CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE I SP

The course is placed among "attività caratterizzanti" in the modern and contemporary curriculum of the Master's degree course in Italian Philology and Literature, and among "attività affini e integrative"of the medieval and Renaissance curriculum of the same degree course and the master's degree course in History from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age.

The course aims to provide students with in-depth and extensive knowledge and advanced skills in the field of methodology in the area of Italian literature from the early twentieth century to 2000, and to foster a good awareness of the plurality of critical-methodological approaches, which enables them to read the text as an open form, in dialogue with the present.

1. Knowledge and understanding
- to deepen the knowledge of twentieth-century Italian literature, in its relations with the contemporary cultural panorama, considered in its complexity;
- to be able to analyse and comment literary texts, with full awareness of the plurality of possible critical-methodological approaches;
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- to apply the knowledge acquired in an autonomous and critical manner;
- to make the literary text dialogue with the present, in a multidisciplinary perspective;
3. Judging skills:
- to be able to deal with literary texts from a personal perspective, rethinking critically their interpretations and being able to discuss their validity;
4. Communication skills:
- to know how to use with awareness an adequate and appropriately updated critical vocabulary;
5. Learning skills:
- to be able to critically elaborate the bibliography relating to specific topics and discussions;

A very good knowledge of the Italian language.

Travel writing in XXth century.
Italian writers and the United States.

Four texts, to choose from the following list:
-- Giuseppe Antonio Borgese, "Atlante americano", a cura di A. Meda, Vallecchi 2007
- Mario Soldati, "America primo amore", a cura di S. S. Nigro, Sellerio 2003
- Emilio Cecchi, "Messico", Adelphi 1985 e "America amara", in "Nuovo continente: Messico-America amara-Messico rivisitato", Sansoni 1958
- Guido Piovene, "De America", Garzanti 1953
- Italo Calvino, "Diario americano 1959-1960", in Id., "Eremita a Parigi. Pagine autobiografiche", Mondadori 2002
- Goffredo Parise, "Odore d'America", Mondadori 1990 e "New York", del Ruzante 1977
- Alberto Arbasino, "America amore", Adelphi 2011


Critical Bibliography
Marazzi, Martino "Little America: gli Stati Uniti e gli scrittori italiani del Novecento", Marcos y Marcos, 1997
Meda, Ambra, "Al di là del mito: scrittori italiani in viaggio negli Stati Uniti", Vallecchi 2011

To be consulted:
"Scrittori italiani di viaggio", vol. I, 1700-1861, a cura e con un saggio introduttivo di ID., Milano, Mondadori, 2008 ("Introduzione") e vol. II, 1861-2000, ivi, 2013, useful for students not attending lessons.

The exam can be taken in two ways:

- a conversation centered on the chosen texts and the critical bibliography; the texts must be studied in depth, in order to be able to analyze, comment and contextualize them;

or

- a paper on a specific theoretical question or a deepening on texts, to be agreed with the professor.

Frontal lessons and seminars

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development