English literature 2 (2019/2020)

Learning outcomes

The course is taught in English and aims at providing students with an introduction to British literature between the Restoration period to the Romantic age, with a focus on a number of selected texts. The course also aims at providing a basic knowledge of the main critical approaches and of the main features of literary genres.The main aim of the course is that of providing students with a good level of knowledge of the period of literary history in object (in terms of historical context, texts, genres, movements, authors) and to develop their critical skills, in terms of ability to read critically, to discuss literary topics in English, to place literary texts in a specific historical-cultural context. At the end of the course students will be able to:- read critically the set texts and place them in their respective historical-cultural contexts- discuss literary topics in a structured and informed way - discuss literary topics in English in a clear and consistent way

A) Primary Texts (any edition, but NOT abridged)
- H. Walpole, The Castle of Otranto
- M.G. Lewis, The Monk
- M. Shelley, Frankenstein

B) Critical Texts (compulsory)
- Fred Botting, The Gothic (London and New York: Routledge, 2005), capitoli 1-5
- Catherine Spooner, Emma McEvoy, The Routledge Companion to Gothic (London and New York: Routledge, 2007), capitoli 19-22

C) History of Literature (compulsory)
- A. Sanders, The Short Oxford History of English Literature, Oxford University Press, 2003

NB: the programme will be integrated at the beginning of the course

The lessons will be in English. The exam will be an oral discussion in English on the topic of the course and the texts in the program (parts A,B,C).
In particular:
- the ability to discuss topics (literary trends, authors, genres) within the history of English literature
- the ability to present a critical argumentation on topics related to the texts of the syllabus (making examples from scenes and passages)
- the ability to make connections between the topics of the course, on the basis of the critical texts indicated in the programme


Requirements
Students unable to attend lectures are required to get in touch before preparing for the exam. The programme and the modalities of assessment do not vary for Erasmus students
All students, possibly also the students who will not be able to attend the course regularly, are kindly invited to attend the first class of the course, when the programme will be illustrated in detail.