30649 - English Literature 2 (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

Students will have a deep knowledge of Modern British Literature, in particular as far as the relationship between literary texts and their historical, linguistic and artistic context is concerned. They will know the critical methodologies to read and analyze literary texts and be able to use them. He will be able to elaborate complex analyses and formulate independent reflections on specific research topics.

Course contents

Nineteen Eighty-Four, "the mother of all conspiracies?" or "Utopia and Dystopia" or "Literature and Politics"

The course provides three possible paths centred around George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four:
the first frames it within 20th-century utopias, linking it with Huxley's Brave New World.
the second reflects on the relationship between politics and literature, one of the crucial themes of Orwell's reflection.
the third regards Nineteen Eighty-Four as the generating text for certain trends in contemporary society such as conspiracy theories, fake-news and post-truth.

Readings/Bibliography

Students are asked to choose one of the three paths indicated above. For each group, there is further reading to be done in addition to the Orwell texts indicated here, which are common to all three groups.



Texts to be read, whichever group is chosen:

G. Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, any edition

G. Orwell, Why I Write (Virtual)

G. Orwell, Literature and Totalitarianism (Virtual)

G. Orwell, The Frontiers of Art and Propaganda (Virtual)



First group: Utopia and dystopia

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, any edition

Krishan Kumar, Utopia and Anti-Utopia: Wells, Huxley, Orwell, edited by Raffaella Baccolini and Lucia Gunella, Ravenna, Longo, 1995



Second group: Literature and Politics

G. Orwell, Homage to Catalonia, any edition

G. Orwell, Animal Farm, any edition

R. Williams, Orwell, London, Flamingo, 1984



Third group: the mother of all conspiracies?

T. Pynchon, 'The road to 1984', The Guardian, Saturday May 3, 2003

M. Onfray, Teoria della dittatura, Milan, Ponte alle Grazie, 2020

For more on conspiracy theories (although not about Orwell) is very useful Wu Ming 1, La Q di Qomplotto. QAnon e dintorni: come le fantasie di complotto difendono il sistema, Rome, Alegre, 2021

Assessment methods

The examination consists of an oral interview. The oral interview aims to assess the critical and methodological skills acquired by the student, who will be invited to compare the texts addressed during the course. Particularly assessed will be the student's ability to move within the sources and bibliographical material in order to be able to identify useful information that will allow him to illustrate the cultural aspects and areas of the discipline. The student's 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. The mostly mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, unarticulated synthesis and analysis skills and/or correct but not always appropriate language will lead to fair grades; formative gaps and/or inappropriate language - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the examination material - will lead to grades that do not exceed sufficiency. Inadequate training, inappropriate language, lack of orientation in the bibliographic materials offered during the course will lead to negative marks.

Erasmus or Overseas students could sit the exam as the Italian students or write an essay (about 10-15 pages), whose topic must be approved by the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Gino Scatasta