Corso di laurea magistrale in
Culture moderne comparate

Students attending the course are expected to have:
1) good knowledge of at least one foreign language at a high level and one foreign language at school level;
2) excellent knowledge of Italian literature and in-depth knowledge of two foreign literatures and cultures;
3) basic notions of the history of literary criticism;
4) excellent skills in textual analysis and narratology, rhetoric and stylistics;
5) critical sense and very good aptitude for comparisons between literatures, arts and human sciences.

According to the specific educational goals of this degree course, course of study in Comparative Literature aims to give students a deep knowledge of the humanistic culture in its cultural roots and developments in the present age, with a critical approach. Among the other specific goals, it aims to provide: 1) notion and knowledge on the literary genres and their development through the time; 2) a critical knowledge of the intertextual dialogue between literatures, arts, and human sciences; 3) notions of literary criticism and theory of literature; 3) the ability to develop critical issues in different literary texts and cultural areas.

For the academic year 2024-2025 the course will focus on the relationships between history and the novel in the Contemporary Age.

In accordance with the goals declared in the SUA-CdS document.

At the end of this module, students should:

1) know the historical context and the main critical and theoretical issues the topic involves; 2) know the primary texts in their context and relationships; 3) be able to create interpretations of literary texts and to generalize these interpretations within historical, formal, rhetorical, cultural or other systems of literary analysis; 4) know the literary and aesthetics theory in its fundamental concepts.

The development of critical thinking skills will be tested by a 8.000 words paper focussed on a specific topic connected with the main theme. Interpretative and stylistic analysis of the texts to be conducted through the translation and analysis of 5 pages in the original language.

Traditional lessons (36 hours for 6 cfu), round tables, seminars, conferences.

A seminar of Literary Theory, round tables, conferences.

History and Fiction. The contemporary world.

This second module, which is independent of the first, will analyse the representation of history in the twentieth century, after the world wars and the human traumas of the Shoah and the atomic bomb. Critical reflection will support narrative writing by dealing with the problem of the morphology in historical narrative (White, Ginzburg).

Primary texts (Students have to choose two of the following texts:)::

Elsa Morante, La Storia, Torino, Einaudi 1974 e succ.
Günter Grass, Il tamburo di latta, 1959, tr. it. Bruna Bianchi, Milano, Feltrinelli.
Philip Roth, Pastorale americana, 1997, tr. it. Vincenzo Mantovani, Torino, Einaudi.  

Critical texts (Students have to choose one of the following texts:):

Students with Specific Learning Difficulties are encouraged to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course to arrange individual learning paths suited to their needs, and that could go beyond the compensatory and dispensatory measures guaranteed for the exam.
In general, Students with SLD or disabilities are asked to take note of the university modalities

• of support (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilitaopen_in_newopen_in_new),

• of welcoming (https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsaopen_in_newopen_in_new),

• and of the procedures to request support for the exams: https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-e-studentesse-con-disabilita/supporto-studenti-e-studentesse-conopen_in_new »