Modern Italian Literature
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course aims: 1) to provide student with advanced preparation on authors, themes and trends of Modern Italian Literature, through the reading and analysis of literary texts and critical essays; 2) to give the instruments and the critical methods for the interpretation of literary texts, and for the evaluation of the critical bibliography; 3) to improve the critical thinking skills.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledges: the main lines of evolution of modern Italian Literature, within the framework of historical-cultural context and of peculiarities of literary and linguistical history; the instruments and the critical methods useful to analyze and interpretate texts; the main lines of history of the critical literature referring to the studied period, according to the most recent tendencies of scientific studies.
Competencies: Comprehension and punctual analysis of the literary text, within the framework of the relevant historical-cultural contexts, using the critical literature and developing capability of selection; capability of autonomous confrontation and judgement; capability of define and discussing problems of interpretation, with awareness of the different methodological perspectives; capability of preparing a scientific bibliography and programming a research work; capability of expressing clairly and properly, using the appropriate specialized vocabulary of the discipline.
Competencies: Comprehension and punctual analysis of the literary text, within the framework of the relevant historical-cultural contexts, using the critical literature and developing capability of selection; capability of autonomous confrontation and judgement; capability of define and discussing problems of interpretation, with awareness of the different methodological perspectives; capability of preparing a scientific bibliography and programming a research work; capability of expressing clairly and properly, using the appropriate specialized vocabulary of the discipline.
Lesson period: Second 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
Second semester
Course syllabus
The Enlightenment in Milan
Part A (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Giuseppe Parini's «Odi»
Part B (20 hours, 3 ECTS): The poetry of Cesare Beccaria and Pietro Verri
Part C (20 hours, 3 ECTS): The periodical of the Lombard Enlightenment: «Il Caffè»
Exam 6 ECTS: parts A and C or B and C
Exam 9 ECTS: parts A, B, C
In the mid 50s of 18th Century the literary production in Milan started to embrace the suggestions of the European Enlightenment; these found expression in the writings, in verse and prose, of the Accademia dei Trasformati and Accademia dei Pugni. In this scenario, opened to the topics and forms of a new culture, emerged some of the most significant voices of the modern literary tradition: Giuseppe Parini, Cesare Beccaria, Pietro and Alessandro Verri.
Starting from the reconstruction of the historical and cultural context, the course aims to illustrate the individual itineraries of the these authors, characterized by ethical and civil purposes. Specifically, the lessons will focus on Parini's "Odi", especially those of the Enlightenment season (part A); on the poetic works of Beccaria and Pietro Verri (part B); on the periodical "Il Caffè" (part C).
The critical and interpretative reading of the texts will focus on their genesis and history, motivations, models, rhetorical strategies, linguistic and stylistic choices, links with the remaining production of the authors examined.
Part A (20 hours, 3 ECTS): Giuseppe Parini's «Odi»
Part B (20 hours, 3 ECTS): The poetry of Cesare Beccaria and Pietro Verri
Part C (20 hours, 3 ECTS): The periodical of the Lombard Enlightenment: «Il Caffè»
Exam 6 ECTS: parts A and C or B and C
Exam 9 ECTS: parts A, B, C
In the mid 50s of 18th Century the literary production in Milan started to embrace the suggestions of the European Enlightenment; these found expression in the writings, in verse and prose, of the Accademia dei Trasformati and Accademia dei Pugni. In this scenario, opened to the topics and forms of a new culture, emerged some of the most significant voices of the modern literary tradition: Giuseppe Parini, Cesare Beccaria, Pietro and Alessandro Verri.
Starting from the reconstruction of the historical and cultural context, the course aims to illustrate the individual itineraries of the these authors, characterized by ethical and civil purposes. Specifically, the lessons will focus on Parini's "Odi", especially those of the Enlightenment season (part A); on the poetic works of Beccaria and Pietro Verri (part B); on the periodical "Il Caffè" (part C).
The critical and interpretative reading of the texts will focus on their genesis and history, motivations, models, rhetorical strategies, linguistic and stylistic choices, links with the remaining production of the authors examined.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no specific requirements for the admission. However, a good preparation in Italian literature, studied during the first three years of University, is recommended.
Teaching methods
Attendance to classes is strongly recommended although not compulsory. Frontal lectures aim primarily at the acquisition of knowledge through the discussion with the teacher, in order to promote the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge. Therefore, will be encouraged the participation of students, who will intervene with requests for further information and with reflections on the analysis and critical discussion of the literary texts examined.
