Italian literature and civilization: the three crowns. From the Middle Ages to the early Renaissance

Teacher(s)

Cavagna Mattia;

Language

Italian

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

The course offers students an interdisciplinary presentation of Italian history and the history of Italian art in the Renaissance and the Baroque. From the linguistic point of view, students will gain deeper knowledge of the concepts of diachronic linguistics and broaden their own vocabulary. 

Content

'    Students will discover the literary and artistic masterpieces of the Middle Ages, of humanism and of the Early Renaissance, as well as the key historical moments of the period. The most important authors of these periods will be covered: Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. Artists such as Giotto, Masaccio, the Lorenzetti brothers and Antonella da Messina, ending with Raphael, will have an important place. Students will find out about the most important movements of this period, such as the Sicilian School, the Dolce Stilnovo and humanism. The growth of cities and the early forms of proto-democracy will also be presented as well as the most important political events that took place on the Italian peninsula.
'    The practical sessionis will present elements of diachronic linguistics so as to understand the particular features of the volgari. Students will also make an effort to read scientific articles on diachronic linguistics. In the tutorial sessions, students will acquire a broader vocabulary.

Evaluation methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

During the first examination session, oral exam on the contents of the lessons and the exercice sessions. Linguistic tutoring will be evaluated at the end of the semester with a written exam.
During the second examination session, oral examen on the contents of the lessons and the exercice sessions; written exam and the linguistic tutoring. 

Bibliography

Syllabus
L'étudiant est amené à utiliser les histoires de la littérature italienne et d'autres ouvrages de consultation qui se trouvent en bibliothèque et en ligne (Jstor, etc.).
Histoire de la littérature italienne conseillée :
Giulio FERRONI, Profilo storico della letteratura italiana, Einaudi Scuola, Torino, 1991, 2 vol.
Giulio FERRONI, Storia della letteratura italiana, Mondadori Università, Milano, 2012, 4 vol.

Faculty or entity

ELAL