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UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES
FALL 2005
05495 – ITALIAN 3335 – SURVEY OF ITALIAN LITERATURE
05496 – ITALIAN 3336 – SURVEY OF ITALIAN LITERATURE
IN TRANSLATION
CORE CURRICULUM COURSE
Tuesday – Thursday, 1:00pm – 2:30pm – 12 AH - Prof. Alessandro Carrera
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. – 418 AH – by appointment
Tel.: (713) 743-3069 – Fax (713) 743-0935
E-mail: Alessandro.Carrera@mail.uh.edu - Web Page: http://www.class.uh.edu/mcl/
TEXTBOOKS
1) DANTE, The Divine Comedy (3 vols.) Trans. Mandelbaum
Inferno Bantam 1982 0-553-21339-3
Purgatory Bantam 1982 0-553-21344-X
Paradise Bantam 1982 0-553-21204-4
2) CONAWAY BONDANELLA & MUSA (eds.) The Italian Renaissance Reader (New American
Library 1987) ISBN: 0-452-01013-6
3) MACHIAVELLI, The Mandragola (Waveland Press 1981); ISBN 0-917974-57-3
4) PIRANDELLO, Naked Masks: Five Plays, ed. by E. Bentley (Meridian Books 1990); ISBN 0452-01082-9
5) VIVANTE (ed.) Italian Poetry: An Anthology from the Beginning to the Present (Delphinium
Press 1996); ISBN 0-962-0305-1-1
6) One major Italian contemporary novel in English translation (see attached list), or a play by
Pirandello, different from the one we read in class;
Optional: BRAND – PERTILE (eds.), The Cambridge History of Italian Literature (Cambridge UP
1996, now in paperback); ISBN 0-5216662-2-8
Optional: BOCCACCIO, The Decameron, Musa - Bondanella eds. (Mentor-New American Library
1982); ISBN 0-451-62134-4; or William ed. (Penguin 1995), or Usher - Waldman ed.
(Oxford Classics 1999);
Optional: GOLDONI, The Servant of Two Masters (Ivan R. Dee Publisher, 2003); ISBN
1566635365.
Additional Xeroxed material will be provided by the instructor
Grading:
10% participation, preparation
30% midterm test
30% book report
30% final exam
DESCRIPTION: Italian 3335 and Italian 3336 are taught concurrently. Lectures, discussion and
exams will be in English. The course will rapidly survey the development of Italian literature
through the centuries focusing on Italy’s most significant contributions to Western literature and
culture. Readings and lectures will center on the 14th century writers (Dante, Boccaccio and
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Petrarca), the Humanistic Thought (Pico della Mirandola), the Renaissance (Lorenzo il Magnifico,
Machiavelli, Epic Poetry), Pirandello’s Theatre, and the contemporary novel.
ITAL 3335 - Prerequisites: ENGLISH 1303 and ITAL 2302. Students majoring in Italian Studies
will be required to read the literary texts in Italian with the exclusion of The Decameron. Poetry
texts will be presented in Italian with English translation. Italian majors will also be required to
write the paper and the book report in Italian.
ITAL 3336 - Prerequisite: ENGLISH 1303. Students minoring in Italian Studies will conduct all
required work in English. Students who do not pursue a major or a minor in Italian Studies will
conduct all required work in English.
Requirements
Attendance is mandatory. More than four absences, if not substantially motivated, put the student
at risk of being dropped out. Students are expected to complete the reading assignments before
the following class and bring the textbooks that are required. Students are expected to answer
questions about the texts and participate in the discussion. Papers are due on time. There will be
two exams (Midterm and Final), one paper and one book report on a contemporary novel.
Library
Many classic and contemporary novels are available at the Library, both in Italian and in English
translation, as well as critical works concerning Italian contemporary authors.
Foreign Language Lab
Several videos based on Italian novels are available at the Foreign Languages Lab. 311 AH:
- The Decameron, by Pier Paolo Pasolini, based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s short stories;
- Christ Stopped at Eboli, by Francesco Rosi, based on Carlo Levi’s novel;
- The Garden of Finzi-Contini, by Vittorio De Sica, based on Giorgio Bassani’s novel;
- The Leopard, by Luchino Visconti, based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel;
- The Name of the Rose, by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on Umberto Eco’s novel.
- The Truce, by Francesco Rosi, based on Primo Levi’s autobiographical novel.
- The Earth Trembles, by Luchino Visconti, based on G. Verga’s The House by the Medlar Tree
A great help for writing papers in Italian:
In the Linguistic Lab both IBM and Mac computers are provided with a Spelling Check in Italian.
