Boston University Study Abroad Padua Spring 2016 CAS LI 354

BostonUniversityStudyAbroadPadua
Spring2016
CASLI354CONTEMPORARYITALIANLITERATURE
ProfessorElisabettaConvento
[email protected]
Lessons:TuesdayandThursday,3.30pm-5.15pm
Officehours:TuesdayandThursday,11.00am-12.00pm
Coursevalue:4credits
CourseDescription
ThecoursewilldealwithsomeofthemainauthorsofcontemporaryItalianliterature,startingfromthe
periodfollowingtheendoftheSecondWorldWaruntiltoday.Inthistimeframe,narrativeandpoetrywill
mostlyfocusontherepresentationofthepost-warsituation,theindustrialdevelopment,theidentitycrisis
ofItaliancitiesandtheirinhabitants,theemergingsocialproblems,andthefemalecondition.Thelastpart
ofthecoursewillincludealsocontemporaryItalianpulpwriterMatteoStrukul,andaspecialistonwomen
studiesandnovelist,SaveriaChemotti.Thestudentswillfamiliarizethemselveswithsomeofthemost
importantvoicesofthecontemporaryItalianpanorama,suchasBuzzati,Celati,MeriniandCamon.The
searchforastyletoportraythenewepochwillfindinOrteseandMorantesomeveryoriginalattempts.
ThelinguisticexperimentationofCalvinoandZanzotto,andfinallythedisenchantedvisionofVassalli,will
leadthestudentstoafullunderstandingoftheliteraryperiodanditsmanychallenges.
Learningoutcomesfortheprogram
1.DemonstrateincreasedproficiencyinItalianlanguagefromintermediatetoadvancedlevel.
2.DemonstrateknowledgeofItalianculturewithrespecttoatleastoneofthefollowingareas:history,
religion,literature,orthearts.
3.Developanawarenessofculturaldifferenceandanunderstandingofculture’sroleinshapingbeliefs
andpractices.
CourseObjectives
Themainpurposeofthecourseistoprovidestudentswithtoolstostudymainauthorsandworksof
contemporaryItalianliterature.Inclass,studentswillreadliterarytextsandliterarycriticism,sharepoints
ofview,andanalyzeformalandlinguisticfeaturesofselectedworks.Varioustextualtypologieswillbe
takenintoaccount,includingpoetry,shortstories,andnovels,aswellastheuseofmedia,suchas
documentariesproducedbythosesameauthorsorincooperationwiththem.Inordertomakeclass
discussionmorestimulating,andtofacilitatetheanalysisofliteraryworks,thereadingswillbedone
beforeclassmeets.Eachstudentwillalsohavetoselectonenovelorcollectionofshortstoriesamong
thoseindicatedinthebibliography,andwriteafinalpaperbasedontheselectedwork.
GuestspeakerswillbethewritersSaveriaChemotti,MatteoStrukulandprofessorLauraLenci.
The course is held in Italian. Course material is entirely in Italian, with the addition of some important
literarycriticismthatmaybeinEnglish,asindicatedinthebibliography.
BIBLIOGRAPHICMATERIALS
- Coursereaderwithanintroductiontotheauthorsandbiographicalinformation,extractsfrom
worksbymainauthors.
- AvailableonBlackboard:literarycriticismandinformationonliteraryperiod;additional
bibliographicalmaterialforfinalpapers,appendixwithglossaryofliterarytermsandrhetorical
figures.
- AnintroductorybookoncontemporaryItalianliterature:AlbertoCasadei,IlNovecento,IlMulino,
Bologna2005,availableattheBUSAPadualibrary.
- Anovelorcollectionofstories,amongthoseindicatedinthebibliography,tobereadinitsentirety.
- Documentariesasindicated.
MainWorks
DinoBuzzati,Imisterid’Italia,Mondadori,Milano2002.
ItaloCalvino,Lecittàinvisibili,Mondadori,Milano2005.
FerdinandoCamon,Unaltareperlamadre,Garzanti,Milano1978.
GianniCelati,Narratoridellepianure,Feltrinelli,Milano2006.
SaveriaChemotti,Lapassionediunafigliaingrata,L’iguanaEditrice,Verona2014.
NataliaGinzburg,Lepiccolevirtù,Einaudi,Torino2005.
NataliaGinzburg,“Discorsosulledonne”,inMercurio,n.36(1948),pp.105-110.
AldaMerini,inPoetiItalianidelnovecentoacuradiPierVincenzoMengaldo,Mondadori,Milano2005.
ElsaMorante,L'isoladiArturo,Einaudi,Torino2005.
AnnaMariaOrtese,IlmarenonbagnaNapoli,Adelphi,Milano2008.
