Course Description:
Taught in Italian, this course offers an introduction to Italian literature and cinema, with particular attention paid to the process of filmic adaptation. The course addresses notions and problems of both literary and cinematic language, style, structure, and themes while analyzing the techniques created to transpose the written text onto the movie screen.
Learning Goals:
By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze and compare
verbal and visual narratives, identify specific issues and techniques
of adaptation, and relate them to their cultural and historical contexts.
Departmental Goals II and III: Cultural Proficiency and Professional Preparation.
Required Texts (available in PDF on sakai):
1. Giovanni Testori, Il ponte della Ghisolfa (1958)
2. Giovanni Arpino, Il buio e il miele (1969)
3. Elena Ferrante, L’amore molesto (1992)
4. Paolo Giordano, La solitudine dei numeri primi (2008)
Required Films:
1. Luchino Visconti, Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960)
2. Dino Risi, Profumo di donna (1974)
Martin Brest, Scent of a Woman (1992)
3. Mario Martone, L’amore molesto (1995)
4. Saverio Costanzo, La solitudine dei numeri primi (2010)
Course Requirements and Grade distribution:
Participation - 25%: Each student’s participation in class is
fundamental. Constant attendance is essential and an
integral component of the final grade. The course is designed to be
intensively interactive, thus all students are expected to contribute to
class discussions on articles, novels, and films.
Short essays - 10%: After each movie showing, students are required to
write a short essay in which they analyze the relationship between the
novel and the movie critically. These essays will also be used in class
to jumpstart group discussions.
Quizzes - 15%: There will be four quizzes throughout the semester. Each
quiz will cover the work done on each novel-film pairing and all the
relative readings.
Midterm - 20%: Students will choose one topic out of three available
and write a short essay about it.
Final - 30%: Term paper.