OVERVIEW

The course intends to introduce  students to an in-depth analysis at a specialist level of the ways in which classical texts influenced European culture.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The students will have to develop, in addition to an in-depth knowledge of the Latin texts at master's level, also a good theoretical awareness of the mechanisms of their reception in European literature, and a practical ability to investigate such lending, imitation, re-use and rewriting traditions through the exemplary cases presented during the course.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The students  will have to develop, in addition to an in-depth knowledge of the Latin texts at master's level, also a good theoretical awareness of the mechanisms of their reception in European literature, and a practical ability to investigate such lending, imitation, re-use and rewriting traditions ( in close parallel with what is similar in the tradition of visual arts) through the exemplary cases presented during the course.

PREREQUISITES

A solid knowledge of the history of Latin Literature and of the Latin language, as well as a competence in metrics (hexameter and pentameter) is required, as well as the successful completion (at the  master's degree) of the Preliminary written Test of Translation from Latin.

Please note that to facilitate the preparation of solid grammatical bases and for the preparation of the Preliminary written Translation Test, during the first and second semester Latin Lectorates for  intermediate and advanced are activated, open to all students, (see more details in the field FURTHER INFORMATION).

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures and possibly seminar discussion based on papers produced by the students.

Lessons will take place in person. Attendance, although not compulsory, is highly recommended.

Only those who attend lessons in presence will be deemed attending students.

The teacher, upon specific  e-mail request by single students, could allow them to attend lessons remotely and to access the recordings of the lessons via Teams.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The 'stories of adultery' of the IX book of Apuleius's Metamorphoses and the Italian novellistic tradition

Among the numerous stories included in the main plot of the adventures of Lucio transformed into a donkey, the adultery stories of the ninth book of the Metamorphoses (captured by Lucio's long ears, the very symbol of his auditory curiosity) represent a unitary cycle of extraordinary significance and importance. . The cycle, which begins with a lepid and lively tale, gradually turns towards increasingly dark tones, in an implicit condemnation of the sensual pleasure that will lead the protagonist to the final conversion to the cult of Isis and to the return to human form. The novellas of the ninth book thus constitute a real novelistic model, and will in fact be reworked by Boccaccio in the Decameron, constituting an inescapable paradigm for the history of Italian novellistictradition.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) Apuleio, Le Metamorfosi, a cura di Lara Nicolini, BUR 2005 (in latin only book IX, in italian or english translation all the novel); see also  Apuleio, Le novelle dell’adulterio (Metamorfosi, IX), a cura di Silvia Mattiacci, Firenze 1996;

2) Boccaccio, Il Decameron, novella VII, 2; Novella V,10;

3) Giovanni Sercambi, Il Novelliere, nov. 137;

4) Matteo Maria Boiardo, Orlando Innamorato, II 26. 20-50 (il racconto di Doristella);

5) Publio Filippo Mantovano, Il Formicone;

6) Girolamo Morlini, Novellae: nov. 31; nov. 35; nov. 14; nov. 30.

Further information on the texts in question will be provided in class​.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GABRIELLA MORETTI (President)

DILETTA VIGNOLA

ALICE BONANDINI (Substitute)

LISA LONGONI (Substitute)

LARA NICOLINI (Substitute)

BIAGIO SANTORELLI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Monday 13 February 2023

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam possibly preceded by a seminar work presented orally and delivered in written form to the teacher during the course.

Access to the examination, for those who have previously obtained 12 CFUs in SSD L-FIL-LET/04, is subject to passing the written test of translation from Latin at the master's level (see the 'Compitino' item in the calendar of my examinations).

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will first examine the student's competences regarding the Latin language, and will focus in particular on the ascertainment of stylistic, rhetorical and interpretative skills through the translation and exegesis of the Latin texts in the program. 

In the second phase of the oral examination, the relationships between ancient texts and the traditions of literary history which find their starting point in those texts will be examined.

Part of the evaluation will also be based on possible seminar works presented by the students during the course.

The vote will be expressed in THIRTIES. The final grade will be determined by an average (subject to increase at the discretion of the teacher) obtained from the sum of the following factors:

-quality of exposure and ability to use an adequate Italian form (attention: sloppy or incorrect exposure can invalidate the entire exam): 6/30;

- reasoning skills, logical connections and use of the specialized vocabulary 6/30;

- reading, analysis, contextualization and understanding of the texts (including the possible essay): 18/30.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Attendance is strongly recommended: an active class attendance, with preparation of the passages from time to time addressed, will be evaluated during the exam.

Those who for serious reasons could not attend SHOULD contact the teacher within the first month of the course.

For students with linguistic problems, the following cycles of lessons will be activated:

1) a 36-hour intermediate Latin Lectorate (syntax), held in the second semester by Prof. Maria Rosaria Di Garbo, to be integrated with the help of language tutors for practical exercises and their correction. The Intermediate Latin Lectorate will begin on February 16, 2021 with schedule Tuesday 9/11 and Thursday 15/17 (remote lessons). Students will find the relative information on Prof.ssa Di Garbo's Aulaweb page. Students who have already followed basic Latin take into account that for the Intermediate Latin Lectorate it is necessary to re-register and that the new link was sent to them via Aulaweb message by the teacher.

2) a 30-hour translation Workshop held in the first semester by prof.ssaAlice Bonandinii, useful in particular to pass the magistral level Test of Translation from Latin.

All students are required to register for Aulaweb and Teams in time for the start of the course.