Topics in Italian Culture and Literature (349-0-20)
Topic
Gender, Knights, Adventures, and Identity: A Readi
Instructors
Stefano Jossa
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-329: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
Course taught by Professor Stefano Jossa (Royal Holloway University of London and Distinguished Fulbright Chair in Italian Studies).
The course offers a reading of the most important poem of the Italian Renaissance, the Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto (1532). The poem will be placed against the background of the great events of its time, from the European colonization of the Americas (1492) to the Protestant Reformation (1517), in the context of Este Ferrara and the Italian wars. Through the direct reading of the most significant episodes, students will learn to connect the text and the context, focusing above all on some decisive aspects of Italian Renaissance culture: the contrast between magnificence and crisis; the opening of new perspectives on the social and cultural role of women; the birth of national states and the role of the leader in politics; the presence of a new gender dialectic, which paves the way for modern horizons; the importance of ethical and religious issues. The poem will therefore be read in dialogue with other great classics of its time, such as The Prince by Machiavelli (1513) and The Courtier by Baldassar Castiglione (1528).
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course students will have a critical understanding of the meaning of the Italian Renaissance. They will be able to reflect on critical issues such as the relationship between text and history, as well as between reality and fiction. They will have a detailed knowledge of Ariosto's masterpiece, the Orlando Furioso (1532).
Class Materials (Required)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. TEXTS
L. Ariosto, Orlando furioso:
Italian text: every available
main publishers: Bur, Einaudi, Feltrinelli, Garzanti, Mondadori
online: http://www.letteraturaitaliana.net/pdf/Volume_4/t325.pdf; http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITA0041/_P1.HTM; https://www.liberliber.it/online/autori/autori-a/ludovico-ariosto/orlando-furioso-segre/;
English translations:
Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, trans. Barbara Reynholds (London : Penguin , 1975). ISBN: 9780140443110
Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, trans. Guido Waldman (Oxford : OUP , 1974). ISBN: 9780199540389
A useful but old and imprecise translation can be found here: http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG1357/_P2.HTM
N.B. The Orlando Furioso is a long but dynamic text. You are expected to read the whole of the poem in the original Italian, so please start reading NOW before the term begins! Since sixteenth-century Italian is quite difficult, please use English translations to compare and contrast with the original text. Recommended editions and translations are listed below. You will find further help with approaching the text in some of the other items listed below. You can make a start and get a good idea of the whole by reading the introduction to your edition or translation. These will give you a good overview and help you progress through the whole text. Enjoy!
Class Notes
Course taught by Professor Stefano Jossa (Royal Holloway University of London and Distinguished Fulbright Chair in Italian Studies).
Course is taught in English!