The course aims at giving students the opportunity to know those fundamental literary texts which still are at the basis of British culture, offering them tools for interpretation. The culture of the past has recently been revived through post-modernism, so as to produce offshoots and, anyway, new texts which render the knowledge of their forefathers indispensable. The course will cover the essential works of the late medieval and early modern periods, so as to bring students in touch with those cultural products which moulded both the English language and British civilization.

The course will be held in English.

Major Topics

a) Conoscenze e capacità di comprensione: Gli studenti acquisiscono i principali concetti connessi all'analisi del testo letterario sotto il profilo del genere e dello specifico contesto storico.

b) Conoscenze e capacità di comprensione applicate: Sanno applicare i concetti acquisiti alla descrizione e all'analisi dei testi e dei relativi generi. Sanno individuare i vali livelli analitici.
c) Autonomia di giudizio: Gli studenti sanno giudicare singoli testi letterari attraverso l'applicazione di metodologie analitiche anche per la rilevanza di fenomeni stilistici.
d) Abilità comunicative: Gli studenti sono stimolati a interagire durante le attività in classe e a presentare loro letture testuali in lingua inglese ad alto livello e con linguaggio specialistico adeguato.

e) Capacità di apprendere: Sanno trasferire le competenze metodologiche a vari oggetti e tipi testuali.

During lessons, a seminar on William Shakespeare's plays will be held by an expert.

Modalità didattiche

Lessons and seminars

Obblighi

Students are warmly invited to attend lessons.

Testi di studio

Primary Texts (all texts will be taken from The Norton Anthology. Vol. 1, 2012. Ninth Edition.*

- Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- The first autobiography in English: The Book of Margery Kempe
- The Mystery Plays: The York Play of the Crucifixion
- The Moral Plays: Everyman
- Sir Thomas Malory, "The Death of Arthur", from Morte Darthur.
- Excerpts from The Bible
- Queen Elizabeth's "Speech to the troops at Tilbury"
- Thomas Wyatt, "My Galley" + Petrarch's Sonnet 189 (from Il Canzoniere)
- Philip Sidney, Sonnet 31 and 39, from Astrophil and Stella
- Edmund Spenser, Sonnet 75, from Amoretti.
- W. Shakespeare, Sonnets 1, 18, 19, 55, 71
- Sir Thomas Hoby, "Grace", from Baldassar Castiglione's The Courtier
- Sir Walter Raleigh, From The Discovery of the large, rich... Empire of the Guiana.
- Francis Bacon, "Of Plantations"
- Christopher Marlowe, Dr Faustus
- W. Shakespeare, King Lear
- Ben Jonson, Volpone
- John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi
- John Donne, "The Sun Rising", "Go and Catch a Falling Star", Sonnet 10 ("Death, be not proud")
- George Herbert, "The Altar", "Easter Wings"
- Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress", "Bermudas"
- John Milton, "To the Lord General Cromwell", "When I Consider How my Light is Spent"; Paradise Lost, Book 1; an excerpt from Aeropagitica.
* A selection of passages from the longest and most complex works will be made during the course and information given during classes and posted on Prof. Mullini's "Materiale didattico" webpage.

Secondary Texts
1) ALL the introductions to individual authors and literary periods in the list, in The Norton Anthology, vol. 1.
2) The section "Literary terminology" (first Appendix in the same volume).
3) R. Mullini e R. Zacchi, Introduzione allo studio del teatro inglese, Napoli, Liguori, 2003 (Parti 1 e 2).

Modalità di
accertamento

Oral exams in English.

Oral exams may be preceded by a written part consisting in questions about the course programme, collectively held either on the 'appello' day or on a date communicated together with the list of the 'appelli'.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.

Modalità didattiche

Lessons and seminars

Obblighi

Non attending students are required to study all set readings in the list (but see further information that will be posted on the web).
They are also invited to get in touch with Professor Mullini either by phone (during office hours), or by email. In the latter case, the official university address must be used (given after matriculation).

Testi di studio

Primary Texts (all texts will be taken from The Norton Anthology, vol 1, 2012. The Ninth Edition is advisable, but also the eighth will be alright).*

- Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- The first autobiography in English: The Book of Margery Kempe
- The Mystery Plays: The York Play of the Crucifixion
- The Moral Plays: Everyman
- Sir Thomas Malory, "The Death of Arthur", from Morte Darthur.
- Excerpts from The Bible
- Queen Elizabeth's "Speech to the troops at Tilbury"
- Thomas Wyatt, "My Galley" + Petrarch's Sonnet 189 (from Il Canzoniere)
- Philip Sidney, Sonnet 31 and 39, from Astrophil and Stella
- Edmund Spenser, Sonnet 75, from Amoretti.
- W. Shakespeare, Sonnets 1, 18, 19, 55, 71
- Sir Thomas Hoby, "Grace", from Baldassar Castiglione's The Courtier
- Sir Walter Raleigh, From The Discovery of the large, rich... Empire of the Guiana.
- Francis Bacon, "Of Plantations"
- Christopher Marlowe, Dr Faustus
- W. Shakespeare, King Lear
- Ben Jonson, Volpone
- John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi
- John Donne, "The Sun Rising", "Go and Catch a Falling Star", Sonnet 10 ("Death, be not proud")
- George Herbert, "The Altar", "Easter Wings"
- Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress", "Bermudas"
- John Milton, "To the Lord General Cromwell", "When I Consider How my Light is Spent"; Paradise Lost, Book 1; an excerpt from Aeropagitica.
* A selection of passages from the longest and most complex works will be made during the course and information given during classes and posted on Prof. Mullini's "Materiale didattico" webpage.

Secondary Texts
1) P. Bertinetti, English Literature. A Short History, Torino, Einaudi, 2010 (in particular from the beginning to the Restoration).
2) ALL the introductions to individual authors and literary periods in the list, in The Norton Anthology, vol. 1.
3) The section "Literary terminology" (first Appendix in the same volume).
4) R. Mullini e R. Zacchi, Introduzione allo studio del teatro inglese, Napoli, Liguori, 2003 (Parti 1 e 2).

Modalità di
accertamento

Oral exams (in English).

Oral exams may be preceded by a written part consisting in questions about the course programme, collectively held either on the 'appello' day or on a date communicated together with the list of the 'appelli'.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.

All students are invited to look up additional information and material which will be made available during the course at professor Mullini's School website (http://www.uniurb.it/lingue/matdid/mullini/).
When students e-mail professor Mullini, they are kindly requested to use their university address if they want to receive an answer.