Course title: Theater and Autobiography in the Eighteenth Century; Goldoni and Alfieri.
The course focuses on eighteenth-century Italian theatrical literature (comedy and tragedy) through the analysis of two works featuring prominent female figures, Goldoni's "Locandiera" and Alfieri's "Mirra". He also intends to dwell on the relationship between life and writing in the new literary genre of autobiography, in which both authors work together with opposing results.
Course Content - 2 semester - last names M-Z
The course provides a general introduction to the distinctive features of Italian literature, proceeding then to a systematic examination of the ‘garden’ theme, from the 14th to the 20th century, from Boccaccio to Montale.
Critical reading will begin by assessing the philological features of the texts, and will develop through issues regarding their literary genre, the theoretical debates involved, and the rhetorical and linguistic aspects of these works.
Texts:
Full reading of:
C. Goldoni, "La locandiera", a cura di Guido Davico Bonino, Torino, Einaudi, 2007 (or Mondadori, Oscar Classici, 2002);
V. Alfieri, "Mirra", introduzione e note di Vittore Branca, Milano, BUR, 1981 (and subsequent reprints).
Pages from the autobiographies of V. Alfieri, "Vita scritta da esso", and C. Goldoni, "Mémoires", will be provided via the moodle platform (e-l.unifi.it)
Critical essays:
S. Ferrone, "La vita e il teatro di Carlo Goldoni", Venezia, Marsilio, 2011 (up to page 133);
G. Fenocchio, "Alfieri", Bologna, Il Mulino, 2012;
A. Duranti, "Vite parallele. Autobiografia e ritratti di Carlo Goldoni e Vittorio Alfieri", in "Paragone. Letteratura", LXII, 93-94-95, febbraio-giugno 2011, pp. 65-103.
Texts and Criticism:
G. Tellini, Natura e arte nella letteratura italiana. Tra giardini, orti e frutteti, Firenze, Le Monnier Università, 2015. Prerequisite to the course is a good working knowledge of the main lines along which our literature has developed, to be acquired through study of the manual below: G. Tellini, Letteratura italiana. Un metodo di studio, Firenze, Le Monnier Università, 2014, II ed. (authors: Petrarca, Boccaccio, Poliziano, Ariosto, Tasso, Marino, Leopardi, Manzoni, D’Annunzio, Gozzano, Palazzeschi, Campana, Montale, including the online parts).
Learning Objectives - 1 semester - last names A-L
Knowledge:
The course involves a general introduction to the features of Italian literature, and a specific study of the Eighteenth century literature, with text reading and commentary, particularly related to the literary genres of comedy and tragedy, and to the autobiography. It includes rudiments of metre, rhetoric and philology, besides presenting the main tools for study of Italian literature.
Competence:
The course involves a first look at scientific editions from Italian literary tradition as well as bibliographical sources; it will also prepare students to use text commentary tools properly; students will have a first experience with bibliographical research in the library; their public speaking skills will be put to test.
Behaviour:
The course strives to motivate students to take advantage of the university structure, student orientation and career management tools, as well as to encourage students to benefit from a correct approach to the student-teacher relationship and promote responsible and respectful use of study resources provided by the study programme.
Learning Objectives - 2 semester - last names M-Z
Knowledge
This course aims to highlight the distinctive traits of Italian literature, and to focus in particular (through text reading and commentary) on the theme of the ‘garden’, from the 14th to the 20th century. The course includes rudiments of metre, rhetoric and philology, besides presenting the main tools for study of Italian literature. Several specific issues are tackled (literature and national identity, history and geography in the study of literature), which stretch across the entire spectrum of our literary culture. Competence The course involves a first look at scientific editions from Italian literary tradition as well as bibliographical sources; it will also prepare students to use text commentary tools properly; students will have a first experience with bibliographical research in the library; their public speaking skills will be put to the test. Behaviour The course strives to motivate students to take advantage of the university structure, the Degree Course, student orientation and career management tools, as well as to encourage students to benefit from intellectual participation and a correct approach to the student-teacher relationship, together with the responsible and respectful use of study resources provided by the Faculty and Degree Course.
