ENGLISH LITERATURE 1

This course is an essential part of the English language curriculum within the degree program of Languages, Civilizations, and Linguistic Sciences. In addition to improving linguistic skills (starting from an acquired B2 level), it also introduces students to the knowledge and understanding of major literary and cultural phenomena in the English language.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the knowledge and comprehension of the principal literary, artistic, and cultural phenomena in the English language. This foundational training must encompass: 1) the capacity to read, translate, contextualize, and critically analyze a literary text; 2) the acquisition of textual analysis methodologies suitable for the nature of the content presented; 3) the ability to communicate effectively the insights gained from the texts and historical-cultural processes, employing appropriate language.

Acquired knowledge ef English, at B2 level in the European framework. A knowledge of English history and literature at school level will be helpful to better understand the front lectures. Students must enlist in the moodle of the course in order to attend it.

Readers in the Storm: English Literature in the Planetary Crisis

We will journey with a cornerstone of English literature, William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and a contemporary adaptation of it, Margaret Atwood's Hag-Seed. This novel envisions the play being performed inside a prison. We will focus on how every literary text can be analyzed from both a formal and a thematic/historical perspective, placing it in its own time and then—in Shakespeare's case—observing its metamorphoses across space and time.
We will discover how an author who is often monumentalized, if not fossilized in his status as a classic, can find new relevance in the most surprising forms. Through Atwood's novel and other poetic adaptations from English-speaking countries that have experienced British colonial rule, we will see how The Tempest can speak to themes of freedom and liberation, love and friendship, envy and revenge, racism and speciesism, environmental crisis and care, rebellion and utopia, empathy and identification, rhetoric and style, and different theories of interpretation.
Finally, we will ask ourselves if reading literary texts can make us better interpreters of the present, of ourselves, and of others.

William Shakespeare, LA TEMPESTA, Rizzoli, 2008
Margaret Atwood, HAG-SEED, Vintage, 2016
Shaul Bassi, PIANETA OFELIA, Bollati Boringhieri, 2024

Other poetic and critical texts available on the Moodle page.
Entries selected from: Living Handbook of Narratology
https://www-archiv.fdm.uni-hamburg.de/lhn/contents.html

The written exam, which lasts two hours, will be divided into four parts. The first three will consist of questions that require specific and very brief answers.
A) Three questions about your knowledge of the Shakespeare text;
B) Three questions about your knowledge of the Atwood text;
C) Two questions on the main themes of the Pianeta Ofelia text.
D) Translation of a short passage from English (approx. 200-250 words) taken from Atwood's novel, and a brief contextualization comment on the passage (approx. 15-20 lines) (in Italian).
The use of an English-only dictionary is permitted (a bilingual dictionary is NOT allowed).
During the exam, the use of other texts and any electronic devices is not permitted in any way (under penalty of expulsion from the exam and reporting to the university).

written

28-30L: mastery of the topics covered in class and in the required texts; use of appropriate technical terminology;
26-27: good knowledge of the topics covered in class and, to a lesser extent, in the texts; reasonable ability to organise information; familiarity with technical terminology;
24-25: knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the textbooks not always in-depth; orderly written presentation but with not always correct use of technical terminology;
22-23: often superficial knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the texts; unclear presentation and lack of technical terminology;
18-21: incomplete knowledge of the topics covered in class and in the texts; confused oral presentation, with little use of technical terminology.

Lectures and class activities

Students are always welcome at my office hours (please consult my personal page for times and updates) to discuss any issues related to the course. Please note that I receive a large number of emails and it is not always easy to respond promptly.

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