ITALIAN 110 Introduction to Italian Literature: Dante
Spring 2008
Professoressa Barbara CARLE: Mariposa 2015
Section 1
office hours: TW 12-1:30
and by appointment tel: 278 6509
e-mail: carleb@csus.edu
Catalog Description: ITAL 110. Introduction to Italian Literature I.
Beginning and major developments of the literature of Italy from the Middle Ages
through the Baroque period of the 17th Century. Analyzes the literary movements with emphasis on their leading figures, discussion of literary subjects, instruction in the preparation of reports on literary, biographical and cultural topics. Taught in
Italian. Prerequisite: Upper division status and instructor permission. 3 units.
Course Description: An Introduction to Italian Literature which focuses on Dante'sVita nuova and Divina Commedia (Inferno and Purgatorio, segments of Paradiso) as well as early Tuscan poets. Petrarch and Boccaccio will also be introduced. Students will learn how to identify forms, scan verses, recognize key lexicon, and better understand literary movements in their historical contexts. The focus will be on poetry, but the novella (short story) will also be studied.
Texts: Inferno by Dante Alighieri, (bilingual edition) Sinclair translation. Vita nuova (bilingual edition) Mark Musa trans. Decameron, Mark Musa trans. And handouts in Italian. Handouts from early Italian poets and Petrarch. Some texts will be read in Italian only without the bilingual edition. Dante and Boccaccio editions will be available in the bookstore or may be easily ordered online.
Method of Instruction: This course is conducted primarily in Italian with English used when and if needed to reinforce more complex concepts. The course consists of in class readings of Italian poetry. Group readings and presentations will also take place. Video and internet will serve to reinforce key concepts. Students will be required to work from Professor Carle's webpage with links to the Princeton Dante project and the Boccaccio website on Fridays. Specific assignments will be made. Peter Greenaway's film on Dante's Inferno will also be shown.
Student Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:
(1) Identify:
• authors who have been discussed in class and a sampling of their works;
• the historical context of those authors and their works;
• distinct genres of literature;
• distinct literary eras, their components, and relative chronology;
• basic terminology of literary analysis.
(2) Read actively and critically, including:
• follow and summarize a plot line;
• identify and summarize major features of the works discussed in class;
• recognize the choices an author has made in shaping a work in a particular way;
• recognize the effects of those choices on the reader.
(3) Understand the rudiments of argumentation, including:
• formulate an idea about what they are reading;
• gather evidence from the work to support the idea;
• gather evidence from critical sources to support the idea;
• test the evidence against other available evidence;
• present and support the idea persuasively;
• how not to plagiarize.
4) • Students will acquire an in depth appreciation of Italian poetry and poetry
in general and will learn how literature can shape reality and be a powerful
tool to improve the quality of our thinking and the standards of our achievements.
They will learn to appreciate the novella through their readings and understanding
of Boccaccio Decameron.
***Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is essential to succeed in this class. More than three unexcused absences WILL affect your final grade.***
GRADING SCALE:
A 100-90
B 89-80
C 79-70
D 69-60
F 59 and below
GRADING:
20% Regular attendance and participation
30% Domande guida, guiding questions.
50% Tests
NOTA BENE/PLEASE NOTE:
Guiding Questions will be distributed on readings. These “domande-guida”
are intended to help you find key elements in your readings. The main
work of this course will consist of PREPARING THE READINGS, i.e.,
reading and rereading thoroughly in italian and answering the guiding questions.
These questionnaires will help you to be prepared for course tests.
Specific assignments will be added online along with due dates.
Test dates should always be verified online.
A good Italian dictionary is required. A good Italian/English dictionary will not suffice.
Recommended: a good Italian grammar, Adesso for example, for reference purposes
Professoressa CARLE'S WEBPAGE
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/c/carleb/
Assignments, Web Resources and Links
Keep in mind that language is rooted in culture and each language reflects a different culture. Language structures our thought patterns. To sudy another language is also to learn how to think differently.
***Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is essential to succeed in this class. More than three unexcused absences WILL affect your final grade. Entering class late (more than five minutes) three times will count as ONE ABSENCE.*** Make sure that you sign the attendance sheet.
REQUIREMENTS:
1) Students keep all their work in a separate folder and be prepared to hand it in to me periodically.
2) You will certainly be asked to write comments of Italian texts and have frequent vocabulary quizzes.
3) Tests will be given once every two/three weeks or so. Quizzes/Tests can be made up only with a valid excuse, doctor’s note or emergency. Test dates will always be announced in advance. Tests will be closely based on In giro readings and exercises. It is important that you have a strong command of new vocabulary also.
4) Please be punctual and remain in class during the entire period. If you are more than three times late this will count as an absence. Leaving class before the end of the hour is disruptive. Please remain attentive during group exercises, you will greatly profit from others’ mistakes. Walking in and out of class during group activities is NOT acceptable.
5) Do not hesitate to come and see me if you need help and if you have done work which we have not corrected in class, or which I have not collected.
You will be expected to make at least one oral presentation and one written paper on an author studied.
6) No Cell phones allowed in class. No food or drink. (Coffee is allowed) Please turn off cell phones for entire class period.
7) Allow 24 up to 48 hours for replies for e-mail queries. Expect written work to be corrected within one week, or sooner.
IMPORTANT:
8) Students with disabilities are required to present relevant documentation the first day of class and make any special needs known to me.
CSUS POLICY REGARDING ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Students are responsible for:
1. Understanding the rules that preserve academic honesty and abiding by them at all times. This includes learning and following particular rules accociated by specific classes, exams, and course assignments. Ignorance of these rules is not a defense to a charge of academic dishonesty.
2. Understanding what cheating and plagiarism are and taking steps to avoid them. Students are expected to do this whether working individually or as part of a group.
3. Not taking credit for academic work not their own.
4. Not knowingly encouraging or making possible cheating or plagiarism by others.
Finally: If you attend class on a REGULAR BASIS and do all assigned work, you will NOT fail the class.
Please do not hesitate to see me or the tutors if you have domande (questions) difficoltà (problems) or simply wish to chiacchierare (chat) about things Italian. I am especially interested in seeing you progress and firmly believe that you can learn from your mistakes!
Course Schedule (more assignments may be added online as the semester unfolds)
(subject to modification depending on the pace
and needs of the class)
-1-
28 January- 1 February
(gennaio-febbraio)
M
Introduction to the Duecento
W Introduction to the Duecento and Dante's Life
F On Fridays you are required to visit the Digital Dante and Princeton Dante Project Websites and respond to the guiding questionnaires (16 in all, one for each week).Each questionnaire (domande-guida) should be turned in the following Monday. When an oral activity is involved you will receive a grade for this also.
-2-
4-8 February
(febbraio)
M The Divine Comedy, overall structure
W The language of the Divina Commedia
F Online Dante website
-3-
11-15 February
(febbraio)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-4-
18-22 February
(febbraio)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-5-
25-29 February
(febbraio)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-6-
3-7 March
(marzo)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-7-
10-14 March
(marzo)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-8-
17-21 March
(marzo)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-9-
24-28 March
(marzo)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-10-
31 March- 6 April
SPRING BREAK
(vacanze primaverili)
-11-
7-11 April
(aprile)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-12-
14-18 April
(aprile)
M
W
F Online Dante website
-13-
21-25 April
(aprile)
M
W
F Online Boccaccio website
-14-
28 April- 2 May
(aprile-maggio)
M
W
F Online Boccaccio website
-15-
5-9 May
(maggio)
M
W
F Online Boccaccio website
-16-
12-16 May
(maggio)
M
W
F Online Boccaccio website
Take Home Final Due May 12th at 12:00
There will be no in class final
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Domande Guida Dante- Introduzione al Duecento
I. Based on Prof. Carle's lecture and Princeton Dante Project (Dante's biography)
Go to the following link for a synthentic view of the Historical context of Dante's life:
1. Descrivete le caratterische principali del Duecento in Italia.
A.
