Ateneo - UPO

Dreams and visions in Italian Literature of the Middle Ages.

1) Institutional part: Giancarlo Alfano, Paola Italia, Emilio Russo, Franco Tomasi, Letteratura italiana. Dalle Origini a metà Cinquecento. Manuale per studi universitari, Mondadori Università, 2018, pp. 1-328 (epoche 1 e 2).
2) Monographic part: the teacher will prepare a booklet with the texts that will be commented on in class, and which will be deposited in the copy shop "Lisa" (Vercelli, via Galileo Ferraris 76) before the start of the lessons. Students will be notified when the booklet is available.
3) Recommended but not mandatory readings: Jacques Le Goff, I sogni nella cultura e nella psicologia collettiva dell’Occidente medievale, in Idem, Tempo della Chiesa e tempo del mercante e altri saggi sul lavoro e la cultura nel Medioevo, Torino, Einaudi, 1977, pp. 279-286; Ignazio Baldelli, Visione, immaginazione e fantasia nella Vita nuova, in I sogni nel Medioevo, a cura di Tullio Gregory, Roma, Edizioni dell’Ateneo, 1985, pp. 1-10; Jacques Le Goff, Il meraviglioso nell’Occidente medievale, in Idem, Il meraviglioso e il quotidiano nell’Occidente medievale, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1999, pp. 5-23; Silvia Longhi, Il corpo malato: Fiammetta e Don Rodrigo, in Eadem, Forme di Mostri. Creature fantastiche e corpi vulnerati da Ariosto a Giudici, Verona, Fiorini, 2005, pp. 81-97; Guglielmo Barucci, «Simile a quel che talvolta si sogna». I sogni del Purgatorio dantesco, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2012; Floriana Calitti, Boccaccio e lo straordinario successo del tema del “cuore mangiato”, in Altritaliani.net, 22 gennaio 2014; Maurizio Bettini, Viaggio nella terra dei sogni, Bologna, il Mulino, 2017.

Knowledge and understanding: knowledge of the poetics, genres, texts and authors of Italian literature of the Middle Ages and in-depth knowledge of some works of primary importance, examined through the theme of dreams and visions (basic level); understanding of the texts of medieval Italian literature, through a correct paraphrase (basic level) and attention to their linguistic and stylistic dimension (advanced level).
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: ability to analyze texts by placing them within genres and linking ideological and literary elements (basic level); ability to analyze texts from an intertextual perspective and discuss interpretative problems (advanced level).
Communication skills: ability to present in an orderly and clear way the concepts and data learned, using an appropriate language (basic level); ability to present the results of the study with argumentative effectiveness and critical autonomy (advanced level).
Study skills: ability to read and analyze a literary text, recognizing its historical belonging and the main expressive strategies (basic level). Expression of judgments: ability to identify data and tools useful for formulating motivated evaluations on texts and problems addressed and ability to express such evaluations with argumentative effectiveness (advanced level).

Historical-literary, linguistic-stylistic and basic metrics knowledge provided by the high school attended.

Frontal lessons with discussion; reading and commenting on the texts in the classroom, with questions and discussion; online teaching (DIR).

The teacher will make teaching materials available to students through the university IT service (DIR), to which students are invited to register before the start of lessons.
Non-attending students are asked to contact the teacher (cecilia.gibellini@uniupo.it) to get some general indications for the preparation of the exam and to arrange some supplementary readings.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request
specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse
e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-
students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted
the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination
modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The final exam consists of a written test, which will focus on the following points: (1) Verification of knowledge of the texts of Italian literature of the Middle Ages (general part): a question about a work, an author, a problem, referring to the manual adopted (indicated under "Reference texts") - 30% of the weight on the exam grade; (2) Verification of the ability to examine and interpret the texts (with particular attention to the topic of the course), and together of communication skills and the ability to express judgments: a question on one or more texts among those included in the booklet prepared by teacher - 35% of the weight on the exam grade; (3) Verification of the ability to examine and interpret texts, to express judgments, and to apply oneself to the analysis of the literary text: a question consisting in the paraphrase, analysis and comment of a passage among those anthologized in the manual adopted or in the dossier prepared by teacher - 35% of the weight on the exam mark. To pass the exam, it will be necessary to answer at least sufficiently to each of the questions. The assessment is based on the degree of knowledge and understanding of the texts and authors in the program, on the ability to apply knowledge to the text or to the interpretative problem proposed, and on the degree of expressive and communicative capacity.

1) True and deceptive dreams from antiquity to the Middle Ages (Homer, Virgil, Cicero, Macrobius, Andrea Cappellano).
2) Dante: dreams in the Vita nuova and in the Commedia.
3) Petrarch and the dreams of Laura (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta; Triumphi).
4) Boccaccio: premonitory dreams, revealing dreams and prophetic visions in the Elegy of Madonna Fiammetta and in the Decameron.

Integration of the gender dimension: specific attention will be dedicated to those texts and those authors (Andrea Cappellano, Boccaccio) who give voice to women, making them speak in the first person and presenting the experience of love and the reflection on it from a female perspective.

In order to achieve the knowledge and skills corresponding to the sufficiency level, the student is asked to demonstrate: (KNOWLEDGE) to know, in the main junctions, the poetics, genres, texts and authors of the Italian literature of the Middle Ages, and, in greater depth, some works of primary importance, examined through the theme of dreams and visions; (SKILLS) knowing how to analyze and interpret medieval literary texts, linking ideological elements to more strictly literary ones; (TRANSVERSAL SKILLS) knowing how to present in a clear and effective way knowledge, information and opinions relating to the texts and problems dealt with, using appropriate language and terminology. For the achievement of an advanced level, the student must demonstrate: an organic vision of the topics addressed in class, combined with articulated skills of analysis and synthesis; the ability to critically and independently elaborate the topics covered, even beyond the indications provided in class and in the exam program; excellent expressive mastery.