Comparative Literature

This course involves guided reading, research, and discussion. It treats some of the classics of American literature and examines how each text generated controversy in its own time and continues to do so in the present. From these texts, along with some theoretical readings, the course develops an understanding of cultures of censorship in the United States and their relationship with colonialism and dominant notions of civility. 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides in-depth knowledge of how the Italian literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance evolved, with particular reference to the texts that profoundly influenced the subsequent literature and culture, so confirming the canon. The course explains how to best analyze texts, reading them with a critical eye and relating them to various temporal and social-cultural periods. Specifically, this course focuses on the works of Dante Alighieri, which are a landmark of both the Italian and the European medieval literary canon, and have exercised a paramount influence on the Western cultural tradition as a whole. The course introduces a selection of crucial themes and episodes from the Commedia and other minor works. Lectures and seminars explore the context of late medieval Italian culture and society in which Dante's oeuvre has been produced, and examine its afterlife and significance for modern literature and visual culture.

The 'Gothic novel', which originated in mid-18th-century England, took the world by storm as a form of weird and terrifying fiction reflecting the medieval taste of the time. There were many variations, and the most common in the early years were bizarre adventure stories, such as the tale of a maiden locked in an old castle and the young man who rescues her. Other typical variations include tales of a wise man who sells his soul to the devil and falls into hell; tales of an artificial man such as Frankenstein; tales of a man who transforms into a monster such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; vampire tales such as Dracula, and many other types. Furthermore, up to the present day, the Gothic tale continues to be reproduced and re-created in a variety of media, not limited to the novel, while further diversifying. The mystery novel, a significant genre, is one of the tributaries that branched off from the Gothic novel.

English Literature 7 and 8 traces the Gothic novel's development over a year. This course is the first half, which will begin with the beginnings of the Gothic novel in the 18th century, the medieval taste that formed its background, and the establishment of a new tourism culture. Then it moves on to the new developments of the Gothic novel in the 19th century and its relationship to psychic studies of the same period.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The topics for this course differ each term. In spring 2024, the course had special emphasis on black women writers. Black Britain is a diaspora space (Avtar Brah): its literature and cultural productions are not only concerned with displaying experiences of insertion and adaptation within British society, but also with exploring and expanding the borders of a multi-layered identity that implies, even in its situatedness, transnational and transcultural routes. The course focuses on the literary and artistic production of some black British women writers from the second half of the 20th century up to the present. On one side, complicating the use of the lens of “migration” to read this production, the course deals with the question of being both black in Britain and black and British; on the other side, by taking an intersectional approach, blackness will be analysed not as singular and homogenous, but as crossed by heterogeneous, and at time opposing, movements – and especially in a constant dialogue with a series of other categories such as gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, education, equity, oppression, and violence (both “external” and “internal”). The course provides in-depth knowledge of English women's literature, using practical methodologies for the analysis and the interpretation of the literary text.

This interdisciplinary course offers a captivating exploration of the dynamic portrayal of French youth from the post-World War I era to the present day. Delving into the multifaceted experiences of French youth, it examines how literature, cinema, and societal structures intersect to shape the coming-of-age journey. While the course distinguishes between three pivotal periods in the history of French youth – the interwar period leading up to World War II and its aftermath, the transformative era from May 1968 to the 1990s, and the contemporary landscape from the 2000s to the present – the approach to primary material remains predominantly thematic. Throughout these epochs, the course analyzes how representations of youth have evolved, exploring themes of identity, rebellion, sexuality, and societal expectations. This exploration is guided by questions such as: how do educational institutions shape the experiences and identities of French youth, as depicted in literature and cinema? How do themes of rebellion and revolution intersect with coming-of-age narratives throughout French history? In what ways do representations of youth in cultural artifacts contribute to our understanding of historical events, such as May 1968? How do cultural artifacts produced by and for youth communities challenge mainstream portrayals? Through novels, graphic novels, films, songs, and first-hand experiences of initiatives targeting young people in Paris and its suburbs, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of French youth culture. Analyzing these materials fosters a nuanced comprehension of French youth culture and its representation in various media, equipping students with tools to critically evaluate portrayals of youth in contemporary society. 

Literary analyses and attempts for various interpretations of English literary works undoubtedly enrich students' general skills in English; their insight into texts, and understanding of some important cultural topics that well reflect the characteristics of human societies. This course aims to foster students' abilities of these through close reading of English literary works of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This session focuses on Emily Bronte's masterpiece, "Wuthering Heights", and examines the narrative, style, and author's messages from many points of view.

This course studies and discusses different aspects of modern science using some of the magical short stories of the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. It uses Borges' work as a vehicle for discussing how our views of the world have been affected by the advances made by science in the last 100 years. In particular, the course focuses on the foundations of disciplines such as cosmology, quantum theory, statistical physics, neuroscience, and computing, as well as mathematical concepts such as combinatorics and the idea of infinity, and other notions such as the concept of time.

Ever since Berlin became the capital of the first German nation state in 1871, it has attracted the attention of German as well as international writers and has featured prominently in fictional as well as non-fictional texts. Observers and visitors from other parts of Germany and from abroad have described and commented on Berlin as the German capital and its political relevance for the nation as a whole, but also as a place that they saw as quite different and disconnected from the rest of Germany. Opinions on the city have always been divided: At different historical junctures and from varied angles, authors have looked at the city with awe and admiration, or with skepticism and bewilderment, highlighting its liberty, modernity, and vibrancy on the one hand, or its ugliness, authoritarianism, or chaos on the other hand. In this course, we will read short literary and journalistic texts by American, English, Swiss, Austrian, Dutch, Russian, and German authors, written between 1870 and 2023 (some originally published in English, some translated into English), describing and commenting on Berlin in imperial Germany, during the Weimar years, in National Socialism, in divided Germany, and since unification. Studying these texts, students will engage with relevant aspects of Berlin history, society, and culture, while reflecting upon the challenges faced with when reading texts from different periods and referring to historical events and figures. 
 

This course investigates the cultural and political significance of food within Paris, with a distinctive literary approach. Focusing on the lively debates and controversies surrounding French culinary culture, it explores how food acts as a gateway to understanding dynamic changes in cities, global systems, and national identity formation. The course analyzes how food has been instrumental in fostering ideas of community and belonging. Through a rich selection of interdisciplinary readings, literary analyses, writing assignments, and exploratory excursions throughout Paris, the course examines how food influences personal identities, everyday life, and the political sphere, with a special emphasis on its representation in literature and the arts.

The swordsman novel of Jin Yong is a representative of Chinese popular literature in the 20th Century. The course will start with the “strange” reading phenomenon discussed by Yan Jiayan, and then introduce Jin Yong’s special life experience and the content of his fifteen novels. Based on the junction of Chinese traditional culture and contemporary culture, it aims to explore the potential great aesthetic values and cultural integrating functions of Jin Yong’s novels.