B.
C.
2. Nominate due partiti politici del Duecento.
3. Nominate un imperatore e un Papa del Duecento.
4. Qual è il titolo originale della Divina Commedia?
5. Cosa significa questo titolo?
6. Spiegate e date esempi (almeno 9) del numero tre e o il numero dieci nella struttura della Divina Commedia.
7. Spiegate il significato letterale e allegorico dei seguenti versi:
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
che la diritta via era smarrita.
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II. (From Carle's lecture and Princeton Dante project, Dante's biography)
1. Come si chiamano i due partiti in cui si divisero i guelfi?
2. Come si chiamavano le due grandi famiglie fiorentine capi di questi partiti?
3. Quale classi rappresentava ogni famiglia?
4. Cosa successe il Calendimaggio del 1300 in piazza Santa Trinità a Firenze?
5. Per quanto tempo fu Priore di Firenze Dante e quando?
6. Cosa successe il primo giorno di novembre del 1301? Chi entrò nella città di Firenze? perché? Qual era la missione ufficiale di questo principe? Cosa fece
in realtà?
7. Il sette novembre del 1301 cadde il priorato bianco ma Dante dove si trovava?
8. Il 27 gennaio del 1302 Dante veniva colpito di quale condanna e perché?
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III. Go to the Princeton Dante Project, Read the brief article by Robert Hollander,
Allegory in Dante and then answer the following questions.
1. What is the most simple medieval definition of allegory?
2. Explain the difference between allegory as practised by poets and allegory as practised by the theologians.
3. What does Dante write about allegory in the opening pages of the second treatise of the Convivio?
4. What assertion does he make which is surprising?
5. Why is the letter he wrote to Cangrande della Scala significant?
6. How does Dante compare his own Divine Comedy to the Bible in this letter?
7. What did Charles Singleton conclude concerning the fiction of the Divine Comedy?
8. How does Robert Hollander advise you to read the Divine Comedy?
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IV. Questions on the moral situation of the reader. See online article
by Robert Hollander,The Moral Situation of the Reader of Inferno from
the Dante Princeton Project.
of values is required to have a “correct” moral situation from
which to read the Divine Comedy?
for certain more likable sinners such as Paolo and Francesca, Ulisse,
or Farinata?
such as Filippo Argenti to be exaggerated?
the poetry and language of the Divine Comedy?
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V. Go the the Digital Dante, from my webpage. Compare the Longfellow and Mandlebaum translations of Inferno I. Which do you prefer and why? Choose at least three terzine. Compare and contrast them and consider the original Italian in your evaluations.
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VI. Go to Princeton Dante Project. Then click on WWW Resources then select Digital Dante Project, which will bring you to Image Collections. Gustave Doré, Sandro Botticelli, and Salvador Dalì. Who were these artists and when did they create their illustrations of the Divine Comedy? Select three imagesand explain which canti and verses they dramatize.
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VII. Go to Dante Princeton Project and Rai Dante and listen to a canto.
Compare the two readings and come to class prepared to read three terzine
out loud, imitating, as best as possible the different reading styles of each.
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VIII. Repeat the step from number VI and go to Digital Dante. Click on Maps.
Select the map which you find offers the best conceptual illustration of the systems
of Inferno, Purgatorio, or Paradiso. Explain the map you have selected.
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IX. Go to Princeton Dante Project. Use the commentary option to help you understand three terzine from various canti that you had difficulty in interpreting.
Summarize the commentaries.
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X. Go to Princeton Dante Project. Explore Dante’s minor works.
Select a passage from one of these works, comment upon it and present
a one to two page explanation based on the commentary.
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XI. Boccaccio. Go to: Decameron Web/ Class Activities
For the remainder of the semester you must complete five out of the ten suggested topics
each Friday. We will also use this site in class.
At the end of the semester you will be asked to select a novella and make a presentation on it. You should answer the following questions:
Guiding Questions for Boccaccio summaries and presentations.
