75362 - Gender and Violence in the Old Germanic Literatures

Learning outcomes

The student already knows the old Germanic literatures and investigates the relation between gender and violence in the texts of the Nibelungs Cycle and in the modern rewriting of the Nibelung legend.

Course contents

Knights in the Germanic world

The course focuses on the figure of the knight in the medieval Germanic world. After a general overview, dedicated to the main characteristics of the mounted warrior, some famous representatives of this category will be examined, focusing on different linguistic and cultural areas. For the German context, we will focus for instance on Erec, the protagonist of the novel of the same name by Hartmann von Aue, the initiator of the Arthurian genre in Germany. On the other hand, the analysis inherent to the English area will be reserved for Sir Gawain and his fantastic story. There will also be space for lesser-studied realities, such as the Dutch, presented thanks to the path of the young and inexperienced Ferguut. Large sections of these and other texts will be read, which will then be commented on and discussed in the classroom during a seminar, in which active participation will be of central importance.

Readings/Bibliography

Text uploaded online on the website of the course.

- Boitani, Piero (a cura di), Sir Gawain e il Cavaliere Verde, Milano, Adelphi, qualsiasi edizione.

- Bertagnolli, Davide (a cura di), Ferguut, Alessandria, Edizioni dell’Orso, 2023.

- Edwards, Cyril (ed.), German romance. V, Erec / Hartmann von Aue,
Suffolk, Boydell & Brewer, 2014 (available on AlmaRE).

Other texts will be suggested during the course.

Non attending students have to contact Prof. Bertagnolli in order to define an exam bibliography.

Teaching methods

Seminar. You are strongly recommended to attend and actively participate in all of your classes as this is a key learning component of the course.

Knowledge of German and Dutch is not required.

Assessment methods

Oral examination

Teaching tools

Video and audio materials in internet, lectures notes provided by the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Davide Bertagnolli