PierPaoloPasolini,Teorema,Garzanti,Milano1994.
CesarePavese,Lalunaeifalò,NewtonCompton,Roma2010.
MatteoStrukul,LaballatadiMila,edizionie/o,Roma2011.
SebastianoVassalli,LamortediMarx,Einaudi,Torino2006.
AndreaZanzotto,inPoetiItalianidelnovecentoacuradiPierVincenzoMengaldo,Mondadori,Milano
2005.
LiteraryCriticism
AlessandroBaldacci,AndreaZanzotto.Lapassionedellapoesia,Liguorieditore,Napoli,2010.
MarioBarenghi,Calvino,IlMulino,Bologna2009.
PierinaBorraniCastiglione,“DinoBuzzati”,Italica,Vol.34,No.4(Dec.,1957),pp.195-201.
ItaloCalvino,Unapietrasopra,Mondadori,Milano1998.
AlbertoCasadei,IlNovecento,IlMulino,Bologna2005.
AnnaMariaChierici,Lascritturaterapeutica.SaggiosuGianniCelati,Archetipolibri,Bologna2011.
LucaClerici,Apparizioneevisione.VitaeoperediAnnaMariaOrtese,Mondadori,Milano2002.
Elisabetta Convento, “Il paradosso del materno in Interno familiare di Anna Maria Ortese”, in La
LetteraturaItalianaeilconcettodimaternità,EdizioniCa’Foscari,Venezia2015.
DerekDuncan,"NamingtheNarratorinlaLunaeiFalò",TheModernLanguageReview,Vol.86,No.3
(Jul.,1991),pp.592-60.
GiulioFerroni,LetteraturaItalianacontemporanea,Mondadori,Milano,2007.
Luisa Guj, “Illusion and Literature in Morante’s L'Isola di Arturo”, in Italica, Vol. 65, No. 2 (Summer,
1988),pp.144-153.
Gabriella Imperatori, “Ferdinando Camon” in Profondo Nord, Edizioni Nord-Est, Padova 1988, pp.189214.
AldaMerini.Dall’orfismoallacanzone.Ilpercorsopoetico(1947-2009),Asterios,Trieste2009,pp.17-30.
Walter Nardon, La parte e l'intero. L'eredità del romanzo in Gianni Celati e Milan Kundera, I Labirinti,
Trento2007.
PoetiItalianidelNovecento,acuradiPierVincenzoMengaldo,Mondadori,Milano2005.
CesareSegre,LaletteraturaitalianadelNovecento,Laterza,Bari2004.
SebastianoVassallieGiovanniTesio,Unnullapienodistorie,Interlinea,Novara2010.
JohnWelle,“FromBabeltoPentecost:ThePoetryofAndreaZanzotto”,inWorldLiteratureToday,Vol.
58,No.3,VariaIssue(Summer,1984),pp.377-380.
Documentaries/films
"Teorema"diPierPaoloPasolini,1968.
"Ritratti:AndreaZanzotto"diCarloMazzacuratieMarcoPaolini,2000.
"Stradaprovincialedelleanime"diGianniCelati,1991.
DetailedCalendar
Lesson1
PARTI
Thursday
February4
Lesson2
Tuesday
February9
Lesson3
Thursday
February11
Lesson4
Tuesday
February16
Lesson5
Thursday
February18
Lesson6
Tuesday
February23
Lesson7
Thursday
February25
Lesson8
Tuesday
March1
Lesson9
Thursday
March3
Explanationofcoursematerial,readingofsyllabus,andintroductiontothecourse.
ContemporaryItalianLiterature:Geographiesandnarrativespace
FromtheSecondWorldWartoPostmodernism:betweenhistoryandliterature
Reading:
“Percorsidellaletteraturanovecentesca”inAlbertoCasadei,IlNovecento,pp.1-5.
CesareSegre,"IlNeorealismoinletteratura",inLaletteraturaitalianadelNovecento,pp.6-9.
"Dalromanzoborghesealromanzopolitico",inLaletteraturaitalianadelNovecento,pp.9-12.
AftertheWar.Areturntochildhoodandtothemothertongue
CesarePavese
Vita:p.13
Reading:Pavese,Lalunaeifalò,chapterI,II,III,IV,pp.14-23.
LiteraryCriticism:D.Duncan,"NamingtheNarratorinlaLunaeiFalò”
SouthernWomenwritersandtheirsearchforself-realization
AnnaMariaOrtese
Vita:p.25
Reading:AnnaMariaOrtese,“Internofamiliare”inIlmarenonbagnaNapoli,pp.26-33.
LiteraryCriticism:LucaClerici,“IlmarenonbagnaNapoli”
AnnaMariaOrtese
Reading:“Internofamiliare”inIlmarenonbagnaNapoli,pp.34-41.
