Italian Literature

Nicola Turi has been a researcher of Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature at the University of Florence, since October 2017.

He is a member of the editorial committee of the journal ‘La Modernità Letteraria’ and of the scientific committee of the ‘Associazione Dessí’. He obtained the National Scientific Habilitation (ASN) as first level professor in Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature (10/F2).

He deals with the theory and history of the novel (with particular attention to the Italian novel of the second half of the 20th century) as well as writings for the radio. Besides having edited unpublished and rare texts by Ruggero Jacobbi and Giuseppe Dessí, he is also author of numerous essays on Italian and foreign authors of the twentieth century (Pavese, Pratolini, Bassani, Bianciardi, Manganelli, Tabucchi, Vian, Chatwin…) and four monographs: L’identità negata. Il secondo Calvino e l’utopia del tempo fermo, 2003; Testo delle mie brame. Il metaromanzo italiano del secondo Novecento (1957-1979), 2007; Declinazioni del canone americano in Italia tra gli anni Quaranta e Sessanta, 2011; Giuseppe Dessí: Storia e genesi dell’opera, 2014.

This course (6ECT), entitled LITERATURE, TESTIMONY AND SCIENCE: PRIMO LEVI AND DANIELE DEL GIUDICE, will use a number of exemplary texts to examine the narrative work of two authors: Primo Levi (1919-1987), who is by now a full member of the major canon of the twentieth century, and Daniele Del Giudice (1949-2021), who began working in the 1980s and recently passed away. Both authors show in their texts a constant interest in science and its languages: almost a bulwark, one might say, against the chaos and violence that Levi experienced close up in the Lager, but which also explodes in many forms in Del Giudice’s latest collection of short stories.

The course will therefore examine a number of narrative texts with the aim of reconstructing, also in the light of the critical contributions included in the programme, the overall profile of the two authors considered, and at the same time reflecting on the role of literature and its interaction with the non-humanistic sciences.

The course will be divided into 2 modules:

• Module 1 – Primo Levi, witness to the Shoah and author of science fiction: from “Se questo è un uomo” to “Storie Naturali”.
• Module 2 – Daniele Del Giudice and the incursion of violence: from “Staccando l’ombra da terra” to the stories of “Mania”.

The course, entitled LITERATURE, TESTIMONY AND SCIENCE: PRIMO LEVI AND DANIELE DEL GIUDICE (6 cfu), will cross the narrative work of Primo Levi (1919-1987), surely belonging to the canon of the twentieth century and of Daniele Del Giudice, recently passed away. Both authors show interest in sciences and its language: almost a bulwark, one might say, against the chaos and the violence Levi experienced close up in the Lager, but which also explodes in many forms in Del Giudice’s latest collection of short stories.

Some narrative books will therefore be examined with the aim of reconstructing the overall profile of the two authors and at the same time reflecting on the role of literature and its interactions with sciences.

The course aims to promote the acquisition of theoretical and methodological knowledge useful for reading, understanding and analysing literary texts.

The course aims to foster the ability to communicate the content learned in an appropriate manner, in line with the technical language of the subject, as well as to know how to transmit it through the use of appropriate computer programmes.

A. Knowledge and understanding

Knowledge of Italian literature of the second half of the twentieth century will be deepened through some particularly significant narrative texts and highly debated theoretical and aesthetic issues.

B. Applied knowledge and understanding

The in-depth study of the texts examined will help to familiarise the students with the tools useful for understanding and with hermeneutics of a narrative text (in its semantic and structural complexity) and to relate it to the historical, social, cultural and literary context in which it is produced.

C. Autonomy of judgement

The course aims to stimulate the student to develop a correct and fruitful communication with the teacher, aimed at the acquisition of a substantial autonomy, through the reading of narrative and critical texts and the discussion of their contents.

D. Communication skills

The lessons should also serve to acquire a technical language suitable for communicating clearly and pertinently the contents learned.

E. Learning ability

The student will have to develop the ability to approach different contents by means of the learning methods acquired during the course.

A. Consultation of the bibliography of reference, use of the textbooks contained therein and in-depth study of some central issues within the subject of study (relationship of the novels with the historical, political and social context; formal solutions adopted by the authors in order to make their texts as accessible as possible; creation through fiction, after World War II in Italy, of a national consciousness).

B. Ability to understand issues related to the hermeneutics of the literary text.

C. Ability to compare the contents of a text and their critical comments in order to formulate autonomous judgements supported by tangible arguments.

D. Acquisition of a technical language suitable for communicating and transmitting knowledge to a non-specialist audience.

E. Ability to apply linguistic-literary skills also in original contexts.

DIDACTICS PROVISION

• 6 video lessons;
• Podcasts of all the above mentioned video lessons;
• 4 synchronous video lessons to support the study.

INTERACTIVE DIDACTICS

• 6 synchronous video lessons;
• 1 orientation forum;
• 2 thematic follow-up forums (1 for each module);
• 2 structured e-activities (as described in the section “in itinere assessment methods”).

SELF-LEARNING

For each module, the following teaching materials are provided: thematic in-depth studies, articles by the lecturer, open access readings, online resources, reference bibliography, etc.

Narrative texts (in any edition)

• Primo Levi, “Se questo è un uomo”, 1947.
• Primo Levi, “Storie naturali”, 1966.
• Daniele Del Giudice, “Staccando l’ombra da terra”, 1994.
• Daniele Del Giudice, “Mania”, 1997.

Critical and theoretical texts

• Primo Levi, “I sommersi e i salvati”, 1986.
• Paolo Zublena, “La scienza del sentimento”. “Il linguaggio tecnico-scientifico in Daniele Del Giudice”, “L’inquietante simmetria della lingua: il linguaggio tecnico-scientifico nella narrativa italiana del Novecento”, Alessandria, Edizioni dell’Orso, 2002, pp. 119-142.

Further (optional) critical texts, useful for a more in-depth study of the issues addressed, will be indicated in the course of the lectures

Access to the final examination is subject to the completion of the following 2 e-activities:

⮚ E-activity Module 1 – Primo Levi, witness to the Shoah and author of science fiction: from “Se questo è un uomo” to “Scienze naturali” – drafting of an individual essay on the artistic and creative path of Primo Levi, starting from at least one of his three texts included in the programme.
Each student should deal with a different topic, agreed with the disciplinary tutor. Recommended length: 3-4 folders.

⮚ E-tivity Module 2 – Daniele Del Giudice and the incursion of violence: from “Staccando l’ombra da terra” to the short stories of “Mania” – drafting of an individual essay on Daniele Del Giudice’s artistic and creative path starting from at least one of his two texts included in the programme.
Each student should deal with a different topic, agreed with the disciplinary tutor. Recommended length: 3-4 folders.

The assessment of learning will take place through an oral interview on the course contents (at least three). The grade (min 18, max 30 with possible honours) is determined by the level of performance for each of the following dimensions of the oral interview: mastery of contents, appropriateness of definitions and theoretical references, clarity of argument, command of specialist language.

Italian