HISTORY OF GERMAN CULTURE 1

The course of History of German Culture (1 and 2, each of 6 credits, one in the first and one in the second year) belongs to the curriculum German Literature of the Master's Degree Programme European, American and Postcolonial Language and Literature. According to the aims of the Master's Degree and to the areas Literatures and Cultures, the course provides the ability to consolidate advanced critical and methodological instruments and a solid knowledge of literary texts and debates in their cultural and historical context.

Aims of this course are 1) the ability to analyse critically some of the most significant thoretical and literary texts of the cultural debates taken into consideration; 2) the comprehension of these debates in their cultural and historical context; 3) the ability to consolidate critical and methodological instruments; 4) the ability to comprehend and analyze texts and contexts in a competent and autonomous way; 5) the ability to perfectionate comunication and production in the original language by an accurate reading of the texts, the discussion and presentation in class; 6) the ability to write a well-discussed and formally correct scientific paper in German; 7) the ability to discuss with international lecturers in seminars and workshops about the subjects of the course.

Degree in Modern languages according to the rules of the course LLEAP.
Other students and Erasmus students are kindly asked to contact the lecturer.

Venetian Imaginaries in the Wiener Moderne

The importance of Venice for the Wiener Moderne emerges from the assiduity with which the city serves as a backdrop for the works of its main representatives. For these authors, the lagoon city represents much more than a mere setting, becoming a symbolic literary site in which fundamental questions concerning the relationship between art and society take shape. The course intends to explore the role of the Venetian imaginary in significant works by Arthur Schnitzler and Hugo von Hofmannsthal: works that are also very different from each other, but all inspired by the cultural atmosphere that anticipates and accompanies the Age of Enlightenment, in which masks, play and adventure also become aesthetic dimensions with which to experiment the limits and possibilities of a new Geselligkeit. We will focus in particular on the revival of figures such as Giacomo Casanova or of the tradition of the commedia dell'arte and mask theatre.

Texts:
Hugo von Hofmannsthal:
Der Abenteurer und die Sängerin oder die Geschenke des Lebens;
Florindos Werk/Cristinas Heimreise;
Andreas oder die Vereinigten;
Szenischer Prolog zur Neueröffnung des Josefstädter Theater;

Arthur Schnitzler:
Marionetten. Drei Einakter;
Casanovas Heimfahrt;
Die Schwestern oder Casanova in Spa;
Traumnovelle.

Reference editions will be indicated at the first lesson.

Context:
La letteratura tedesca. epoche, generi, intersezioni, a cura di Chiara Buglioni, Marco Castellari, Alessandra Goggio e Moira Paleari, Mondadori, Milano 2019, vol. 1: parte terza: cap. 10 e 11 (“Naturalismo” e “Fin de siècle”).

Venedig in der deutschen Literatur. Hrsg. von Erik Schilling und Oliver Bach Heidelberg: Winter, 2022.

An oral exam divided into different parts:

Module 1:
- a translation of a text passage from German into Italian;
- a general check about the whole programme;
- a brief presentation of a paper written in German (5-10 pages).

Module 2:
- a translation of a text passage from German into Italian;
- a general check about the whole programme;
- a brief presentation of a paper written in German (10-15 pages).

written and oral

The interview is assessed with a score of 0-25, the paper with a score of 0-5.
Honours will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and understanding with reference to the syllabus, excellent judgement and communication skills.

Lectures, seminar discussions, lectures in collaboration with international lecturers.

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