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Italian 3335-3336
Survey of Italian Literature in Translation
Weekly Schedule
I. August 23-25: St. Francis – Guinizzelli.
Influences on early Italian literature: Latin tradition, Medieval Latin, troubadour lyric (doctrine of
"fin’amor"). Religious poetry: St. Francis. Dramatic character of the Lauda. Jacopone da Todi.
The Sicilian School. Lyric poetry in Bologna and Tuscany. Guido Guinizzelli: from courtly love to
spiritual love. Female Poetry: Compiuta Donzella.
Readings: St. Francis, Laudes Creaturarum; Guido Guinizzelli, Within the Gentle Heart.
Compiuta Donzella: Sonetto I and II.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 3-21.
II. August 30-September 1: Cavalcanti – Dante.
Cavalcanti: Love as Passion. Dante: Love as Salvation. The Vita nova. Dante’s life and early
works. Dante's love for Beatrice. The Angel-Woman in the “Dolce Stil Novo” tradition. Dante's
philosophic and political thought. His defense of vernacular language.
Readings: Guido Cavalcanti, Ballata I and II. Dante: Sonetti I, II, III from the Vita nova.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 22-27; 39-54.
III. September 6-8: Dante.
Structure of the Divine Comedy. Dante’s journey to salvation.
Readings: Inferno, Cantos: I, II, III, V (73-142), XXVI (43-142); Purgatory, Cantos I, III (103-145),
XXX; Paradise, Cantos I, XXXIII.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 54-69.
IV. September 13-15: Petrarca.
Petrarch and the Humanism. His works: Canzoniere, Trionfi, Secretum. Themes of Petrarch's
lyrics. From Beatrice to Laura.
Readings: Sonetti I, II, III, IV from the Vivante Anthology. Canzone I and II from the Vivante
Anthology. Handouts.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 89-107.
V. September 20-22: Boccaccio.
His life and works. Decameron’s narrative frame.
Readings: from Decameron: I, 1 (Ser Ciappelletto); I, 3 (Melchisedech and Saladin); II, 5
(Andreuccio da Perugia); III, 1 (Masetto da Lamporecchio); IV, 5 (Elisabetta and the Pot of Basil);
V, 8 (Nastagio degli Onesti); V, 9 (Federigo degli Alberighi); VI, 4 (Chichibio); VI, 9 (Guido
Cavalcanti); VI, 10 (Brother Cipolla); VIII, 3 (Calandrino and the Heliotrope); X, 10 (Griselda and
the Marquis of Saluzzo).
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 70-88.
Decameron Web: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/dweb.shtml
VI. September 27-29: Machiavelli.
Florence and the Humanists: enthusiasm for classics, philological and scholarly study. Man at the
center of the universe. Lorenzo il Magnifico, Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Angelo
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Poliziano. Machiavelli and the beginning of modern political science: fortune and virtue in The
Prince. Machiavelli as playwright: La mandragola (The Mandrake).
Readings: Introductiona dn Chapters VI, VII, XV, XXV, XXVI from The Prince; The Mandragola;
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 131-143; 188-195.
VII. October 4-6: Ariosto. Introduction to Tasso.
Pulci's ironic interpretation of the epic tradition: Morgante. Boiardo's new epic cycle: Orlando
innamorato. The Renaissance spirit in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, Angelica and Orlando, Astolfo's
adventure on the moon. Michelangelo and the Spirit of Neoplatonism. Women Poets.
Readings: Ariosto: Excerpts from Orlando furioso; Michelangelo: La notte; V. Colonna: Sonetto;
G. Stampa: Sonetto.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 167-174; 233-239; 260-266.
VIII. October 11: Tasso. October 13: Mid-Term Test
Castiglione's perfect courtier: Renaissance's ideal man. The Counter-Reformation age and
Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered.
Readings: Excerpts from Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered, Cantos XII (Tancredi and Clorinda), and
XVI (Rinaldo and Armida).
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 240-250; 266-268.
IX. October 18-20: The 17th and 18th century.
The 17th century. Giordano Bruno and the new idea of the universe. Galileo Galilei's scientific
method. Vico's new science: a universal view on the development of nations. The 18th century
and the Age of Reason: Goldoni's theatre, Parini's satire, Alfieri's tragedy, Beccaria's criticism of
torture and death penalty.
Readings: Carlo Goldoni’s Mirandolina (handouts).
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 315-317; 347-350; 355-361; 378-398.
X. October 25 (no class on October 27): Foscolo.
Between Neoclassicism and Romanticism: Foscolo's poetry and prose.
Readings: U. Foscolo, “Alla sera”, On Sepulchers.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 399-405; 412-417.
XI. November 1-3: Leopardi.
Romanticism and anti-romanticism in the young Leopardi. Leopardi's Canti, his thought and
poetry. Leopardi’s Moral Tales. The last Leopardi. His “cosmic pessimism” and his legacy.
