28991 - Contemporary Italian Literature (LM)

Learning outcomes

The student is familiar with different textual expressions, main authors and general lines of the critical debate of literature in the Italian language in the contemporary context. Knows how to use methodologies for the analysis and interpretation of literary text.

Course contents

Italian literature and transmedia (hi)storytelling

What place does literature occupy in a media system profoundly transformed by the digital revolution? Through a focus on the genre of the historical novel, the course aims to answer this question, tracing in diachronic succession the changes that occurred in Italian literature at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries and relating them to the new conditions of production and dissemination of books on the cultural market. Through the proposed case studies we will investigate in particular the transformations of the literary text adapted to other media forms (films, TV series, graphic novels, fanfiction), the expansion of stories and fictional worlds, and the possibilities of involvement of the public offered by the new digital media.

Readings/Bibliography

The following texts must be read in their entirety in order to take the examination:

Literary texts

• Umberto Eco, Il nome della rosa. Nuova edizione con i disegni e gli appunti preparatori dell'autore, La Nave di Teseo, 2020 (or any other edition that includes the Postille a Il nome della rosa, which are to be understood as an integral part of the bibliography);
• The Name of the Rose (movie), directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1986 or Il nome della rosa (8 episodes miniseries), directed by Giacomo Battiato, 2019 (available on RaiPlay);
• Luther Blissett, Q, Einaudi, 1999 (or any other subsequent edition).

Critical texts

• Giuliana Benvenuti (ed.), La letteratura oggi. Romanzo, editoria, transmedialità, Einaudi, 2023: chapters G. Benvenuti, La letteratura nel sistema mediale contemporaneo (pp. 3-71) and B. Della Gala, Un longseller transmediale. Il nome della rosa di Umberto Eco (pp. 115-137);
• Henry Jenkins, Cultura convergente, Apogeo, 2007: the chapter Inseguendo l'unicorno origami. Matrix e la narrazione transmediale (pp. 81-129);
• Bruno Pischedda, Eco: guida al Nome della rosa, Carocci, 2016.

The bibliography remains unchanged for non-attending students. Additional materials for exam preparation will be made available on the VIRTUALE Platform, also useful for those who did not attend the lectures.

Teaching methods

The course will consist of a series of lectures dedicated to the reading and interpretation of the texts on the syllabus. During the lectures, students will be encouraged to actively participate in common discussions and reflections, and whenever the subject matter allows, the possibility of a collective discussion space in the course setting will be opened up.

Assessment methods

The oral examination consists of an interview aimed at assessing the critical and methodological skills acquired by the student, who will be invited to discuss the texts in the syllabus. The student must demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography indicated in the programme.

The attainment of an organic vision of the themes addressed in the lessons together with their critical use, the demonstration of a mastery of expression and specific language will be assessed with marks of excellence.

Mostly mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not in-depth synthesis and analysis skills and correct but not always appropriate language will lead to fair marks.

Approximate knowledge, superficial comprehension, poor analytical skills and not always appropriate expression will lead to grades between sufficient and slightly above.

Formative gaps, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographical materials offered in the programme will only lead to negative assessments.

Teaching tools

Supplementary materials useful for exam preparation (articles, slides, image collections, websites) will be made available to students, freely accessible online within the VIRTUALE platform.

Films and audiovisual materials will be used, as well as the projection of photographic and artistic images to supplement the teaching.

Further indications regarding readings or links to resources available on the Internet can be provided during the lectures.

Office hours

See the website of Beniamino Della Gala