According to the limits allowed by the size of the class, volunteer students can do an individual exercise of commentary that will be presented in class, in order to test the skills learned, as well as to measure themselves with bibliographic resources and methodologies for interpreting the literary texts. Students will find the text to comment (of Parini) in a list that will be published on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons. Individual work will contribute to the final evaluation of the exam.
The slides projected during the lessons will be available on MyAriel.
Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program and to contact the teacher via email or during reception hours.
According to the limits allowed by the size of the class, volunteer students can do an individual exercise of commentary that will be presented in class, in order to test the skills learned, as well as to measure themselves with bibliographic resources and methodologies for interpreting the literary texts. Students will find the text to comment (of Parini) in a list that will be published on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons. Individual work will contribute to the final evaluation of the exam.
The slides projected during the lessons will be available on MyAriel.
Non-attending students have to obtain the materials indicated in this program and to contact the teacher via email or during reception hours.
Teaching Resources
Attending students
Part A
Text:
Students have to read Giuseppe Parini's "Odi"; it is possible to choose an edition among these:
- "Le Odi", ed. by Nadia Ebani, Fondazione Pietro Bembo/Ugo Guanda, 2010.
- "Il Giorno; Le Odi", ed. by Giuseppe Nicoletti, Milano, Rizzoli [BUR], 2011 (or subsequent reprints).
At the beginning of the lessons the list of texts to analyze for the exam will be available on the MyAriel website.
Bibliography:
Students have to study the following essays:
- Vittorio Criscuolo, "La nascita di un mito: Parini poeta civile", in "L'amabil rito. Società e cultura nella Milano di Parini", ed. by Gennaro Barbarisi, Carlo Capra, Francesco Degrada, Fernando Mazzocca, Milano, Cisalpino, 2000, 2 voll., I, pp. 71-99 [available in the library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna].
- Nadia Ebani, "Parini: la proporzione delle parti e il libro delle Odi", in "Strumenti critici", a. XXII, nr. 2, 2007, pp. 213-226 [available online, in Minerva catalogue].
- Francesca Fedi, "Giuseppe Parini, ovvero dell'educazione", in "Giuseppe Parini", a cura di Francesca Fedi e Rosa Necchi, Milano, Unicopli, 2017, pp. 9-29 [academia.edu].
Other useful materials will be available on the MyAriel website.
Part B
Text:
The poetic texts of Cesare Beccaria and Pietro Verri will be available on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons. Students are required to download the material from MyAriel.
The texts are taken from these editions:
- Cesare Beccaria, "Scritti filosofici e letterari", ed. by Luigi Firpo, Gianni Francioni and Gianmarco Gaspari, Milano, Mediobanca, 1984 (Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Cesare Beccaria, vol. II).
- Pietro Verri, "Scritti letterari, filosofici e satirici", ed. by Gianni Francioni, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2014 (Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Pietro Verri, vol. I).
Bibliography:
Students have to study the following essays:
- Gianmarco Gaspari, "La cultura in Lombardia nell'età teresiana", "Istituto Lombardo - Accademia di Scienze e Lettere", vol. 151, 2017, pp. 205-220: https://www.ilasl.org/Lettere/article/view/554.
- Carlo Capra, "I progressi della ragione. Vita di Pietro Verri", Bologna, il Mulino, 2002, pp. 67-133 (chapters II e III), 177-231 (chapter V). The volume is available in the digital archive "Darwinbooks", which is accessed from Minerva catalogue.
- Carlo Capra, "Da Milano a Parigi e ritorno. I difficili rapporti tra Beccaria e i Verri", in Id., "La felicità per tutti. Figure e temi dell'illuminismo lombardo", Canterano, Aracne, 2017, pp. 53-73 [the volume is available in the library of Scienze della storia e della documentazione storica].
Other useful materials will be available on the MyAriel website.
Part C
Text:
The articles of "Il Caffè" analyzed during the lessons will be available on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons. Students are required to download the material from MyAriel.
The texts are taken from these editions:
- "Il Caffè" 1764-1766, ed. by Gianni Francioni and Sergio Romagnoli, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1993 (or subsequent reprints).