1. Comment on the frame (cornice). Who is the Queen or King for this day?
What theme does s/he establish?
Who tells the story? Who is the narrator?
2. Briefly summarize the plot, actions of the story. Where does the story take place?
3. Divide the story into parts. These may be established according to time frames, the first day, a voyage to a place, a time of the day, etc, or by a description and or narrative regarding a character and his or her background. Parts may be distinguished by sections in narrative prose, as opposed to sections in dialogue. Some characters may speak short lines, others long monologues.
4. Present the characters. Who are they? What are they like? To what social class to they belong? What sort of person are they?
5. Consider the themes, love, sex, fortune, using ones wits to overturn a situation, strength of character, etc.
6. Consider the language and the rhetorical devices: Rhetorical questions, irony, circumlocution (telling us something in an indirect way), use of metaphor, (Masetto says: “I’ll work this garden as it’s never been worked before.” Garden is a sexual metaphor.) Consider the use of parody and or satire. Some stories even make fun of previous stories.
Consider similes, comparisons, images and types of key words which return, garden, gardening, riding, for other activities.
7. Some of Boccaccio’s stories dismantle stereotypes we have about certain people and situations. Consider if this is the case in the novella you are reading.
8. Give examples. For your presentations and papers, quote from the Italian as well as from the English.
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Lexicon of Classic Italian Poetry
(Vocabulary of commonly used words in Italian poetry)
For Dante see also Rai Italica Dante Parole chiave:
aere-aria
aita-aiutare
almo-che dà vita
alma-anima
ancidere-uccidere
appo-presso
ascoso-nascosto
atro-oscuro
augello-uccello
aulente-odoroso, profumato
brando-spada
colubro-serpente
conto-chiaro, leggiadro, comprensibile
desio, desire-desiderio
destriere/o-cavallo
dolente-doloroso
duolo-dolore
egro-malato
ei-ebbi
ermo-deserto, remoto
favellare-parlare
fedire-colpire, ferire
feruta-ferita
fia-sia
fiata-volta, volte
folcere-sostenere
fornire-finire
frale-fragile
gire-andare
guatare-guardare
imago-immagine
imo-profondo
lampa-lampada
lassare-lasciare
lasso-sciagurato
loda-lode
lume=luce
magione-casa, dimora
marire-martirio
medesmo, medesimo-se stesso
meco-con me stesso (Note this type of inversion is common)
mercé-ricompensa, aiuto, grazia
occaso- tramonto, ponente
omai-ormai, alfine
onusto, carico
ostello-abitazione
palafreno-cavallo
pavido-timoroso
peregrino-straniero
periglio-pericolo
ploro-lamento, piango
pruina-brina
redire-tornare, ritornare
rege-re
reina-regina
retro-indietro
rimembrare-ricordare
speglio-specchio
speme-speranza
strale-freccia
travagliato-difficile, doloroso
u’-dove, ove
urbe-città
udienza-ascolto, attenzione
vago-desideroso, leggiadro, bello
veglio-vecchio
virente-verdeggiante
vulgo-volgo
Notare:
scendea-scendeva
piangea-piangeva
cadea-cadeva
(the v of the modern imperfetto is omitted, also with some nouns: mantoani=mantovani)
The first person of the imperfetto is often replaced by the third person, piangea= io piangevo OR lui/lei piangeva
Often the order grammatical units as we know them today was inverted:
cercar non so= non so cercar
rispuosemi=mi rispuose=mi rispose
dipartilla= la dipartì= la fece uscire (made her depart)
e del mio vaneggiar vergogna è il frutto= e vergogna è il frutto del mio vaneggiar
hassi= si ha
The subject can come anywhere often at the end:
Al cor gentil rempaira sempre amore
Amore rempaira (ritorna) sempre al cor gentile
Spelling can vary: intrare instead of entrare. This is due to regional differences.
The rules of grammar were not established, articles could vary: “lo bello stile” instead of “il bello stile.” ecc, ecc.