Medieval Italian Literature I
3 credits (45 hours)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Dante Alighieri is the most important Italian poet, the father of Italian language and the
principle figure of Medieval Literature in Europe. This course will examine Dante’s Divine
Comedy and some other minor works of his (i.e.“Vita Nuova” and “Convivio”). The course aim
is to allow students to examine his internationally renowned literary texts in their original
language. Students will read excerpts from these works and engage in a historical, literary and
rhetorical analysis of texts while determining techniques of poetic composition. Students are
expected to actively participate and contribute to class discussion. They are also expected to do
all the exercises assigned daily.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course the student will be able:
1. To analyze how the major events of Dante’s life and historical context of the era affected his
literature.
2. To describe the style and poetic technique of Dante.
3. To critically analyze, interpret and discuss the texts.
4. To develop comprehension of the significance of Italian texts in Italian, European
and global context including a general familiarity with literary history.
5. To achieve advanced proficiency in the Italian language.
Sant’Anna Institue - Sorrento Lingue s.r.l
Via Marina Grande, 16 – 80067 Sorrento (Na) – Italy - Tel +39.081.807.5599 – Fax +39.081.532.4140
www.santannainstitute.com – info@sorrentolingue.com
P.Iva 07631160012
DIVISION OF SUBJECT MATTER
Topic

The Middle-Age: historical Italian and
European context
 History of “Divina Comedia”
 Dante Alighieri: his life
“La Vita Nuova”:
 Prima apparizione di Beatrice, capitolo
1
 Seconda apparizione di Beatrice,
capitolo 2
 La donna dello schermo, capitolo 5
Epistole
 Epistola a Cangrande della Scala
“Convivio”:
 Trattato I, capitolo 1
 Trattato IV, capitolo 24
“Divina Commedia”, Inferno (1st module):
 Inferno, canto 1
 Inferno, canto 3
 Inferno, canto 5
 Inferno, canto 6
Midterm evaluation (written and oral)
“Divina Commedia”, Inferno (2nd module):
 Inferno, canto 10
 Inferno, canto 19
 Inferno, canto 26
 Inferno, canto 34
“Divina Commedia”, Purgatorio:
 Paradiso, canto 1
 Paradiso, canto 4
 Paradiso, canto 25
 Paradiso, canto 33
Total Hours
3
3
3
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
“Divina Commedia”, Paradiso:
Sant’Anna Institue - Sorrento Lingue s.r.l
Via Marina Grande, 16 – 80067 Sorrento (Na) – Italy - Tel +39.081.807.5599 – Fax +39.081.532.4140
www.santannainstitute.com – info@sorrentolingue.com
P.Iva 07631160012




Paradiso, canto 1
Paradiso, canto 19
Paradiso, canto 25
Paradiso, canto 33
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
Final evaluation (written and oral)
1
Total
45
TEXTS
MAIDEN, ROBUSTELLI, A Reference Grammar of Modern Italian, McGraw Hill.
Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. Simon and Schuster (2007). Translated by
Gregory Blake Smith.
An Italian Dictionary (DEVOTO, OLI, “Dizionario della lingua italiana”, Le Monnier).
Sant’Anna Institue - Sorrento Lingue s.r.l
Via Marina Grande, 16 – 80067 Sorrento (Na) – Italy - Tel +39.081.807.5599 – Fax +39.081.532.4140
www.santannainstitute.com – info@sorrentolingue.com
P.Iva 07631160012