Einaudi, 2023.
· Lowell, Robert, "Imitations", The Noonday Press, 1990.
· Bertolucci, Attilio, "Imitazioni", Scheiwiller, 1994.
· Pozzi, Antonia. "Breath: Poems and Letters". Edited and translated by Lawrence Venuti, Wesleyan UP, 2002.
· "19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei". Edited by Eliot Weinberger & Octavio Paz, Asphodel Press, 1987.
9-CREDIT READING LIST: PLEASE ADD THE FOLLOWING READINGS FOR PART C:
· Antologia di Spoon River, trans. by Fernanda Pivano (1943-48)
· Antologia di Spoon River, trans. by Antonio Porta (2016)
· Antologia di Spoon River, trans. by Luigi Ballerini (2016)
· William Carlos Williams, Poesie, trans. by Cristina Campo and Vittorio Sereni (1961)
· Williams Carlos Williams, Il fiore è il nostro segreto, trans. by Cristina Campo (1959)
Required critical bibliography for part C:
Choose two readings from this list (any combination will work; choose according to your interests)
· Luigi Ballerini, "La coppia Pivano-Pavese: le origini della fortuna di 'Spoon River' in Italia", in E. L. Masters, Antologia di Spoon River, trad. e cura di L. Ballerini, Oscar Mondadori, 2016, pp. 715-28
· Nicola Di Nino, "L'equilibrio tra 'water' e 'marble language'. Le traduzioni da William Carlos Williams", Cahiers d'études italiennes, n. 36, 2023, pp. 1-19 (Open Access)
· Donatella Izzo, "La Spoon River di Fabrizio De André", Ácoma, n. 34, 2007, pp. 96-111 (Open Access)
· Luca Trissino, "'Due letture?' Il Williams di Cristina Campo e Vittorio Sereni", Versants, 70:2, 2023, pp. 59-79 (Open Access)
SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: Steiner, George. "After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation", 1998 (1975).
6-CREDIT READING LIST:
· Vincenzi, Gianpaolo. "Per una teoria della traduzione", EUM, 2010.
· Bassnett, Susan. "Preface to the Third Edition", "Introduction" and "Poetry and Translation", in "Translation Studies", Routledge, 2002 (1980).
· Venuti, Lawrence. "How to Read a Translation", "The Poet's Version; Or, An Ethics of Translation" and "Translation Studies and World Literature", in "Translation Changes Everything: Theory and Practice", Routledge, 2013.
· Mary Oliver, "Primitivo americano". Edited and translated by Paola Loreto, Einaudi, 2023.
· Lowell, Robert, "Imitations", The Noonday Press, 1990.
· Bertolucci, Attilio, "Imitazioni", Scheiwiller, 1994.
· Pozzi, Antonia. "Breath: Poems and Letters". Edited and translated by Lawrence Venuti, Wesleyan UP, 2002.
· "19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei". Edited by Eliot Weinberger & Octavio Paz, Asphodel Press, 1987.
9-CREDIT READING LIST: PLEASE ADD THE FOLLOWING READINGS FOR PART C:
· Antologia di Spoon River, trans. by Fernanda Pivano (1943-48)
· Antologia di Spoon River, trans. by Antonio Porta (2016)
· Antologia di Spoon River, trans. by Luigi Ballerini (2016)
· William Carlos Williams, Poesie, trans. by Cristina Campo and Vittorio Sereni (1961)
· Williams Carlos Williams, Il fiore è il nostro segreto, trans. by Cristina Campo (1959)
Required critical bibliography for part C:
Choose two readings from this list (any combination will work; choose according to your interests)
· Luigi Ballerini, "La coppia Pivano-Pavese: le origini della fortuna di 'Spoon River' in Italia", in E. L. Masters, Antologia di Spoon River, trad. e cura di L. Ballerini, Oscar Mondadori, 2016, pp. 715-28
· Nicola Di Nino, "L'equilibrio tra 'water' e 'marble language'. Le traduzioni da William Carlos Williams", Cahiers d'études italiennes, n. 36, 2023, pp. 1-19 (Open Access)
· Donatella Izzo, "La Spoon River di Fabrizio De André", Ácoma, n. 34, 2007, pp. 96-111 (Open Access)
· Luca Trissino, "'Due letture?' Il Williams di Cristina Campo e Vittorio Sereni", Versants, 70:2, 2023, pp. 59-79 (Open Access)
SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: Steiner, George. "After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation", 1998 (1975).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral: the exam is an interview, during which students will demonstrate their capacity to read and translate the literary texts listed in the course syllabus (non-Italian students may use a paraphrase in English); their knowledge of the historical, cultural, and literary context of both the texts and writers proposed; their knowledge of the literary works proposed; their critical abilities (i.e., their capacity to analyze the literary works, to evaluate translations, and to connect different authors, texts and literary trends). Midterm written texts will help students manage their study of the exam materials and will focus on the theory of poetry translation.
LM students from Lingue are required to take their exams in English. Students from other-than-Lingue degree courses may choose to take their exam either in Italian or in English.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result during the exam (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Students with any disabilities should contact the teacher, too, 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.
LM students from Lingue are required to take their exams in English. Students from other-than-Lingue degree courses may choose to take their exam either in Italian or in English.
The final score is expressed in thirtieths, 18/30 being the pass score. Students may accept or reject the result during the exam (in which case the record will be "ritirato," and they will have to take the whole exam again in a future session).
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly requested to contact the teacher. Students with any disabilities should contact the teacher, too, 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.
Unità didattica A
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Loreto Paola Maria
Unità didattica B
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Loreto Paola Maria
Unità didattica C
L-LIN/11 - ANGLO - AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
In the Fall semester (teaching period) on Thursdays at 11:00; in the Spring Semester (teaching period) on Fridays at 10:00. Please write Prof. Loreto to fix an appointment..
Dept. of Lingue, Anglistica section, third Floor (Sottotetto), piazza Sant'Alessandro 1