The course intends to advance the students’ reading and interpretive skills with the aim of developing a critical competence concerning the aesthetic configurations and ethico-political implications of literary texts. In particular, the course pursues the following aims: 1) to consolidate the contextual and specific knowledge of important authors (in the Restoration age and Modernism) and of their relationship with the literary canon; 2) to offer methodological guidelines to literary criticism’s various trends, including Cultural and Gender Studies.
Lectures delivered in English; reading and analysis of texts will be carried out in group and workshop form.
Module A (4 ECTS) The Age of Aphra Behn. Women and Writing in the Seventeenth Century Module A offers an in-depth study of playwright, novelist and poet Aphra Behn, who is considered the first professional woman writer in English literature. We will read Behn’s biography written by Vita Sackville-West, with a selection of her texts, including extracts from her comedy The Rover (1677), in order to examine the reasons for Astrea’s fame, her unconventional life, her success in the world of the theatre and the literary marketplace dominated by men. We will focus in particular on the protofeminist themes that inform her work, and on the material and cultural context of its production. Module B (3 ECTS) Virginia Woolf’s Modernist Fiction This module offers a reading of Woolf’s theoretical texts on “Modern Fiction” and various critical interpretations in order to enhance and consolidate the students’ knowledge of British Modernism. In particular, we will examine the structural, thematic and narrative elements of Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway (1925). Our critical approach will focus on the consonance between Woolf’s modernist narrative experimentalism – her project to radically “re-form” literary conventions and genres – and her socio-political vision in the historical context of Great Britain between the wars. Mrs Dalloway, as a “city symphony” novel, allows for a multiplicity of readings which reveal its rich tapestry of themes and visions: pacifism, anti-imperialism, critique of patriarchy, lesbianism, resistance to medical, psychiatric and sexological discourses, all of which are intertwined with poetical and philosophical reflections on time, reality, life and death. Modulo C (2 ECTS) Methodology This module, which serves as trait d’union between module A and B, focuses on Woolf’s essay A Room of One’s Own (1929), the founding text of feminist literary criticism. This essay will provide a lens through which we will examine the social and material conditions that, historically, have hindered women’s access to writing and/or their inclusion in the literary canon (see the case study on Aphra Behn); at the same time, we will analyse the critical vision of a number of writers, including Woolf, who have opposed the dominant ideology in their literary works. |
Module A The Age of Aphra Behn. Women and Writing in the Seventeenth Century Primary Text - Sackville-West, V. Aphra Behn. L’incomparabile Astrea, a cura di S. Arcara, Milano, Vanda Edizioni 2021 (with English text) Critical Essays - Aughterson, K., Aphra Behn: The Comedies, Palgrave MacMillan 2003. Selected passages: ‘Introduction’, pp. 1-3; ‘Openings’, pp. 7-14; ‘Endings’, pp. 31-38; ‘Heroines and Whores’, pp. 80-87; 100-102; ‘Rakes and Gallants’, pp. 108-111; 122-123; ‘Carnival and Masquerade’, pp. 167-174; ‘General Conclusions Part 1’, pp. 202-203; ’Behn’s Literary Career’, pp. 207-220. - Hobby, E., ‘Introduction’, in Virtue of Necessity. English Women’s Writing 1649-88, Virago 1988, pp. 1-13. - Portelli, A., ‘Un principe nero per l’Europa’, Alias, 11, 1998, p. 17. Module B Virginia Woolf’s Modernist Fiction Primary Text - Woolf, V., La signora Dalloway. Testo inglese a fronte. A cura di M. Sestito, Venezia, Marsilio 2012 (or any complete edition in English) Critical Essays - Barrett, E., “Unmasking Lesbian Passion: The Inverted World of Mrs. Dalloway”, in E. Barrett, P. Cramer eds., Virginia Woolf: Lesbian Readings, New York U.P., 1997, pp. 146-164 - Goldman, J., “Contexts” e “Mrs. Dalloway”, in The Cambridge Introduction to Virginia Woolf, Cambridge UP 2006, pp. 33-36 e pp. 53-58 [available from the library] - Goldman, J., “From Mrs. Dalloway to The Waves”, in S. Sellers ed., The Cambridge Companion to Virginia Woolf, Cambridge UP, 2010, pp. 49-59 - Squier, S., Virginia Woolf and London: the Sexual Politics of the City, University of North Carolina Press, 1985, pp. 91-116.
