ITALIAN LITERATURE FROM 13TH TO 16TH CENTURY MOD. 2

This course is part of the compulsory characterising teaching of the course of study in PHILOLOGY, LINGUISTICS AND ITALIAN LITERATURE (common pathway), as the first module (6 CFU) of a total of 12 CFU.
The class thus has three main objectives: to trace the development of Italian literature, by way of specific examples; to foster the capacity of autonomous reflection on a literary text; to furnish the methodological tools of textual analysis. Particular attention is devoted to the centrality of the text, be it poetic or prose, as an indispensable starting point in any theoretical or critical discourse.

Knowledge and understanding: a thorough knowledge of the developmental lines of Italian literature of the first centuries and the Renaissance; a thorough knowledge of the theory of literary forms covered by the course and Ariosto's poetics; an autonomous knowledge and understanding of the forms of texts in prose and poetry of the first centuries; a knowledge and understanding of the language of the 16th century.
Ability to use said knowledge: Students should be able to employ their historico-critical knowledge in the study of Italian literary history; to use correctly the specific terminology of the discipline; to analyse a literary text in its various aspects.
Judgment: Students should be able to autonomously formulate and argue hypotheses, as well as critically evaluate alternative hypotheses.
Communication skills: Students should be able to express the specifics of critical discourse on literature with adequate terminology.
Learning skills: Students should be able to critically consult the assigned texts as well as the bibliography therein.

A good knowledge of the Italian language; standard reading abilities with texts in Italian; knowledge of the elements that characterize a literary text in prose and in verse. Knowledge of the lines of development of Italian literary history

Wonderful Ariosto.
Orlando furioso and the Renaissance chivalric novel

A first introductory part will be devoted to the fundamental characteristics of the chivalric genre, within which particular attention will be paid to the Inamoramento de Orlando or Orlando innamorato. The fulcrum of the course will instead be dedicated to The Furioso, its genesis, its link with the environment of the Ferrara court and its complex gestation, which is intertwined with the central literary issues of the 16th century (first and foremost, the definition of literary language). The work is examined in depth through an analytical reading of some passages from the Furioso.
Aspects of the poem on which we will focus in class include: the entrelacement; the handling of the fiction of orality; the voice of the narrator; the moral perspective inherent in the ‘bella storia’; the relationship with the classics and novel texts; the presence of the novella form; the female world that animates the novel; the theme of the marvellous, of magic; the theme of the book within the work. We will also focus on the figurative reception of The Furioso, seen as a fundamental aspect of its fortune.

To accompany the course there will be a number of seminars held by scholars specialised in Ariosto (one dedicated to the political theme in the poem, one to the illustrations of the Furioso, a third to be established).
The course will conclude with a visit to Ferrara, in the footsteps of Ariosto and the imagery of the poem.

Students who wish to do so may replace part of the bibliography required for the oral examination with a classroom seminar on an agreed topic.

This edition is recommended: L. Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, commentary by E. Bigi reissued edited by C. Zampese, Milan, Bur-Rizzoli, 2012. Alternatively, one can use the commentaries edited by L. Caretti (Turin, Einaudi, 1966), R. Ceserani and S. Zatti (Turin, Utet, 1997, also including the Five Cantos), C. Segre (Milan, Mondadori, 1964).

At the end of the course, a list of passages to be studied in depth will be published.
An extensive list of critical essays will be provided during the course as a bibliographical basis from which to choose a course of study to take in the oral examination.

Oral examination in the form of an interview (students whose syllabus includes the 12 cfu examination will take a single oral examination covering the first and second module).
The interview, which lasts approximately half an hour, aims to test knowledge of the texts under examination and the problems associated with their interpretation and historical-literary context.
In addition to the literary-historical preparation, particular attention will be paid to the ability to establish critically grounded relationships between the various problems examined and to account for them using appropriate language.

oral

In order to obtain a grade between 27 and 30 cum laude, students must be able to analyse the literary text in depth following the methodological indications acquired; possess and be able to communicate an organic vision of the themes addressed in class and/or studied in the manuals and critical texts in the bibliography; demonstrate excellent oral and written expression and argumentation skills; competently use the technical language of literary criticism.
An overall mark of between 23 and 26 will be awarded to those who demonstrate (orally and in writing): a good knowledge of the syllabus; the ability to carry out an analysis of the texts that is on the whole correct, even if marked by some imperfections of method and content; a good property of language with some uncertainty in exposition and/or imprecision in the use of technical language.
An acceptable but sketchy knowledge of the syllabus, a superficial understanding of the texts, a limited ability to analyse and an expression that is not always appropriate will lead to barely sufficient marks (between 18 and 22).
Poor knowledge of critical and literary texts, inadequate ability to analyse; incorrect or inappropriate written and oral expression will result in a negative assessment.

Lectures with active participation by students who will also - if numbers permit - be asked to give a seminar presentation during the second part of the course. Didactic materials available on the e-learning platform moodle.unive.it.
These textual and critical materials offer cues for further study, with respect to the reference texts listed above.