Ateneo - UPO

GENERAL INTRODUCTION: PATHS OF LITERARY THEORY, LITERARY METHODOLOGY AND LITERARY COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Focus seminar: DEALING WITH OTHERNESS: DIALOGUES ON THE THRESHOLD AND FORCED PROXIMITIES

General Introduction:
STEFANIA SINI, FRANCA SINOPOLI (a cura di), Percorsi di teoria e comparatistica letteraria, Milano, Pearson, 2021.

Focus seminar:

Focus seminar:
KAREL ČAPEK, R.U.R. Rossum's Universal Robots, Penguin.
DINO BUZZATI, Paura alla Scala, Milano, Mondadori, 2019, oppure Id., Sessanta racconti, Milano, Mondadori, 2016.
JOSÉ SARAMAGO, Ensaio sobre a cegueira, Caminho, 1997.
GEORGE SAUNDERS, Lincoln in the Bardo, Penguin, 2017.

Movies
LUIS BUÑUEL, El angel exterminador (1962)
EMIR KUSTURICA, Underground (1995)
J.J. ABRAMS, DAMON LINDELOF, JEFFREY LIEBER, Lost, I season, episods 1-12 (2004)
Supplements for Students not attending classes:
SIGMUND FREUD, Massenpsychologie und Ich-Analyse (Group psycholgy and Analysis of the Ego, in The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud, edited by James Strachey, Macmillan, 1954.
MIKHAIL BAKHTIN, Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics, ed. And transl. by Caryl Emerson, Introd. By Wayne C. Booth, University of Minnesota Press, 1984, pp. 109-120 (on the Socratic Dialogue and the Menyppean Satire)
STEFANIA SINI, In contagiosa crisi: lo spaccato mano di Paura alla Scala, in Figures de la crise et crises de la Figuration dans l'oeuvre de Dino Buzzati, sous la direction de Cristina Vignali de Poli, Chambery, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, 2018, pp. 225-243.

Not attending Studens are kindly requested to contact me for any doubt about the programme.

The general introduction of the course proposes to offer the fundamental theoretical
and methodological tools for a critical and updated knowledge of literary studies in their historical vitality and transdisciplinary latitude. The main issues of literature theory and comparative literature and the main analysis tools of the literary work will be presented, with particular attention to the narrative text.
The focus seminar proposes to examine and compare some examples of theatrical, literary, and film narratives belonging to different historical and cultural contexts from the early twentieth century to the contemporary, focused on the representation of forced relationships in extreme situations, with reference to the definition and safeguarding of identity, identifying the characteristic techniques of these narratives and the specific link between narrating voice, point of view, characterization e social relationships.

Basic knowledge of history of italian, european and extra-european
literature

Frontal lessons, text readings, projections of films, discussions. During the course, Students who wish, singularly or in group, can present to the class a text or a film or a part of the programme.
DIR website will be used, uploading materials that will constitute an indispensable part of the preparation of the exam by the attending Students.

A classroom suitable to the number of Students is required.
Pc and video projector aree required

In-presence exams: Students can choose between the written and oral forms of examination.

Both in oral and written form, the exam will consist in:
1) One question or more questions about the theory of literature, literary comparative studies, and literary methodology (general introduction);
2) Reading and narratological and stylistic analysis of an excerpt from literary, theatrical texts, and of films; their commentary and interpretation in the light of the issues addressed in the focus seminar.

The Student is thus required to demonstrate:

1. KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of the basic topics of the theory of literature, literary comparative studies, and literary methodology (General introduction -(theoretical-methodological part).
In-depth knowledge of some literary, theatrical, and movie narratives belonging to different historical and cultural contexts from the early twentieth century to the contemporary, and representing forced relationships in extreme situations, with reference to the definition and safeguarding of identity (focus seminar).

2. SKILLS
Ability to analyze a literary work in the light of different critical and theoretical approaches (general course).
Ability to analyze narratives belonging to different historical and cultural contexts from the early twentieth century to the contemporary, focused on forced relationships in extreme situations, and to identify the characteristic techniques of these narratives and the specific link between narrating voice, point of view, characterization e social relationships (focus seminar).

3. (TRANSVERSAL SKILLS)
- ability to present information and opinions clearly and convincingly, using the appropriate language and terminology.

In particular, the following weight will be given to the verification of the aforementioned achievement of the training objectives:
1. 40%; 2. 40%; 3. 20%.

N.B. The evaluation of the written exam will also include grammatical correctness (orthography, morphology, syntax).

First week: presentation of the Course (General Introduction and Focus Seminar). The experience of literature. Imagination and reading. Theories of Otherness Karel Čapek, R.U.R. Introduction, reading, commentary analysis.

Second week: Sigmund Freud, Massenpsychologie und Ich-Analyse. Theories of reception and the act of reading. Karel Čapek, R.U.R. Reading, commentary analysis. Dino Buzzati, Paura alla Scala. Introduction, reading, commentary analysis

Third week: Narrative and narratology. Temporality, narrator, point of view. Mikhail Bachtin, the chrisis chronotope. . Dino Buzzati, Paura alla Scala. Reading, commentary analysis. Luis Buñuel, El angel exterminador.

Fourth week: Narrative and narratology. Mediacy. Narrative situations. Character Theories. José Saramago, Ensaio sobre a cegueira. Introduction, reading, commentary analysis.

Fifth week: Rhetoric and argumentation. Spaces of literature. José Saramago, Ensaio sobre a cegueira. Reading, commentary analysis.

Sixth week: The comparative history of literature and world literature. Translation and transmediality. George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bard. Introduction, reading, commentary analysis.

Seventh week. Poetry. Anthropology and literature. George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bard. Reading, commentary analysis.

Eighth week. The vision of one of the films in the program. Comment analysis. Conclusion of the course.

In order to achieve the knowledge and skills corresponding to the minimum level of sufficiency, the student is asked to demonstrate:

1. KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of the fundamentals of literature theory, comparative literature, and of the tools of analysis of literary work, with particular attention to the narrative text (general course)

Knowledge of some theatrical, literary, and movie examples of narratives of forced relationships in extreme situations, with particular attention to the historical and cultural variations of the representation. Knowledge of the different ways of characterizing heroes and their social relationships with reference to the definition and safeguarding of identity. (Focus seminar).

2. SKILLS
Acquisition of analysis tools for literary work, with particular attention to narrative text.
Reading and analyzing a literary work, recognizing its historical context, expressive strategies, and devices and techniques.

Acquisition of the ability to compare works of different literary traditions, identifying their contextual and historical contexts and their stylistic and gender specificities (general course).

Ability to analyze narratives representing the forced relationships in extreme situations of different historical and cultural contexts by identifying their characteristic techniques and the specific link between narrating voice, point of view, characterization of heroes, and their social relationships. (focus seminar).

3. EXPRESSION OF JUDGMENTS
Evaluation of the work as a stratified aesthetic object to be considered in its original context, its main structural and compositional elements, and in its historical and multicultural vitality.

(4TRANSVERSAL SKILLS)
- ability to present information and opinions clearly and convincingly,
using the appropriate language and terminology.

To achieve an advanced level, the student must demonstrate:

A global and unitary understanding of the path of the course, with the acquired complementarity between theoretical-methodological skills and interpretative skills.
The ability to autonomously re-elaborate the contents of the course and to apply the tools and knowledge acquired to texts and materials, including other ones than those in the program.
The active and confident competence in critical and theoretical terminology combined with excellent appropriate expression