Bibliography:
Students have to study the following essays (the book is available in the library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna):
- Sergio Romagnoli, "Il Caffè tra Milano e l'Europa", in "Il Caffè" 1764-1766, ed. by Gianni Francioni and Sergio Romagnoli, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1993 (or subsequent reprints), pp. XIII-LXXIX.
- Gianni Francioni, "Storia editoriale del Caffè", "Il Caffè" 1764-1766, ed. by Gianni Francioni and Sergio Romagnoli, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1993 (or subsequent reprints), pp. LXXXI-CXLV.
Other useful materials will be available on the Ariel website.
Non-attending students
Non-attending students have to prepare the syllabus of attending students and, in addition, these following bibliographical references:
- Giuseppe Nicoletti, "Parini", Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2015.
- Two essays between the following ones:
· Marco Cerruti, «"Nazione", "patria", "patriottismo" ne «Il Caffè"», "Italies", 6, 2002, pp. 217-231: https://journals.openedition.org/italies/1585.
· Gianmarco Gaspari, "Il secolo delle cose. Appunti su modelli e generi della divulgazione nel Caffè", "Archivio Storico Lombardo", CXL, 2014, pp. 95-123 [available in academia.edu and in the volume "Il mito della 'Scuola di Milano'. Studi sulla tradizione letteraria lombarda", Firenze, Franco Cesati, 2018, pp. 89-110].
· Roberta Turchi, "Pietro Verri e 'Il teatro comico' del Signor Destouches", in "Pietro Verri e il suo tempo", a cura di Carlo Capra, Bologna, Cisalpino-Monduzzi, 1999, 2 voll., vol. II, pp. 585-625 [library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna].
· William Spaggiari, "Il Caffè e la poesia dei Lumi", in "Atti e Memorie dell'Arcadia", 10, 2021, pp. 305-320 [library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna].
· Maria Francesca Turchetti, "Libri e 'nuove idee'. Appunti sulla biblioteca illuministica di Cesare Beccaria, in "Archivio storico lombardo", a. CXXXIX, vol. XVIII, 2013, pp. 183-214 [library of Studi Giuridici e Umanistici].
Any further titles will be communicated on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons.
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.
Part A
Text:
Students have to read Giuseppe Parini's "Odi"; it is possible to choose an edition among these:
- "Le Odi", ed. by Nadia Ebani, Fondazione Pietro Bembo/Ugo Guanda, 2010.
- "Il Giorno; Le Odi", ed. by Giuseppe Nicoletti, Milano, Rizzoli [BUR], 2011 (or subsequent reprints).
At the beginning of the lessons the list of texts to analyze for the exam will be available on the MyAriel website.
Bibliography:
Students have to study the following essays:
- Vittorio Criscuolo, "La nascita di un mito: Parini poeta civile", in "L'amabil rito. Società e cultura nella Milano di Parini", ed. by Gennaro Barbarisi, Carlo Capra, Francesco Degrada, Fernando Mazzocca, Milano, Cisalpino, 2000, 2 voll., I, pp. 71-99 [available in the library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna].
- Nadia Ebani, "Parini: la proporzione delle parti e il libro delle Odi", in "Strumenti critici", a. XXII, nr. 2, 2007, pp. 213-226 [available online, in Minerva catalogue].
- Francesca Fedi, "Giuseppe Parini, ovvero dell'educazione", in "Giuseppe Parini", a cura di Francesca Fedi e Rosa Necchi, Milano, Unicopli, 2017, pp. 9-29 [academia.edu].
Other useful materials will be available on the MyAriel website.
Part B
Text:
The poetic texts of Cesare Beccaria and Pietro Verri will be available on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons. Students are required to download the material from MyAriel.
The texts are taken from these editions:
- Cesare Beccaria, "Scritti filosofici e letterari", ed. by Luigi Firpo, Gianni Francioni and Gianmarco Gaspari, Milano, Mediobanca, 1984 (Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Cesare Beccaria, vol. II).
- Pietro Verri, "Scritti letterari, filosofici e satirici", ed. by Gianni Francioni, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2014 (Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Pietro Verri, vol. I).
Bibliography:
Students have to study the following essays:
- Gianmarco Gaspari, "La cultura in Lombardia nell'età teresiana", "Istituto Lombardo - Accademia di Scienze e Lettere", vol. 151, 2017, pp. 205-220: https://www.ilasl.org/Lettere/article/view/554.
