Course program
the main authors of the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, a period particularly flourishing with works that focus on themes such as school, children and education, will be addressed. The most significant genres of the time and the historical-cultural context of reference will be examined. The main authors covered will be Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana, Carlo Collodi, Edmondo De Amicis, Matilde Serao, Grazia Deledda, Antonio Fogazzaro, Giovanni Pascoli, Luigi Pirandello and Dino Buzzati. A manual part, focused on the study of the most important critical junctures, will be flanked by the direct analysis of a selection of texts, chosen and provided by the lecturer.
The texts selected by the teacher will be chosen from within the pedagogical production of the authors mentioned (e.g. the fables by Capuana and Deledda, the novellas dealing with teachers and schooling by Verga and Pirandello, the tales on the condition of schoolteachers by Serao, the production for children and iconography by Dino Buzzati).
Main text: The lecturer will provide the handouts to be studied, in which the topics covered and the profiles of the authors selected for the course are summarised (the main reference textbook from which the contents of the handouts are drawn is that of Giulio Ferroni: Storia e testi della letteratura italiana, volume La nuova Italia). Attendees may refer to the handouts and are not required to consult the textbook except for optional in-depth studies (nonattendees are advised to carefully consult the aforementioned textbook in order to integrate the lessons missed).
Other texts: the texts to be analysed will be supplied in digital format by the lecturer; the anthology of Pirandello's novellas edited by Andrea Scardicchio: La maestrina Boccarmè e altre novelle pedagogiche (2021) will be read and commented on in class, as well as a selection of other passages anthologised from the textbook. Students will also have to read in full Dino Buzzatti's book, La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia.
Non-attending students must read, in addition, three short stories of their choice from Matilde Serao, Il romanzo della fanciulla.
Examination procedure: oral interview
Prerequisites
Reading and writing skills, curiosity and initiative. Ability to confront a text and reflect on its meanings, both explicit and implicit
Books
Main text: The lecturer will provide the handouts to be studied, in which the topics covered and the profiles of the authors selected for the course are summarised (the main reference textbook from which the contents of the handouts are drawn is that of Giulio Ferroni: Storia e testi della letteratura italiana, volume La nuova Italia). Attendees may refer to the handouts and are not required to consult the textbook except for optional in-depth studies (non-attendees are advised to carefully consult the aforementioned textbook in order to integrate the lessons missed).
Other texts: the texts to be analysed will be supplied in digital format by the lecturer; the anthology of Pirandello's novels edited by Andrea Scardicchio: La maestrina Boccarmè e altre novelle pedagogiche (2021) will be read and commented on in class, as well as a selection of other pieces anthologised from the textbook. Students will also have to read in full Dino Buzzatti's book, La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia.
Non-attending students must additionally read three short stories of their choice from Matilde Serao, Il romanzo della fanciulla.
Frequency
Attendees may follow the schedule provided and attend lectures; lectures are not compulsory but strongly recommended. It is advisable to follow the handouts and re-read both the theoretical explanation and the texts of the individual authors while keeping up with the classroom explanations.
Exam mode
The examination procedure consists of an oral interview to be conducted at the indicated dates at the end of the course. For attending students, all group or individual work carried out during the course will be positively assessed, as well as the level of interest and active participation during the lectures.
Lesson mode
Lessons will be in presence in the classrooms and on the days indicated in the calendar; meetings will be divided into moments of frontal teaching and explanation of the authors in moments of collective reading and workshop with group work and class interaction