Readings: The Infinite, To the Moon, To Silvia, Night Song of a Wandering Shepherd, The
Broom or the Flower of the Desert.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 418-426.
XII. November 8-10: Manzoni.
The young Manzoni. His Parisian years. His conversion to Catholicism. Politics, religion and
poetry. Adelchi. The Betrothed: the first national-popular Italian novel. The role of Manzoni in
creating the national and linguistic identity of Italy.
Readings: Manzoni: The Fifth of May, The Death of Ermengarda. Excerpts from The Betrothed
(Chapter XXXIV, The Plague) and Letter on Romanticism.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 427-439.
XIII. November 15-17: D’Annunzio and Verga.
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The turn of the 19th century: Pascoli's poetry; D'Annunzio's poetry and prose.
Verga's "Verismo." His rediscovery of rural Sicily.
Readings: Pascoli: Sea, The Fallen Oak, D’Annunzio: The Evening at Fiesole, Verga’s Cavalleria
rusticana and The She-Wolf.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 459-479.
XIV. November 22: Pirandello (November 24: Thanksgiving)
Pirandello’s view of contemporary world. His middle-class anti-heroes. Questions of identity. Who
are we in the gaze of the others? Is there any objective truth? Pirandello’s revolutionary theatre.
Readings: Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 480-492.
XV. November 29- Svevo. Montale. December 1: Book Report (in class)
Futurism. The epic of the “loser” in Svevo’s Confessions of Zeno and in his early novels.
Readings: Excerpts from Svevo’s Confessions of Zeno..
The negative epiphanies of Montale’s poetry. His closeness to Modernism.
Readings: By E. Montale: Rivieras, Often the Malady of Living I Have Met, The Hitler Spring, The
Dream of the Prisoner, Little Testament.
Cambridge History of Italian Literature: pp. 493-532.
Final Exam: December 13, 2:00-5:00pm
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Italian 3335-3336 - Survey of Italian Literature in English Translation
Italian novels for book report - 1000 words minimum
Igino Ugo Tarchetti, Passion
Gabriele D’Annunzio: The Flame; Nocturne and Five Tales of Love and Death; Il piacere: The
Pleasure (or Child of Pleasure), Iorio’s Daughter
Federigo Tozzi: Eyes Shut; Love in Vain
Italo Svevo: The Confessions of Zeno; As a Man Grows Older (or Emilio’s Carnival)
Luigi Pirandello: One, No One & One Hundred Thousand; The Late Mattia Pascal
Umberto Saba: Ernesto
Grazia Deledda, After the Divorce; Elias Portolu; Cosima
Alberto Moravia: The Conformist; The Time of Indifference; Boredom; The Woman of Rome;
Contempt; Two Women
Giorgio Bassani, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis; Behind the Door; The Heron
Elio Vittorini: Conversations in Sicily; Men and not Men; A Vittorini Omnibus
Cesare Pavese: Among Women Only; The Moon and the Bonfires; The Political Prisoner
Pier Paolo Pasolini: The Savage Father; Violent Life, The Ragazzi
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa: The Leopard
Salvatore Satta, The Day of Judgment
Italo Calvino: The Cloven Viscount; The Baron in the Trees; The Nonexistent Knight; Difficult
Loves; Invisible Cities; If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler; Palomar
Leonardo Sciascia: To Each His Own; The Wine Dark Sea; Open Doors
Gesualdo Bufalino: The Plague Sowers
Elsa Morante: History; Lie and Spell; Arturo’s Island
Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose; Foucault’s Pendulum
Primo Levi: Survival in Auschwitz; The Reawakening; If Not Now, When?; The Drowned and the
Saved
Franco Ferrucci, The Life of God (As Told by Himself)
Gianni Celati, Adventures in Africa; Voices from the Plains; Appearances
Antonio Tabucchi, Pereira Declares; Indian Nocturne; The Missing Head of Damasceno Monteiro;
Little Misunderstandings of No Importance
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Pier Paolo Pasolini, Decameron (1971)
Sequence of stories:
1) Andreuccio da Perugia (II, 5)
2) Isabetta e la Badessa Usimbalda e Isabetta (IX, 2)
3) Masetto da Lamporecchio (III, 1)
4) Peronella e il suo amante (VII, 2)
5) Ser Cepparello (I, 1)
6) Messer Forese e Maestro Giotto (VI, 5)
7) Riccardo e Caterina (V, 4)
8) Lisabetta e Lorenzo (IV, 5)
9) Don Gianni, Compare Pietro e Gemmata (IX, 10)
10) Meuccio e Tingoccio (VII, 10)