The course intends to present to students the main research guidelines concerning the theory and literary criticism from the last decades of the nineteenth century to the present day, i.e. from the historical and idealistic school to feministic, post-colonial, ecocritical and neuroesthetic readings. The skills that the learner will have to achieve, interest the ability to analyze and recognition of proposed methodologies, autonomous reflection and discussion around the theoretical prospects. For this purpose, in the first part of the course, some of the most famous critical reliefs of the twentieth-century literature will be examined, pointing attention to exemplary texts of representative authors of the current or the thematic scope analyzed.

The first part of the program will affect the following points:

— Introduction to literary criticism.

— The historical school, idealistic criticism, stylistic and philological criticism.

— Marxist prospects.

— Literature between philosophy and psychoanalysis.

— Structuralism, semiotics and narrarology.

— Beyond structuralism: existentialism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstructionism.

— Militant and essays criticism.

— New perspectives: feminist and post-colonial criticism, ecocriticism and neuroesthetics.

The second part, monographic, will be dedicated to the Postmodern Novel, with a focus on Jorge Luis Borges, Thomas Pynchon and Italo Calvino:

— An outline of the Postmodern Novel.

— Jorge Luis Borges: Fictions (1944).

— Thomas Pynchon: The Crying of Lot 49 (1966).

— Italo Calvino: If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (1979).

During the third part there will be seminar activities and study days linked to literary criticism in universities and in the cultural page of national newspapers.

None.

Knowledge and understanding 
The student will have to demonstrate a discreet knowledge of internal connection points that allow the identification of existing links among the most important strands of literary criticism. At the end of the course the fundamental objective will be the full acquisition of the intrinsic problems with the matter and the timeline that connects the historical school to feministic, post-colonial, ecocritical and neuroesthetic perspectives.
Knowledge and understanding capacity applied
The student will have to show that he knows how to develop a rigorous critical approach to literary texts not only of a disciplinary type stricto sensu, but also with philosophical, psychological, sociological and anthropological cut. The interdisciplinary flexibility of the learner is therefore fundamental in learning of critical and literary techniques, so as to be able to relevant the inextricable intertwining of the different fields of knowledge.
Judgment
The student will have to have acquired the ability to independently articulate a journey of historical and theoretical recognition of the specific thematic proposed during the lessons. In particular, you will need to be able to formulate your intellectual position around the Postmodern Novel, replacing the different perspectives, operating a profitable synthesis of the hermeneutical problem and creating unpublished interpretative convergences.
Communication skills
The student must have developed a discreet communicative skill, in order to expose their considerations regarding the issues addressed during lessons with clarity and rigor. Furthermore, the instruments implemented at the conclusion of the educational path will have to decode the literary theoreses with discernment and competence: the objective is to favor in the learner of the rise of skills such as to produce texts of scientific and dissemination analysis in the theme (essays, articles, reviews).
Ability to learn
The student will have to demonstrate a discrete sensitivity in supporting the study of discipline, in the correct use of critical instruments and specialist language, in the setting of bibliographic research useful to direct interpretative activity, in the identification in theoretical way of the precipuished purposes of the literary criticism.

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

During the third part of the course, some days of study will be dedicated to militant literary criticism with the eventual participation of the editors-in-chief of Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, Avvenire, il manifesto and Il Foglio.

Innovative teaching methods

Frontal lessons with possible seminar activities. In addition to the usual teaching methods, new learning strategies are envisaged such as cooperative learning, circle time, laboratory activities, action research, role-playing and storytelling.

Attendance

None.

Course books

First part

• Gino Tellini, Metodi e protagonisti della critica letteraria. Con antologia di testi e prove di letteratura, Le Monnier Università, Firenze 2019.

Second part

• Jorge Luis Borges, Finzioni, a cura di Antonio Melis, Adelphi, Milano 2015.

• Thomas Pynchon, L’incanto del Lotto 49, traduzione di Massimo Bocchiola, Einaudi, Torino 2023.

• Italo Calvino, Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore, Mondadori, Milano 2016.

Optional reference texts, mentioned in lesson

• Enza Biagini, Augusta Brettoni, Paolo Orvieto, Teorie critiche del Novecento. Con antologia di testi, Carocci, Roma 2020.

• Francesco Muzzioli, Le teorie della critica letteraria, Carocci, Roma 2019.

• Alberto Casadei, La critica letteraria contemporanea, il Mulino, Bologna 2015.

• Remo Ceserani, Raccontare il postmoderno, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 1997.

Assessment

An oral interview is foreseen to verify in each candidate the possession of the fundamental notions of the matter of study. Furthermore, the teacher will aim to ascertain that every student has acquired not only an adequate global knowledge of the discipline, but also the ability to develop an autonomous critical discourse using, with sufficient precision, the specialist language.

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

Individual study by students.

Attendance

None.

Course books

First part

• Gino Tellini, Metodi e protagonisti della critica letteraria. Con antologia di testi e prove di letteratura, Le Monnier Università, Firenze 2019.

Second part

• Jorge Luis Borges, Finzioni, a cura di Antonio Melis, Adelphi, Milano 2015.

• Thomas Pynchon, L’incanto del Lotto 49, traduzione di Massimo Bocchiola, Einaudi, Torino 2023.

• Italo Calvino, Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore, Mondadori, Milano 2016.

• Umberto Eco, Il nome della rosa, La nave di Teseo, Milano 2020.

Assessment

An oral interview is foreseen to verify in each candidate the possession of the fundamental notions of the matter of study. Furthermore, the teacher will aim to ascertain that every student has acquired not only an adequate global knowledge of the discipline, but also the ability to develop an autonomous critical discourse using, with sufficient precision, the specialist language.

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.