ENGLISH CULTURE AND LITERATURE

The course is part of the core subjects of Bachelor's Degree Programme in Linguistic and Cultural Mediation and aims to introduce students to the analysis of literary and cinematic works produced in the context of English-speaking cultures. It will provide students with the tools to analyse such works from a formal point of view and to relate them to the cultural, historical and social issues from which they emerge and which they represent. The course also aims to stimulate reflection on interconnected facets of modernity (ecology and colonialism) represented in the texts.

Students should acquire basic knowledge of the cultures and history of English-speaking countries, literary genres and the categories of stylistic and narratological analysis. They should learn to read and analyse literary works from a formal point of view, and establish relationships between texts and their cultural and historical context. Finally, they will have to develop skills in oral (through class discussion) and written communication (in order to prepare for the exam); and to develop the ability to independently analyse literary texts and the issues raised by them.

No prerequisites, but knowledge of English to at least B1 level is recommended.

TITLE: Double Trouble: Intertwined histories of colonialism and ecology in English-speaking cultures and literatures

The course aims to offer an introduction to English-speaking cultures in modernity (with examples drawn from Britain, the United States, India, Canada) by analysing two fundamental themes (and their literary representations) that are often perceived as separate: colonial history and ecology. The course aims to offer a diachronic journey that will enable students to appreciate how issues of colonialism and issues of ecology are co-constitutive elements of modernity (and of 'English/English-speaking culture'). This will lead us to discuss the relationship between humans and non-humans, terraforming, invasions, frontier capitalism, extractivism, migration and multiculturalism, ecological conservation, disasters, and post-apocalyptic narratives - and the threads that hold these seemingly separate instances together.

We will begin by problematising the concept of 'English culture' and discussing elements of ecocritical and postcolonial theory. We will then tackle US writer Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire", to discuss what it can teach us about an (extremely influential) 'frontier' view of nature, and the relationship between humans, the environment and non-humans. We will then move on to another, only seemingly different frontier: that of the colonisation of the Pacific in the late 19th century described in Robert Louis Stevenson's novella "The Beach of Falesá", which recounts the ambiguities, injustices and potential redemptions in the relationship between colonisers and colonised. Finally, the novels "The Hungry Tide" by Amitav Ghosh (a classic of Indian literature in English and ecocriticism) and "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline (a successful Young Adult distopian novel by an indigenous/Canadian author) will allow us to discuss how a certain vision of the environment and nature, in the context of a world-system that maintains inequalities of colonial origin, converge to create specific forms of social and environmental injustice.

Jack London, "To Build a Fire", 1908, any edition (available on Moodle)
Robert Louis Stevenson, "The Beach of Falesá", 1892, any edition (available on Moodle)
Amitav Ghosh, 2004, The Hungry Tide, Harper Collins.
Cherie Dimaline, 2017, The Marrow Thieves, DCB.

Secondary bibliography
Greg Garrard, Ecocriticism, 2012, Routledge (selection).
Graham Huggan and Helen Tiffin, Postcolonial Ecocriticism, 2015, Routledge (selection)
Other optional secondary texts will be uploaded on moodle.

The written examination (in Italian) lasts 2 hours and consists of four questions on the topics of the course, including the analysis of short excerpts from the texts. The student must be able to understand and comment on the excertps independently. In the examination, the student must demonstrate knowledge of the contents of the texts discussed in class, knowledge of the historical and cultural context of the texts, be able to apply basic textual analysis tools presented in class, and be able to reflect on the issues of colonialism and ecology in the texts.

Students who are unable to attend lectures are advised to read the secondary bibliography texts (Ecocriticism; Postcolonial ecocriticism) in full and to read the additional texts on moodle.

Lectures. Class discussions.

Italian

written

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