Modern Philology

Telling the story of war. Italo Calvino and Renata Viganò The course addresses forms of representation of war through the analysis of two great classics of the twentieth century: Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (The Path to the Nest of Spiders, 1947) and L'Agnese va a morire (Agnese Goes to Die, 1949). These two exemplary works allow us to investigate different perspectives on history, from the child Pin to the woman Agnese. The two authors, Italo Calvino (1923-1985) and Renata Viganò (1900-1976), are also protagonists of a form of militancy that passes through collaborations with the daily newspaper l'Unità, a laboratory of ideas, narratives and critical perspectives.

It requires: 1. knowledge of the historical and cultural context of reference (1943-1949) 2. knowledge of the profiles of the two authors Italo Calvino and Renata Viganò in the historical literary context

Works - Italo Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno, 1947 (any edition); Italo Calvino, Preface to Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (1964); - Renata Viganò, L’Agnese va a morire, 1949 (any edition).

Attendance at the course is not compulsory but is recommended.

The exam will be an oral speech. Students will be assessed on their ability to interpret issues in the field of contemporary Italian literature, demonstrating their acquisition of methodological and interpretative tools aimed at textual comprehension and analysis. The knowledge acquired will enable students to discuss and address open questions, implement study and research methods, develop mastery in the critical-literary field, and combine literature with social reality. Ongoing assessments will be reserved exclusively for attending students.

Critical bibliography (in the handout) Claudio Milanini, Esistenzialismo e neorealismo: Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno, in Id. L’utopia discontinua, Rome, Carocci, 2022, pp. 23-42; Martin McLaughlin, Un’epica su scala ridotta: Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (1947), in Id., Italo Calvino e la letteratura mondiale. Narrativa, saggistica, intertestualità, Rome, Carocci, 2025, pp. 37-57; Sebastiano Vassalli, Prefazione a L'Agnese va a morire, Turin, Einaudi 1994; Marina Zancan, Figure della memoria: la storia nei racconti delle donne, in Madri della Repubblica. Storie, immagini, memorie, a cura di Luisa Cicognetti, Patrizia Gabrielli, Marina Zancan, Rome, Carocci, 2007 Maria Corti, Tre campi di tensioni. Neorealismo, in Ead., Il viaggio testuale, Turin, Einaudi, 1978, pp. 25-110.

The course will take place in mixed mode: lectures, seminars, guided exercises.