LiteraryCriticism:ElisabettaConvento,“IlparadossodelmaternoinInternofamiliarediAnna
MariaOrtese”.
Shortstoriesofobscureexistences
NataliaGinzburg
Vita:p.43
Reading:“Luieio”inLepiccolevirtù,pp.44-50;“Lepiccolevirtù”inLepiccolevirtù,pp.51-59.
LiteraryCriticism:D.Scarpa,IntroduzioneaLepiccolevirtù.
GuestSpeakerProfLenci
Selectionofworktoreadinitsentirety
AnItalianBildungsroman
ElsaMorante
Vita:p.61-62
Reading:SelectedchaptersfromL'IsoladiArturopp.63-72.
LiteraryCriticism:C.Garboli,IntroduzioneaL'IsoladiArturo
Responsepaper1due(2pages)
ElsaMorante
Reading:SelectedchaptersfromL'IsoladiArturopp.73-83.
LiteraryCriticism:L.Guj,“IllusionandLiteratureinMorante’sL'IsoladiArturo”
Pasoliniandtheprovocativeportraitofthebourgeoisie:betweennarrativeandpoetry
Vita:pp.85-88.
Reading:Pasolini,Teorema,chapter1-5,pp.93-101.
LiteraryCriticism:Segre&Martignoni,"ImpegnoesperimentalismodiPierPaoloPasolini"in
Testinellastoria
Lesson10
PARTII
Tuesday
March8
Lesson11
Thursday
March10
Tuesday
March15
Lesson12
Thusday
March17
Poetry:AndreaZanzotto–Amasterofwords
Vita:pp.103-106
Reading:“Oltranza-oltraggio”,p.107;"Cantilenalondinese",pp.108-109.
LiteraryCriticism:AlessandroBaldacci,“Unaimpossibilitàtuttadadire”;DocumentaryFilm:
CarloMazzacuratieMarcoPaolini,"Ritratti:AndreaZanzotto"
FerdinandoCamon–theVenetonovel
Vita:p.111-112.
Reading:Camon,Unaltareperlamadre,chapters16,17,19,20,21,pp.113-123.
LiteraryCriticism:GabriellaImperatori,“FerdinandoCamon”inProfondoNord
WRITTENMIDTERM
Theworldofendlesspossibilities
ItaloCalvino
Vita:p.125
Reading:ItaloCalvino,PresentazionediLecittàinvisibilipp.126-129;Lecittàinvisibili,Chapter
II,pp.130-138.
LiteraryCriticism:MarioBarenghi,"Lecittàinvisibili"
Individualmeetingstoselectasubjectforfinalpaper
Lesson13
Tuesday
March22
Lesson14
Thursday
March24
Lesson15
Thursday
March31
Lesson16
Tuesday
April5
Lesson17
Thursday
April7
Lesson18
Tuesday
April12
ItaloCalvino
Reading:Lecittàinvisibili,ChapterIII,pp.139-145andChapterVII,pp.146-153.
LiteraryCriticism:“Perchisiscrive?”inUnaPietraSopra
DinoBuzzati:alocalNoir
Vita:p.155
Reading:“Gliangolistranidelveneto”pp.156-160;“Lacaramellastregatavolaperquattro
chilometri”pp.161-165;“Festainvillacolmago”,pp.166-171,inIMisterid’Italia
LiteraryCriticism:PierinaBorraniCastiglione,“DinoBuzzati”
On-siteclass:itwillbeheldatVillaVescovi(1pmto5.30pm)
MatteoStrukul,contemporaryVenetoPulp
Vita:p.173
Reading:LaballatadiMila,Chapters8-9,pp.175-185.
GuestSpeakerMatteoStrukul
Viewsofeverydaylifeandlanguage
GianniCelati
Vita:pp.187-188.
Reading:"FantasmiaBorgoforte",pp.189-193;“Comeunfotografoèsbarcatonelnuovo
mondo”,pp.194-196;Ilritornodelviaggiatore",pp.197-200,inNarratoridellePianure
LiteraryCriticism:WalterNardon,"Showing&Telling"inLaparteel'intero;"Narratorilungola
pianura",inLaparteel'intero.
Viewsofeverydaylifeandlanguage
GianniCelati
Documentary:"Stradaprovincialedelleanime"diGianniCelati,1991.
LiteraryCriticism:AnnaMariaChierici,“Nomadismoesistenziale”,inLascritturaterapeutica
ResponsePaper2due(2pages)
SebastianoVassalliandPostmodernItalianliterature
Vita:p.201-202
Reading:"Unafamigliavaalmare"inLamortediMarx,pp.203-207.
