BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to equip students with critical and analytical tools essential for studying the European poetic repertoire through an intercultural, transmedial, and translational lens. This topic necessitates a multi-perspective, comparative, and multidisciplinary approach. By the end of the course, students will have gained the skills to study, analyze, and translate poetic texts from the European canon, particularly considering poetry's natural destination: musical performance in its various forms, including contemporary songwriting. This approach will foster the development of transdisciplinary analytical skills and enable students to formulate independent analyses of texts and themes in Italian and European literature.
Course Prerequisites
A good basic knowledge of European literary history is required. Students with particular gaps can ask the professor for bibliographic advice during the first lessons.
Teaching Methods
The course consists of 36 hours of lectures that will guide students through key aspects of Italian and European literary and critical traditions, using exemplary texts as a foundation. The reading and interpretative frameworks provided will enable students to extend their analysis to other national and international literary repertoires. The course will adopt a strongly comparative and multi-perspective approach, taking into account various forms of art and diverse textual traditions. We will usePowerPoint presentations featuring summary diagrams and information, and the slides will be made available on the Moodle platform.
Assessment Methods
The exam will be conducted as an oral test, focusing on the reference texts and topics covered throughout the course, including authors, works, and key issues. Students will be evaluated on their critical preparation and presentation skills. It is essential for students to demonstrate adequate learning abilities, as well as the capacity to interpret and analyze texts, and to make independent judgments on significant texts and intercultural issues in Italian and European literature.
Grades will be assigned based on the following evaluation criteria, with each question (including at least one analysis) valued at 10 points:
- Excellent (30 and honors): Demonstrates outstanding knowledge of course content and exceptional ability to analyze and appropriately contextualize texts. Presentation is precise, clear, and highly effective.
- Very Good (27-30): Shows very good knowledge of course content and strong analytical skills in contextualizing texts. Presentation is fluid and largely error-free.
- Good (24-26): Displays good knowledge of course content, though primarily descriptive of the texts studied, with acceptable analysis and synthesis skills. Presentation is linear, with mostly correct language.
- Adequate/Sufficient (18-23): Exhibits appropriate knowledge of course content, though not entirely comprehensive. Analysis and interpretation of texts are limited but sufficient. Language is simple, with some errors present.
- Insufficient (below 18): Knowledge of course content is partial and superficial. Analysis, interpretation, and contextualization of texts are performed in a superficial and confusing manner. Presentation is fragmented, unclear, and contains numerous errors.
Contents
This course takes a strongly comparative and interdisciplinary approach, beginning with a brief introduction to the significance of poetry, both historically and in contemporary contexts. It features a series of seminar sessions, each focused on one or more case studies, ranging from Dante to contemporary singer-songwriters like Guccini and De André. The course will explore various forms of poetry, including lyric and narrative poetry, as well as songs in octaves and modern rap. It will also examine Italian and European poetic traditions.
From its inception, poetry has been regarded as one of the highest and most profound modes of writing. The structure of a versified text plays a crucial role in conveying deep and nuanced meanings, whether it celebrates a feeling or ideal or serves an informative purpose. The European poetic tradition offers a rich landscape for experimentation, often connecting diverse periods, places, and individuals across various fields. Understanding poetic forms and their evolution is essential for translation and interpretation, especially when these compositions intersect with other art forms, as seen in musical repertoires.
Online Resources
More information
Lectures will be held in the first semester (subperiod I).
The course is valid for three years. After this period, students must adopt the current year's program and cannot choose to take exams from previous years at their discretion. Students who are unable to attend classes may use the book by Pietro G. Beltrami, "La metrica italiana," published by il Mulino in various editions, as a study aid. All texts mentioned can be found at the University Humanistic Library located at P.zza S. Agostino 2, as well as at other public libraries. During the first class, the instructor will provide detailed information on how to access these texts and will clarify when online editions can be utilized, ensuring they are reliable in terms of content and philological accuracy. The texts discussed and analyzed in class will be part of the overall curriculum and will be made available on the course's Moodle platform. Erasmus students are encouraged to contact the professor before the course begins.