- Woolf, V., Una stanza tutta per sé / A Room of One’s Own, ed. M.A. Saracino, with English text, Einaudi, 1995 (or any complete edition in English). - Goldman, J., “A Room of One’s Own (1929)” in The Cambridge Introduction to Virginia Woolf, Cambridge UP 2006, pp. 97-103 [available from the library]. Multimedia resources - BBC Radio 4 – “Mrs. Dalloway - Melvyn Bragg discusses Woolf’s novel with Hermione Lee, Jane Goldman, Kathryn Simpson” (podcast, 46 min.) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b048033q - Bradshaw, D. “Mrs Dalloway and the First World War” (article, British Library) - Cenni biografici su V. Woolf (Yale University) - Showalter, E., “Exploring Consciousness” (video, 18 min., British Library) (https://www.bl.uk/20th-century-literature/articles/exploring-consciousness-and-the-modern-an-introduction-to-mrs-dalloway Please remember that in compliance with art. 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied. For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright). Books listed in the programs that cannot be consulted in the Library will be available through Studium. |
Subjects | Text References | |
---|---|---|
1 | Introduction to the course - Introduction to Vita Sackville-West | Overview of all critical texts - Sackville-West |
2 | Introduction to women and writing from a materialist perspective | Woolf, A Room of One's Own |
3 | Class discussion on "Judith Shakespeare" | Woolf, A Room of One's Own |
4 | Aphra Behn's predecessors (Cavendish, Finch, Osborne) | Woolf, A Room of One's Own |
5 | Overview of the Restoration Age: history, culture, literature | Arcara, Introduzione a V. Sackville-West; Aughterson |
6 | Historical view of women and writing in the 17th century | Hobby |
7 | Introduction to Aphra Behn | Aughterson; Arcara, Introduzione a V. Sackville-West; Portelli |
8 | Satyrical attacks on Aphra Behn | Sackville-West; Arcara |
9 | Aphra Behn responds to criticism | Sackville-West; Arcara |
10 | Introduction to libertinism as a gendered ideology | Aughterson; Arcara, Introduzione a V. Sacville-West |
11 | Presentation and analysis of Behn's poetry ("Give me but love and wine") | Sackville-West, L'incomparabile Astrea (English text) |
12 | Aphra Behn's poetry ("Love in Fantastic Triumph Sat"; "A Thousand Martyrs I Have Made") | Sackville-West, L'incomparabile Astrea (English text) |
13 | Aphra Behn's poetry ("To the Fair Clarinda") | Sackville-West, L'incomparabile Astrea (English text) |
14 | Overview of the Restoration Theatre; Aphra Behn's ''The Rover'' | Aughterson; Sackville-West; Arcara |
15 | Analysis of selected scenes from ''The Rover'': Opening | Aughterson |
16 | Analysis of selected scenes from ''The Rover'': Ending | Aughterson |
17 | Analysis of selected scenes from ''The Rover'': Heroines and Whores; Rakes and Gallants; Carnival and Masquerade | Aughterson |
18 | Aphra Behn and the canon | Sackville-West; Arcara |
19 | Introduction to Virginia Woolf | Goldman |
20 | Introduction to Modernism and historical context | Goldman |
21 | Introduction to Mrs Dalloway | Goldman; Showalter (video) |
22 | Time and space in Mrs Dalloway | Showalter; Taunton |
23 | Analysis of passages from Mrs Dalloway | Squier |
24 | Analysis of passages from Mrs. Dalloway | Marcus |
25 | Analysis of passages from Mrs. Dalloway | BBC podcast |
26 | Concluding remarks on Mrs Dalloway | Goldman |
27 | Concluding remarks on A Room of One's Own | Woolf; Goldman |
For those who attend the course, there will be an in itinere test (optional) which will consist of an oral presentation (20 minutes) in English, in front of the class, with or without the aid of audio-visual and/or multimedia means, on a subject from Module B agreed in advance with the lecturer; the punctual and conscious use of quotations from both the basic text and the critical texts is required. The grade obtained will count towards the final mark in the oral examination.
The final oral examination will be conducted in both English and Italian. The discussion will focus, in chronological order: on Module A, in Italian (the work of Aphra Behn; reading, translation and commentary on the poetic texts, and critical analysis of extracts from The Rover); on Module B, in English (the production of Virginia Woolf as a novelist) - except for those who have passed the in itinere test - and on Module C, in Italian (the production of Woolf as an essayist; commentary on extracts from A Room of One's Own from the original text). Students will also be required to demonstrate their knowledge of the historical and literary context of the two authors.
The assessment of the examination will take into account the candidate's mastery of the content and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical propriety, as well as his or her ability to argue.
Overview of Virginia Woolf's literary innovations and experimentalism.
Comment on Woolf's critique of social relations of power (imperialism, patriarchy, war, treatment of mental illness) in "Mrs Dalloway", providing examples from the text.
The institution of marriage in "Mrs Dalloway": provide examples from the text.
Analyse one of the characters in "Mrs Dalloway" through his/her relation to urban space.