Reading:SebastianoVassalli,"Scriverelestorie",pp.208-209;"Moderno,Postmoderno",pp.
210-212.
LiteraryCriticism:“Laletteraturanell'etàpostmoderna”inAlbertoCasadei,IlNovecento.
Lesson19
Thursday
April14
Lesson20
Tuesday
April19
Lesson21
Thursday
April21
Lesson22
Tuesday
April26
April28
Poetry:AldaMerini-Sanity,insanityandsearchfortheself
Vita:p.213-214.
Reading:MariaCorti,“IntroduzioneaAldaMerini”inFiorediPoesia,pp.215-223.
Reading:“UnaMaddalena”,p.224-225;“Laterrasanta”,p.226inFiorediPoesia.
LiteraryCriticism:RiccardoRedivo,“Introduzione”inAldaMerini
SaveriaChemotti:contemporarywomenliterature
Vita:p.227
Reading:“Primastazione.Ladesaparecida”,inLapassionediunafigliaingrata,pp.228-238.
GuestSpeakerProfChemotti
Finalpaperdraftdue
Conclusions
Reviewandquestions
FINALORALEXAMINATION
May9
FINALPAPERDUE
Thecourserequires
1.Carefulreading(withdictionary)andliteralcomprehensionoftextsincludedinthesyllabusbeforeclass.
2.Activeparticipationinclassdiscussion.
3.Readingofawholenovelorcollectionofstoriesamongthoseindicatedinbibliography.
4. Students will take turns presenting authors in class. They will introduce the biography of each author, the time
period,literarymovement,andwillpresentsomeofthemainpointshighlightedbytheliterarycriticismincludedin
thecoursereader.Theywillleadthediscussiononthereadingofthedaybypreparingquestionsfortheclass.The
calendaroforalpresentationswillbepreparedinclassduringthefirstlessons.Studentswillindividuallymeetthe
professortoknowtheresultsoftheirclasspresentation.
5.Awrittenmidtermexamwithopenquestions.
6.Twotwo-pageresponsepapersbasedonquestionspreparedbyprofessor.
7. A final paper based on the selected book to read. The student will prepare a detailed outline (see example
provided by professor), which will include a bibliography. A draft of the paper will be given to the professor for
suggestions. The paper, in Italian, will be at least 8 pages long: it is recommended that students use the library
resourcesoftheUniversityofPadua.
8.Afinaloralexaminationonthesubjectsandtextsstudiedinthesecondpartofthecourse.
COMPONENTSOFTHEFINALGRADE
Attendance,classparticipation:15%
Classpresentation:10%
Midtermwrittenexam:20%
2responsepapers:15%(2pageseach-inItalian,TimesNewRoman12,doublespaced,margins2cm)
Finaloralexam:20%(includesalltopicsdiscussedinclassduringsecondpartofthecourse)
Finalwritten8pagepaper:20%(inItalian,TimesNewRoman12,doublespaced,margins2cm)–includes
bibliography
ATTENDANCE
BostonUniversityPaduastudentsareexpectedtoattendeachandeveryclasssession,tutorial,andfieldtrip
requiredfortheclass.Studentsshouldnotethatattendancewillbetakenintoaccountbyfacultywhen
determiningfinalgrades.
PLAGIARISM
Simplystated,plagiarismistakinganother’sworkandpresentingitasyouown.
Dictionarydefinitionsofplagiarismfrequentlyincludetermssuchas‘theft’or‘steal’.Plagiarismis,infact,
intellectualtheft.Itisoneofthemostseriousformsofacademicmisconduct.Plagiarismcommittedbyastudent
willcertainlyresultincoursefailureandmayresultinsuspensionordismissal.Formoredetailspleasesee
BostonUniversity’sAcademicConductCode::http://www.bu.edu/academics/resources/academic-conductcode/
RELIGIOUSHOLIDAYS
BostonUniversity’sOfficeoftheUniversityRegistrarstates:
‘TheUniversity,inschedulingclassesonreligiousholidaysandobservances,intendsthatstudentsobserving
thosetraditionsbegivenampleopportunitytomakeupwork.Facultymemberswhowishtoobservereligious
holidayswillarrangeforanotherfacultymembertomeettheirclassesorforcancelledclassestobe
rescheduled.’SeeChapter151CoftheGeneralLaws,CommonwealthofMassachusetts.
DISABILITYACCOMMODATIONS
Ifyouareastudentwithadisabilityorbelieveyoumighthaveadisabilitythatrequiresaccommodations,
please contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 617-353-3658 to coordinate any reasonable
accommodationrequests.Formoreinformation,pleasevisit:http://www.bu.edu/disability