Prerequisites - 1 semester - last names A-L
An excellent knowledge of the Italian language is necessary, as are mastery of grammatical and syntactical structures of written Italian, good ability to read literary and critical texts, as well as reasonable competence in using dictionaries and commentaries. Finally, an important prerequisite is a thorough knowledge of the Italian and European historical events of the eighteenth century.
Prerequisites - 2 semester - last names M-Z
A good knowledge of the Italian language is necessary, as are mastery of grammatical and syntactical structures of written Italian, good ability to read literary and critical texts, as well as reasonable competence in using dictionaries and commentaries. Finally, an important prerequisite is a thorough knowledge of Italian national history, particularly with regard to events surrounding the Italian Risorgimento and the first decades following the unification of Italy.
Teaching Methods - 1 semester - last names A-L
Lectures. Students are encouraged to participate, ask questions and maintain a direct relationship with the professor, even during weekly receiving hours.
Teaching Methods - 2 semester - last names M-Z
Lectures. Students are encouraged to participate, ask questions and maintain a direct relationship with the professor, even during weekly receiving hours.
Further information - 1 semester - last names A-L
Students are expected to keep dutifully to attendance rules: with the exception of part-time students, the course is considered valid (and students are admitted to the examination) only if their attendance is recorded by signature for at least two thirds of the lessons (24 hours out of 36 total course hours). Every student must sign the attendance sheet at the beginning of each lesson. Students who cannot regularly attend lessons must sign as well, and come to an agreement with the professor on how to make up for lost hours.
Further information - 2 semester - last names M-Z
Students are expected to keep dutifully to attendance rules: with the exception of part-time students, the course is considered valid (and students are admitted to the examination) only if their attendance is recorded by signature for at least two thirds of the lessons. Every student must personally sign the attendance sheet at the beginning of each lesson.
Type of Assessment - 1 semester - last names A-L
Students will be tested in an end-of-course oral examination, which assesses general knowledge of all the material covered in the course: familiarity with life and work of Goldoni and Alfieri, and the critical essays on them; knowledge of the materials discussed in lectures and made available on the e-learning platform; and above all, it is required to be able to read, interpret and comment correctly the texts of the course ("La locandiera", "Mirra", and the autobiographical pages from "Vita scritta da esso" by Alfieri and "Mémoires" by Goldoni).
Type of Assessment - 2 semester - last names M-Z
All students (even those who do not attend lessons or are participating in exchange programs) must take a final oral exam, which assesses general knowledge of all the material covered in the course.
The oral examination is an interview aimed at assessing the following learning objectives: familiarity with the bibliography and materials discussed in lectures and made available on our e-learning platform; acquaintance with the distinctive features of Italian literature as pertaining to the specific focus of the course; skill in using the methodological and critical tools of the discipline; skill in reading, analysis and commenting on texts on the curriculum.
Students must demonstrate a sufficient grasp of the learning objectives for the course in order to pass the final examination.
The final mark is based on the mark obtained on the oral.
Course program - 1 semester - last names A-L
The course deals with literary genres that in the eighteenth century know a radical reform, such as comedy and tragedy, or that in this century are born, like autobiography. In particular, two dramatic works featuring extraordinary female figures, Mirandolina in Goldoni's "Locandiera", Mirra in the Alfieri's tragedy, will be read and commented on: fascinating texts that allow different readings with very modern ideas. The analysis will aim to place these two masterpieces within the historical-literary context and the artistic path of the authors, to promote their correct understanding and to highlight the most relevant thematic and stylistic aspects.
The relationship between life and writing will then be investigated by reading and analyzing some pages of the autobiographical works written by the two authors, Alfieri's "Life", Goldoni's "Memoirs", to highlight the different intentions and different characters of the two works, which give rise to two lively antithetic self-portraits.
Course program - 2 semester - last names M-Z
THE ‘GARDEN’ IN ITALIAN LITERATURE.
The course provides a general introduction to the distinctive features of Italian literature, proceeding then to a systematic examination of the ‘garden’ theme, from the 14th to the 20th century, from Boccaccio to Montale. The course aims to teach specific methods of reading literary texts, with examples taken throughout the various periods of Italian literature. It includes rudiments of metre, rhetoric and philology, besides presenting the main tools for study of Italian literature. Several specific issues are tackled (literature and national identity, history and geography in the study of literature), which stretch across the entire spectrum of our literary culture.