- Carlo Capra, "I progressi della ragione. Vita di Pietro Verri", Bologna, il Mulino, 2002, pp. 67-133 (chapters II e III), 177-231 (chapter V). The volume is available in the digital archive "Darwinbooks", which is accessed from Minerva catalogue.
- Carlo Capra, "Da Milano a Parigi e ritorno. I difficili rapporti tra Beccaria e i Verri", in Id., "La felicità per tutti. Figure e temi dell'illuminismo lombardo", Canterano, Aracne, 2017, pp. 53-73 [the volume is available in the library of Scienze della storia e della documentazione storica].
Other useful materials will be available on the MyAriel website.
Part C
Text:
The articles of "Il Caffè" analyzed during the lessons will be available on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons. Students are required to download the material from MyAriel.
The texts are taken from these editions:
- "Il Caffè" 1764-1766, ed. by Gianni Francioni and Sergio Romagnoli, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1993 (or subsequent reprints).
Bibliography:
Students have to study the following essays (the book is available in the library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna):
- Sergio Romagnoli, "Il Caffè tra Milano e l'Europa", in "Il Caffè" 1764-1766, ed. by Gianni Francioni and Sergio Romagnoli, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1993 (or subsequent reprints), pp. XIII-LXXIX.
- Gianni Francioni, "Storia editoriale del Caffè", "Il Caffè" 1764-1766, ed. by Gianni Francioni and Sergio Romagnoli, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1993 (or subsequent reprints), pp. LXXXI-CXLV.
Other useful materials will be available on the Ariel website.
Non-attending students
Non-attending students have to prepare the syllabus of attending students and, in addition, these following bibliographical references:
- Giuseppe Nicoletti, "Parini", Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2015.
- Two essays between the following ones:
· Marco Cerruti, «"Nazione", "patria", "patriottismo" ne «Il Caffè"», "Italies", 6, 2002, pp. 217-231: https://journals.openedition.org/italies/1585.
· Gianmarco Gaspari, "Il secolo delle cose. Appunti su modelli e generi della divulgazione nel Caffè", "Archivio Storico Lombardo", CXL, 2014, pp. 95-123 [available in academia.edu and in the volume "Il mito della 'Scuola di Milano'. Studi sulla tradizione letteraria lombarda", Firenze, Franco Cesati, 2018, pp. 89-110].
· Roberta Turchi, "Pietro Verri e 'Il teatro comico' del Signor Destouches", in "Pietro Verri e il suo tempo", a cura di Carlo Capra, Bologna, Cisalpino-Monduzzi, 1999, 2 voll., vol. II, pp. 585-625 [library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna].
· William Spaggiari, "Il Caffè e la poesia dei Lumi", in "Atti e Memorie dell'Arcadia", 10, 2021, pp. 305-320 [library of Scienze dell'antichità e filologia moderna].
· Maria Francesca Turchetti, "Libri e 'nuove idee'. Appunti sulla biblioteca illuministica di Cesare Beccaria, in "Archivio storico lombardo", a. CXXXIX, vol. XVIII, 2013, pp. 183-214 [library of Studi Giuridici e Umanistici].
Any further titles will be communicated on the MyAriel website at the beginning of the lessons.
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
The exam consists of an oral examination, intended to verify the knowledge of the contents on the programme. The detailed commentary of the text, that will start from the paraphrase, will highlight the most significant thematic and conceptual elements; the critical bibliography indicated in the programme will offer a useful support for the discussion of the contents.
The evaluation will take into account the ability to formulate an organic response, to adopt the right formal register and use the appropriate specialized vocabulary, to recognize and discuss interpretative issues, to analyze the various levels of a literary text (structure, themes, style, intertextuality) in relation to the historical-cultural context.
The final evaluation will be determined in 30s.
In defining the final evaluation, the commentary exercises carried out by volunteer students (see the section "Teaching methods").
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
The evaluation will take into account the ability to formulate an organic response, to adopt the right formal register and use the appropriate specialized vocabulary, to recognize and discuss interpretative issues, to analyze the various levels of a literary text (structure, themes, style, intertextuality) in relation to the historical-cultural context.
The final evaluation will be determined in 30s.
In defining the final evaluation, the commentary exercises carried out by volunteer students (see the section "Teaching methods").
The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.
L-FIL-LET/10 - ITALIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Baragetti Stefania
Professor(s)