BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to provide students with the critical tools that are necessary to study 19th-century British literature and culture, in accord with the guidelines of the scientific sector L-LIN/10 and with the aims of the bachelor’s degree in Modern foreign languages and literatures.
At the end of the course, students will be able to recognize and analyse the stylistic and thematic features of the different types of texts present in the course (poem, investigative journalism, novella, novel). They will also be able to place texts in their historical, socio-politic, and cultural context. At the same time, students will be able to recognise the typical forms of 19th-century interdisciplinary culture, paying attention especially to the interactions between scientific and literary discourse.
Course Prerequisites
Adequate knowledge of English.
Teaching Methods
Lectures (also with the aid of tools for classroom interaction through personal devices), use of PowerPoint slides. Students will be encouraged to actively participate.
The course will be taught in English; texts will be read and should be studied predominantly in English. The language of classroom interaction can be either English or Italian.
Assessment Methods
The exam program is valid for three years.
Students will be assessed through a written examination. The exam will be in English (or possibly, for one section only, in Italian). The examination consists of closed-ended questions and open-ended questions (commentary and analysis of extracts from texts).
The exam will assess the students' ability to place the texts in the literary and cultural context and to critically reflect on the course topics, applying a textual and contextual analysis methodology
The written examination of English Literature I lasts 90 minutes and is divided into three sections. The first section consists of 10 closed, short-answer questions on primary and secondary sources; students must pass this part with a mark of at least 6/10 to pass the exam. The other two sections require students to comment on/analyse an extract from the primary texts. The exam will be in English; it will be possible to take one of the three sections in Italian. Each section is given a mark from 1 to 10; the grade is obtained from the sum of the results obtained in the three sections (a min. 18 out of 30 is required to pass).
Evaluation criteria for the attribution of grades:
Outstanding (30 e lode): excellent knowledge of all of the contents of the course Excellent ability to analyse texts and contextualise them appropriately, making appropriate and timely connections between texts and course topics.
Very good (30 to 27): very good knowledge of all of the contents of the course. Very good ability to analyse texts and contextualise them appropriately, making some interesting links between texts and course topics.
Good (26-24): Good knowledge of the contents of the course. Mainly descriptive knowledge of the syllabus texts, with acceptable analysis and synthesis skills. Limited or not always timely connections between the texts and topics covered in the course.
Fair/sufficient (23-18): Knowledge of course content is incomplete. The ability to analyse texts is limited, although sufficient to pass the exam. Links between texts and course topics are poor or not entirely correct.
Fail (below 18): Knowledge of course content is superficial and deficient. The texts are analysed and contextualised in a superficial and confused manner. There are no connections between the texts and the topics covered in the course.
Contents
The Intertwining of Science and Literature in the Long Nineteenth Century: Theories of the Body and the Mind.
Today, we are accustomed to thinking that science and literature belong to different disciplinary fields and do not speak the same language; however, this perception is fairly recent. The course aims to analyse some key texts of 19th century culture while highlighting the existence of a fruitful and fertile dialogue between scientific and literary imagination.
Through the study of heterogeneous texts (but with a focus on fiction), the course will examine some salient features of the Victorian period, considered in its historical, socio-political, artistic and epistemic aspects.
After a short introductory part, which will reconstruct the interdisciplinary character of nineteenth-century knowledge, the course will focus on a number of theories relating to the physiology and pathology of body and mind, paying particular attention to the two-way exchange between scientific and literary imagination. At the same time, the focus on themes such as contagion, class-related pathologies, altered mental states, psychic dissociation and mental alienation will invite reflection on the relationship between science and literature not only in the 19th century, but also in contemporary culture.
Online Resources
More information
Other editions of the texts may be read as long as they correspond to what is specified in the syllabus. In case of any doubt, please get in touch with the lecturer well in advance of the examination date.
At the end of the course, the lecture materials distributed and presented in class will be made available online. Please note that preparation for the examination includes lecture materials, primary texts and secondary texts.
Non-attending students will replace the lecture materials with the following parts:
Maureen Moran, “Literature in the Victorian Period”, in Victorian Literature and Culture (Continuum, 2006), pp. 65-126.
Kate Flint, “Sensation”, in The Cambridge History of Victorian Literature (Cambridge University Press, 2012), pp. 220-41.
Deborah E. Nord, “Cityscapes”, in The Cambridge History of Victorian Literature (Cambridge University Press, 2012), pp. 510-31.
Greta Perletti, “Postfazione. Rappresentare la vita degli ultimi nei Palazzi”, in Margaret Harkness, Una ragazza di città (Mattioli 1885, 2026), pp. 133-47.