The purpose of the course is the acquisition of the foundamental historical and critical competences in Italian Literature. This implies, as an ultimate target, the control of the essential concepts which can guide the student through the study of literary phenomena, according one of the main aims of the Laurea Triennale and of the Philological Curriculum. In detail, the course will offer a critical survey and some appropriate methodological competences about ancient Italian Literature (especially concerning Dante’s texts), its geography and periodization, and about its main philological and linguistic aspects.   

First semester. Ancient and modern biographies of Dante – The composition of the Commedia – About the first dissemination of the text of the Commedia – Literary geograpghy of the origins. Historic and analytic survey on the origins of vernacular poetry, together with a general information of History of Language and textual tradition – The vernacular poetry of the Duecento: Sicilian poetry – Analytical explanation of the Vatican manuscript 3793 – The first book of the De Vulgari Eloquentia – Guinizzelli – Dante e the poets of the XIIIth Century: reading of Purg. XXIV, XXVI – The Commedia and its title: the Epistola to Cangrande – Reading of Inf. I – Dante’s life and the exile

Second semester. About the first development of the vernacular lyric poetry – The Vita nova – Cavalcanti and Dante – Reading of Inferno X – Reading of Cavalcanti’s rhymes – Reading of Boccaccio Dec. VI. 9 – Dante as a philosopher: the canzoni of the Convivio – Ancient lyrical poetry and its dissemination during the XIV and XV Centuries – The Raccolta aragonese – The fortune of the Commedia in XIV Century: the forst commentaries and Boccaccio – Petrarch as a reader of Dante – The fortune of the Commedia and other Dante’s works: the ms. Chigiano L VI 213 – Fortune of the Commedia in the XVI Century – The text of the Commedia in the modern scholarship.

The exam is entered after passing the written test of the supplementary course of "Laboratory of language and writing". This preparatory course takes place in the second semester for an expected duration of 18 hours, with lectures, simulations of learning and self-evaluation through blended learning, final written test, subsequent correction and vote by the lecturer. The course in question will receive the recognition of 1 extracurricular credits. Attendance of the course is not compulsory, but it is desirable that all students participate at least in the first lesson of the course so that they can ascertain the degree of skills and knowledge possessed. The final written test is mandatory. The useful information, and the dates of the appeal for the written test, will be communicated together with those of the summer session.

- The student will have to show the possession and mastery of basic knowledge related to ancient Italian literature, with particular reference to its elements of literary geography, periodization, literary and poetic genres.

- The student must show an understanding of the concepts and contents of the course; he will also provide examples of reading texts, showing adequate analytical skills and the ability to connect specific analyzes to the general historical framework.

- The student must show an adequate competence in the specific language of literary studies, so as to allow reasoning according to the instruments of the discipline.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

In addition to the lectures given by the lecturer, there will be lectures by guest lecturers, historical-critical and literary, around subjects related to the course or parallel to and complementary to the course subject.

The teaching material prepared by the teacher and the specific communications of the teacher can be found, together with other support activities, within the Moodle platform ›blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Frontal lessons. Students may be required to take readings during the course in order to be able to attend some lessons with due preparation.

Attendance

Compulsory attendance for attending students.

Course books

Some teaching materials (lecture notes) will be made available to attending students at the beginning of the course. The file includes texts related to some topics of the lectures, and it is in all respects an exam subject for attending students. During the exam, in addition to all the topics presented by the teacher, attending students will have to prepare the following texts (some of which are included in the aforementioned materials)

TEXTS

D. Alighieri, Vita Nova, a cura di L. C. Rossi, introd. di G. Gorni, Milano, Mondandori (Oscar), 1999.

D. Alighieri, Commedia : Purgatorio - lettura integrale

D. Alighieri, De vulgari eloquentia, libro primo - materiale fornito in dispensa

D. Alighieri, Epistola a Cangrande - materiale fornito in dispensa

E. Auerbach, Farinata e Cavalcante - materiale fornito in dispensa 

G. Contini, Esercizio d’interpretazione sopra un sonetto di Dante, in Id., Varianti e altra linguistica, Torino, Einaudi, 1970, pp. 161-168.- materiale fornito in dispensa 

E. Fenzi, La canzone d’amore di Guido Cavalcanti e i suoi antichi commenti, Genova, Il Melangolo, 1999.- materiale fornito in dispensa

V. Formentin, Poesia italiana delle origini, Roma, Carocci, 2007.- materiale fornito in dispensa

Assessment

Oral exam, after passing the written test of the "Lingua e writing" preparatory course. (See at the section "Bridging Courses). During the oral exam, the attending student is required to report, during the interview, on any topic covered by the teacher during the course, including the support lessons of other teachers and the seminars attached to the course. He must also demonstrate that he has read and understood the study texts listed above. All students will be assessed through the following criteria: (1) knowledge of the subject. - (2) ability to reason appropriately on the subject of the question. - (3) ability to expose matter with language properties.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

The non-attending student must strictly follow the program indicated online, and prepare all the texts. All students will be evaluated through the following criteria: (1) knowledge of the subject. - (2) ability to reason appropriately on the subject of the question. - (3) ability to expose matter with language properties.

Attendance

For non-attending students the attendance is not compulsory.  

Course books

TESTI

D. Alighieri, Vita Nova, a cura di L. C. Rossi, introd. di G. Gorni, Milano, Mondandori (Oscar), 1999.

D. Alighieri, Commedia : 50 canti a scelta -

G. Cavalcanti, Rime, ed. econ. a scelta

[in order to get the following texts the student may ask the teacher]

D. Alighieri, De vulgari eloquentia, libro primo 

D. Alighieri, Epistola a Cangrande

G. Contini, Esercizio d’interpretazione sopra un sonetto di Dante, in Id., Varianti e altra linguistica, Torino, Einaudi, 1970, pp. 161-168.

M. Corti, Guido Cavalcanti e una diagnosi dell’amore, in Ead., Scritti su Cavalcanti e Dante. La felicità mentale, Percorsi dell’invenzione e altri saggi, Torino, Einaudi, 2003, pp. 9 sgg.

E. Fenzi, La canzone d’amore di Guido Cavalcanti e i suoi antichi commenti, Genova, Il Melangolo, 1999.

V. Formentin, Poesia italiana delle origini, Roma, Carocci, 2007

Assessment

Oral exam, after passing the written test of the "Lingua e writing" preparatory course. (See at the section "Bridging Courses). During the oral exam, the non-attending student is required to report, during the interview, on the above indicated texts. He must also demonstrate that he has read and understood the study texts listed above. All students will be assessed through the following criteria: (1) knowledge of the subject. - (2) ability to reason appropriately on the subject of the question. - (3) ability to expose matter with language properties.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.