ITALIAN LITERATURE

The course aims to provide students with a general introduction to the history of Italian literature, presenting its main genres, periods, authors, and works—initially through a historiographical approach, complemented by interpretive and analytical insights, and subsequently through the reading (both in the original language and in English translation) of selected representative texts. The period under consideration corresponds to what is commonly identified as the first “institutional” segment in many three‑year undergraduate programs, spanning from the 1200s to the early 1800s.

The aim is to facilitate the familiarization of students coming from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds with the foundations of the study of Italian literature, an integral component of all Italian school curricula. Students are specifically expected to recognize the criteria of literary periodization, certain distinctive features of major works and authors, and some fundamental issues related to the evolution of the Italian language and to the documentary transmission through which literary texts have been preserved.

The only prerequisite is a good command of the English language, in which the course is taught, as it is necessary for following the lectures.

Title of the course: Italian literary civilization: textual and historical-critical paths
- European context and tradition during the Middle Ages
- Scuola Siciliana; Tuscan poets before the Stilnovo (pre-stilnovisti)
- Stilnovo
- Dante (Rime, Vita Nova, Commedia)
- Petrarca (Canzoniere)
- Boccaccio (Decameron)
- Literature of the Fifteenth century (Lorenzo il Magnifico, Poliziano, Boiardo – Orlando innamorato)
- Bembo (Prose della volgar lingua) and the foundation of the Italian language. Lyric poetry in the XV-XVI century
- Castiglione (Il libro del Cortegiano) and the treatises of the Sixteenth century
- Machiavelli (Principe)
- Historical and political prose (Machiavelli, Guicciardini)
- Ariosto (Orlando furioso)
- Tasso (Gerusalemme liberata)
- Baroque and classicism in the XVII century (Marino – Adone)
- Galileo and the scientific themes in literature (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi)
- European and Italian Enlightenment; Parini (Giorno)
- Neoclassicism and Romantic literature. Alfieri and Goldoni
- Foscolo (Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis)
- Leopardi (Canti, Operette morali)
- Manzoni (Adelchi, Promessi Sposi)

Attendance to classes is mandatory. The teaching is delivered through frontal lectures in English aimed primarily at the acquisition of knowledge, competence and specific language of the subject. Discussion with the teacher in the classroom is integrant part of the didactic method and aims at promoting a critical attitude and the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge.
The teaching is also based on didactic materials provided on Moodle.

Students will study primarily through notes taken during frontal lessons, but will be provided with the slides used in class and schemes/summaries through Moodle.
If they prefer to enrich their perspective on the subject through bibliography, they can use these students’ books (NOT MANDATORY):
- The Cambridge History of Italian Literature, Cambridge University Press, [1997] 2008
- Paolo E. Balboni, Letteratura italiana per stranieri. Storia, testi, analisi, attività, Edilingua, 2024
- Gabriele Baldassari, Guglielmo Barucci, Antologia della letteratura italiana, Cortina, 2022

The course will be considered successfully completed after scoring a full attendance and passing the following tests:
- first midterm, after about one third of the total lessons; written test (students will have to choose one open question out of two and answer in 45 minutes)
- second midterm, after about two thirds of the total lessons; written test (students will have to choose one open question out of two and answer in 45 minutes)
- final; oral form (students will answer to two questions, one on the last topics of the course, one on the previous two)

All three tests will be held during the normal course; the specific lesson in which they will take place will be communicated by the professor in advance.

written and oral

In accordance with academic custom, assessment will be expressed on a thirty‑point scale, both for the mid‑term examinations and for the final one, the average of which may be rounded by the instructor. A mark of 18 or above is considered a passing grade.

The teaching is delivered through frontal lectures in English aimed primarily at the acquisition of knowledge, competence and specific language of the subject. Discussion with the teacher in the classroom is integrant part of the didactic method and aims at promoting a critical attitude and the capacity to apply the acquired competence and knowledge.

It is always possible to request clarification from the instructor via email or through Moodle.