OVERVIEW

Classicism, Petrarchism, modern style: turning points in 16th-century poetry, from Pietro Bembo's theories on imitation to Giovanni Della Casa's lyrical innovation.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

- Being able to identify the historical, cultural and artistic context in which Italian literary texts were produced;
- knowing the literary tradition of different genres in Italian literature, in relation to their origin (special attention will be paid to the classical origin of some genres), their evolution, the culture and taste of the age in which they originated, their development in the following ages;
- acquiring a method for a critical-scientific interpretation of Italian literary texts, by using specific bibliographical tools (dictionaries, textbooks of history of literature, critical editions, essays, articles, reviews and online material) and textual analysis techniques;
- being able to appreciate the value of an Italian literary text by referring to the poetics of its author and to the history of Italian literature and culture.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

- Knowing the turning points in 16th-century poetry, from classical-humanistic tradition and Petrarchism to modern style, by studying the theoretical and poetic works of Pietro Bembo and Giovanni Della Casa.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Pietro Bembo and his works; Giovanni Della Casa and his works, with a special focus on his Canzoniere.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The reading list for this course, together with the lecturer's suggestions and instructions are available on the Italian version of the web page.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

QUINTO MARINI (President)

LUCA BELTRAMI

ALBERTO BENISCELLI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

February 27, 2018

Class schedule

ITALIAN LITERATURE

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam (plus written work on critical texts, see details below).

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Assessment will include:
individual or group research work on topics relevant to the course (which is meant to strengthen students' specialized competences and work method); written reviews of critical essays, which will be presented and discussed in class;
a final oral exam which is meant to assess students' knowledge of the contents of the course and students' competences. Students' competences should consist in the ability to provide a historical and critical interpretation of texts and in the ability to refer to the relevant cultural and literary contexts. Students who can prove their in-depth knowledge of the major features of literary criticism – and their ability to make connections between literary criticism and philological and ecdotic issues which are still open – will be graded as 'excellent'.

Exam schedule