02609 - Italian Contemporary Literature

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has deepened his/her knowledge of Italian lit-erature between the nineteenth and twenty-first century, and is able to identify and analyze the main connections between historical events and literary and cul-tural movements in contemporary Italy. He/she has acquired the methodological and terminological knowledge necessary to analyse literary texts, and he/she is able to interpret them at both formal and thematic levels.

Course contents

The course is worth nine educational credits and lasts ten weeks, equal to 60 hours of lectures.


The first lessons will have an introductory character and will be devoted to the presentation of the authors in the program and the lines of development of their work. Subsequently, the primary aim of the course will be the introduction to reading and especially to the formal analysis of the literary text, of which argumentative, linguistic, stylistic and historical specificities will be outlined.

Readings/Bibliography

Students will read and study all of the following texts:

     1) Gabriele d’Annunzio, Alcyone, a cura di Federico Roncoroni, Milano, Mondadori, 1995 (and reprints through 2020),
Alternatively (but the previous edition is definitely recommended): Gabriele d’Annunzio, Alcyone, a cura di Pietro Gibellini, Milano, Garzanti, 2006.
     2) Eugenio Montale, Le occasioni, a cura di Tiziana de Rogatis, Milano, Mondadori, 2011 (and reprints through 2018).

 

Students will also read and study the following texts devoted to the work of d'Annunzio and Montale:

     1) A short manual dedicated to "How to read poetry".

     2) Simona Costa, D’Annunzio, Roma, Salerno, 2012, only chapters I, II, III, IV, VI, VIII, X, XI and XIII.

     3) Alberto Casadei, Montale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2008 (and reprints through 2018), full reading.

Other materials, in digital format, will be provided by the lecturer during class.

Teaching methods

   The course will consist of a series of lectures devoted to reading and formal analysis of the texts on the syllabus. During the lectures, students – even in study groups – will be encouraged to actively participate in common discussions and reflections. Teaching may include the use of audiovisual tools useful for contextualizing and deepening the work of the authors studied.

Assessment methods

     The oral test consists in an oral interview which has the aim of evaluating the critical and methodological ability of the students. The students will be invited to discuss the tests on the course programme. The student must demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography in the course programme.
     Those students who are able to demonstrate a wide and systematic understanding of the issues covered during the lessons, are able to use these critically and who master the field-specific language of the discipline will be given a mark of excellence.
     Those students who demonstrate a mnemonic knowledge of the subject with a more superficial analytical ability and ability to synthesize, a correct command of the language but not always appropriate, will be given a ‘fair' mark.
     A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability that is not always appropriate will be rewarded with a pass mark or just above a pass mark.

Teaching tools

     In addition to lectures, given by the course instructor, audiovisual tools useful for contextualization and in-depth study of the work of the authors studied may be used.

Office hours

See the website of Riccardo Stracuzzi