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.

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

Greg Garrard, Ecocriticism, 2012, Routledge (selection).
Graham Huggan and Helen Tiffin, Postcolonial Ecocriticism, 2015, Routledge (selection)

Optional Readings:
Available 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 (including the plot of the novels/short stories), 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.

The minimum grade is 18, the maximum grade is 30 cum laude. The grades will be assigned as follows:
A. range 18-22: sufficient content knowledge; limited ability for independent discussion; limited knowledge of basic textual analysis tools; limited knowledge of the cultural-historical context and issues in the texts.
B. range 23-26: decent content knowledge; decent independent discussion skills, decent knowledge of basic textual analysis tools, decent knowledge of the historical-cultural context and issues present in the texts.
C. range 27-30: good content knowledge; good independent discussion skills, good knowledge of basic textual analysis tools, good knowledge of the historical-cultural context and issues present in the texts.
D. Cum Laude: awarded in case the content knowledge, independent discussion skills, knowledge of basic textual analysis tools, and knowledge of the cultural-historical context and issues present in the texts is excellent.

written

Lectures. Class discussions. The Moodle e-learning platform will be used for communication with the students and to distribute teaching materials (slides; parts of the bibliography).

Italian

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