OVERVIEW

German literature comprises the written works of the German-speaking peoples. The study of “German literature and culture” should not only provide a concise historical survey of German literature, but also give an understanding of the cultural developments of German-speaking countries.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims to examine literary texts produced in German-speaking countries in their aesthetic value and as powerful instruments to understand the culture of these countries.

LEARNING OUTCOMES (FURTHER INFO)

By the end of this course you should have:

- Acquired an understanding of German history and culture

- Developed an ability to read and analyse fictional texts

- Developed an ability to understand social, historical and political factors that have influenced the German culture

TEACHING METHODS

36 hours frontal lecture in Italian, reading texts in German

Lessons in Italian, readings in German.

Attendance is not obbligatory, but heartily recommended

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The Neidhart Plays are secular medieval plays which emerged from imitations of the farces by the thirteenth-century poet Neidhart von Reuental (especially the Violet Farce) and were mostly performed during Shrovetide. The course will analyse the sociological relevance of the St. Paul Neidhart Play as the oldest secular German play, of the Great Neidhardspiel play as the most comprehensive medieval comic play, of the Tirolean Neidhard Play and of the Lesser Neidhart Play of Nurnberg.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

 At the beginning of the course you must have this book:

Ser Neidhart e la beffa della violetta. Drammi tedeschi medievali, scelti, tradotti e commentati da R. De Pol. Con una postfazione di J. Margetts, Vignate, Virtuosa-Mente, 2015

 Other readings will be made available on the webcourse

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MICHAELA BÜRGER-KOFTIS (President)

ROBERTO DE POL (President)

JOACHIM HANS BERND GERDES

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

An exam, the length of which varies according to the programme, held by the professor responsible for the course, during which the level of the student’s knowledge will be assessed according to the following criteria:

a) ability to read, translate and comment on and contextualise critically excerpts from texts examined during the course, plus other supplementary texts read and prepared autonomously, see the list which can be downloaded from the professor’s website, the course on aulaweb and can also be consulted on the notice board outside the professor’s office;

b) ability to respond in Italian and German to questions on topics covered during the course and on supplementary texts prepared for the examination, as well as possibly developing an autonomous critical discourse.

Exam schedule