Ateneo - UPO

At the origins of twentieth-century poetry: Pascoli and D'Annunzio.

1) The teacher will prepare a booklet containing the texts that will be discussed during class, which will be deposited at the Copisteria Lisa in Vercelli (Via Galileo Ferraris 76) before the start of class. When the booklet is available, a notice will be posted on the DIR platform, in the course area.

2) Other reference texts for further study (non-mandatory reading): Gianfranco Contini, Il linguaggio di Pascoli (1955), in Varianti e altra linguistica, Turin, Einaudi, 1970; Giorgio Bàrberi Squarotti, Interpretazione della simbologia pascoliana, in «Lettere Italiane», 3, 1963, pp. 286-318 (pdf downloadable from Jstor); Pietro Gibellini, Conclusioni provvisorie o dell'impaziente Odisseo, in Il mito nella letteratura italiana, vol. IV, L'età contemporanea, edited by Marinella Cantelmo, Brescia, Morcelliana, 2007; Pietro Gibellini, Introduzione, in Giovanni Pascoli, Poemi conviviali, edited by Maria Belponer, Milan, BUR, 2009, pp. I-XIII; Francesca Suppa, Il fanciullo: sulla genesi di un testo programmatico, in «Archivio d’Annunzio», vol. 1, June 2014 (open-access link: https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/media/pdf/article/archivio-dannunzio/2014/1/il-fanciullo-sulla-genesi-di-un-testo-prog/art-10.14277-2421-292X-12p.pdf); Cristina Montagnani, Pierandrea De Lorenzo, Come lavorava D’Annunzio, Rome, Carocci, 2018; Elena Maiolini, Stato, problemi, applicazioni critiche della filologia dannunziana, in «Archivio d’Annunzio», vol. 6, October 2019 (open-access link: https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/media/pdf/article/archivio-dannunzio/2019/6/art-10.14277-AdA-2421-292X-2019-06-007_oten1gH.pdf); Cecilia Gibellini, Tra estetica e politica: le Città del silenzio di Gabriele d’Annunzio, in Le città italiane nelle letterature del XX secolo, Proceedings of the Conference (Kragujevac, Faculty of Philology and Arts, 7 December 2019), Kragujevac, 2021, pp. 75–87; Lessico critico pascoliano, edited by Marino Biondi and Giovanni Capecchi, Rome, Carocci, 2023.

3) Other materials, including those from the D'Annunzio Philology Laboratory, will be uploaded to the DIR platform during the course, so it's a good idea to check it regularly.

The course aims to develop the fundamental methodological tools for the study of Italian language and literature through direct engagement with the works, both in verse and prose, of Giovanni Pascoli and Gabriele d'Annunzio. The learning objectives are divided into two levels:

Beginner level: Historical and cultural contextualization of the two authors and their work, and the ability to read, paraphrase, analyze, and comment on the texts studied during the course.

Advanced level: Acquisition of philological skills (philology and variant studies workshop), intertextual analysis (recognition of the most important sources and the mechanisms of their reworking), stylistics (analysis of vocabulary and syntax; metrics and rhetoric), and bibliographical orientation (use of the main tools of Pascoli and D'Annunzio criticism).
Teaching format: lectures: 0.8 CFU (lessons); interactive: 0.4 ECTS (workshop); self-study: 4.8 ECTS.

Basic historical-literary, linguistic-stylistic, and metric knowledge.

Lectures with discussion; reading, paraphrasing, and commentary on texts in class, with questions and discussion; workshops on manuscripts and critical editions; online teaching (DIR).

The teacher will make some teaching materials available through the university's IT service (DIR), which can be registered before the start of classes. Those unable to attend most classes are asked to contact the instructor (cecilia.gibellini@uniupo.it) for general guidance on exam preparation and additional reading recommendations.

Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disabilities (DSA), or Special Educational Needs (BES) can request specific services and tools by contacting the Career Development and Coordination and Student Services Staff or by visiting the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentesse-e-studenti-condizione-di-disabilit%C3%A0-e-dsa. Students with disabilities, DSA, or BES, once they have contacted the University Staff, can contact the professor in charge of the course regarding the specific exam methods and teaching aspects.

The exam consists of a two-hour written test designed to assess knowledge and the ability to apply it to the texts covered in the course. Specifically, the exam will consist of three open-ended questions, structured as follows:1) A question assessing knowledge of the biographical events, poetics, and major works of Pascoli and D'Annunzio (chronology, development, structure, themes, formal characteristics). [30% of the exam grade]2) A question assessing the ability to reconstruct the textual development of a passage by D'Annunzio and comment on authorial variants, through examination of an autograph draft supported by a critical edition. [30% weighting of the exam grade]3) A question aimed at testing the ability to paraphrase, contextualize, and interpret texts and to express critical and reasoned judgments: paraphrase, analysis, and commentary on a passage from the texts studied during the course. [40% weighting of the exam grade]To pass the exam, students must provide satisfactory answers to all three questions, demonstrating knowledge of the biographical events, poetics, and major works of the two authors at least in their key areas, the ability to correctly paraphrase and contextualize the texts studied during the course, and the ability to comment on them using appropriate terminology. A broader knowledge of the syllabus content, expressed through the ability to establish connections between different texts and to justify them through specific references to those texts, will lead to a grade above passing. To achieve an excellent grade, students must be able to present their knowledge independently, even beyond the guidance provided in class, comparing it with other primary texts and the critical bibliography, and formulating critical and reasoned judgments. In text analysis and commentary exercises, to achieve an excellent grade, students must enrich the literal explanation of the text and its contextualization with considerations of a philological nature (textual development, authorial variants), intertextuality (sources, methods of reworking them), and stylistic nature (vocabulary, syntax, rhetorical figures).
The possible mark ranges are: 18–22; 23–26; 27–30; 30 with distinction.

Introduction to the analysis of poetic texts.
Biographical plots.
Poetics.
Nature.
Myth.
D'Annunzio Philology Workshop.

To achieve the knowledge and skills required for a passing grade, students are required to demonstrate:(KNOWLEDGE)knowledge of the key biographical events, poetics, and works of Pascoli and D'Annunzio, including their relationship to the European cultural context of the 19th and 20th centuries;knowledge of the chronology, developmental history, structure, themes, and formal characteristics of the major works covered during the course;knowledge of D'Annunzio's writing and textual development methods, through consultation of autograph drafts and critical editions;(SKILLS)knowledge of reading, paraphrasing, and contextualizing the texts examined during the course, placing them within genres and connecting biographical, ideological, and literary elements;(TRANSVERSAL SKILLS)be able to clearly and effectively present knowledge, information, and opinions related to the texts and issues addressed, using appropriate language and terminology.To achieve an advanced level, students are required to demonstrate:(KNOWLEDGE)knowledge of the main tools of D'Annunzio philology and criticism;(SKILLS)be able to comment on texts from an intertextual perspective, recognizing the most important sources and echoes and analyzing the ways in which they were reworked;be able to examine texts from a stylistic perspective, examining vocabulary, syntax, and rhetorical figures;be able to discuss interpretative issues, also in light of the critical bibliography;be able to use D'Annunzio's critical editions to reconstruct the development of the texts and examine authorial variants;(TRANSVERSAL SKILLS)Be able to formulate critical and reasoned judgments on texts, independently comparing them with other primary texts and the critical bibliography, even beyond the guidance provided in class.