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

Infinite potential of the narrable. Gadda and Calvino writers of the 20th century

«Only if poets and writers set themselves tasks that no one else dares imagine will literature continue to have a function». this is what Italo Calvino said when referring to another great 20th century writer, Carlo Emilio Gadda, and his vocation for representing the multiplicity of reality. The course will explore the ways in which the two authors attempted to represent the world and its inexhaustible potential, investigating the writing forms and creative practices of these two writers representative of the transformations of Italian literature between the first and second half of the 20th century.

The course is divided into two modules. The first module (Prof. Beniamino Della Gala: 11 November - 18 December 2024) is dedicated to Italo Calvino. The second module (Prof. Riccardo Stracuzzi: 30 September - 6 November 2024) is dedicated to Carlo Emilio Gadda.

Readings/Bibliography

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

I module

• Italo Calvino, Il castello dei destini incrociati (1973), Milano, Mondadori, 2023 (or any other edition);
• Italo Calvino, Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore (1979), Milano, Mondadori, 2022 (or any other edition);
• Italo Calvino, Lezioni americane (1988), Milano, Mondadori, 2022 (or any other edition).

II module

• Carlo Emilio Gadda, La cognizione del dolore (1963), Milano, Adelphi, edited by P. Italia, G. Pinotti, C. Vela, Milano, Adelphi, 2019²;
• Carlo Emilio Gadda, Accoppiamenti giudiziosi (1963), edited by P. Italia, G. Pinotti, Milano, Adelphi, 2015², the following short stories: 1) San Giorgio in casa Brocchi(1931-1952), pp. 63-123; 2) L’incendio di via Keplero (1930-1935), pp. 125-140; 3) La cenere delle battaglie (1951), pp. 291-300.
  

Students will also read and study the following critical texts:

• Giorgio Patrizi, Gadda, Roma, Salerno, 2014, chapters: Introduzione, I, II, IV, VII, pp. 9-71, 110-149, 200-254; further bibliographical materials will be provided by the lecturer during the course of the lectures;
• Mario Barenghi, Calvino, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009.

Teaching methods

The course consists of a series of lectures devoted to the reading and interpretation of the texts on the course programme. During the lectures, students are encouraged to actively participate in discussions and common reflections. Teaching includes the use of audio-visual tools useful for the contextualisation and in-depth study of the literary texts on which we will work.

Assessment methods

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

The student's attainment of an organic vision of the themes addressed in the lessons, together with their critical utilisation, and the demonstration of a mastery of expression and specific language are assessed with marks of excellence.

The mostly mnemonic knowledge of the subject, the ability to synthesise and analyse not in depth and a correct but not always appropriate language lead to fair marks.

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

Formative gaps, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographical materials offered in the programme cannot but be assessed negatively.

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

See the website of Riccardo Stracuzzi