PORTUGUESE AND BRAZILIAN LITERATURE 1

The teaching of Portuguese and Brazilian Literature 2 MOD1 is common to all courses of the degree course in Languages, Civilizations and Language Sciences.
The course aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the Carnation Revolution and Portuguese postcolonialism through the analysis of two novels, A Land Called Alentejo, by José Saramago and Terra Sonnambula, by Mia Couto.

1. Knowledge and understanding: knowledge of the formation of Portuguese and Mozambican literature; knowledge of the socio-cultural and historical-political dynamics that impact the works studied; mastery of scientific terminology for the critical analysis of literary texts.
2. Applied knowledge and understanding: highlight how the Carnation Revolution influences the postcolonial imagination of Portuguese and Mozambicans; read, analyze and interpret two works of Portuguese language literature in different contexts.
3. Independent judgement: develop the ability to acquire and apply adequate critical tools in the analysis of the indicated texts, on a thematic and stylistic-formal level, also by relating them to the context.
4. Communication skills: understanding the exposition of an academic speech; express concepts with clarity and terminological precision.
5. Ability to learn to recognize the typology of a text and formulate analytical hypotheses; the facts and materials examined and the ideas and context of which they are an expression.

Basic knowledge of European history and culture.

2024 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and this course is dedicated to understanding the historical political scenario of Portugal and that of Mozambique through the analysis of two works, A land called Alentejo, by José Saramago and Terra sonnambula, by Mia Couto. The first work follows four generations of his existence made up of sacrifices and effort, but also of passions, aspirations, struggles, defeats up to the revolution. The other takes place during the civil war in Mozambique in the 1980s and tells the story of Tuahir and Muidinga, a boy who was saved from the pit where he was supposed to be buried. In this regard, priority will be given to the study of resistant and postcolonial literature. In a first segment, the particular issues regarding myths, stereotypes, the construction of the Portuguese national identity will be explored in depth. Through the analysis of selected texts, the themes and peculiar traits of the writing of each author and of other contemporaries will be illustrated, which will allow the articulation of a broad reflection on thematic and linguistic renewal within a specific context literary, historical, social and cultural in both the Portuguese and Mozambican contexts.

Primary Ressources:
COUTO, Mia. Terra sonnambula. Guanda, 2022.
_____. Terra sonâmbula. Caminho: 2013.
SARAMAGO, José. Una terra chiamata Alentejo. Trad. Rita Desti. Feltrinelli, 2010.
______. Levantado do chão: romance. Lisboa: Caminho, 1991.
Theoretical and critical texts:
BUSSOTTI SGOENHA, L. Il postcolonialismo nell'Africa lusofona. Il Mozambico contemporaneo, 2006.
BROOKSHAW, D. Mia Couto. A literary voice from Mozambico, 2015 (open access)
COSME, J. A. D. "Moçambicanidade vs. africanidade: a construção de nacionalidades literárias nos mundos anglófono e lusófono. in Veredas, 7, pp. 177-192.
LEITE, Ana Mafalda. Literaturas africanas e formulações pós-coloniais: Lisboa: Edições Colibri.
REIS, Carlos (org.) "José Saramago: nascido para isto". Lisboa: Fundação José Saramago, 2020 (open access)
MARCHIS, Giorgio (a cura di). José Saramago, Lezioni Italiane. Roma. La Nuova Frontiera, 2022 (open access)
PERRETI, Marco. Le relazione degli esploratori portoghesi e il mappa cor di rosa (open access)

Oral test aimed at verifying the degree of achievement of the expected learning outcomes. To pass the exam, students are required to answer around six questions (between 20 and 30 minutes). At least two questions are about a novel chosen by the students; two are in the theoretical field, such as understanding the concept of postcolonialism applied to the Portuguese context; two others on different topics chosen by the professor.

Frontal lessons; interactive dynamics; commented reading of texts and documents: use of the University e-learning platform.

Italian

oral

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