LIT 347A - Word and Image: Treasure of Italian Literature

Institution:

Antioch University-System Administration

Subject:

Description:

Italian literature is a tight-knit braid in which the founders of the tradition deeply influence future authors. Steeped in Mediterranean culture (Pagan, Jewish, Christian and Islamic), medieval Italian literature reinvented the past to fit new social and political conditions. Petty wars, trans-national crusades, the Bubonic plague, foreign occupation -- these and other catastrophes spurred writers to protest. Francis of Assisi founded an order based on peace and love for all creatures -- and wrote the first real poem in Italian. Dante's ethical hike through Hell exposed the vices that bring suffering to individuals, communities and the world as a whole. Boccaccio, directly in contact with Muslims and Jews in Naples, reacted to religious intolerance and fear of sexuality by writing entertaining and transgressive stories that send up the folly of people from all walks of life, but also celebrated heroic human ingenuity and diversity. Machiavelli focused new insights on the natural drives to power and pleasure in his comedy The Mandragola. Manzoni's colossal historical novel, The Betrothed, set in the 17th century, has the moral seriousness of Dante, the shrewdness of Machiavelli, the story-telling magic of the Decameron. This tradition continues in Primo Levi. His Survival at Auschwitz owes much to Dante and Manzoni's works, which helped him write his account of the hell of a Nazi concentration camp and scrutinize the choices people make in lethal situations of unimaginable brutality. Students become familiar with essential aspects of Italian culture and discuss how literature can delight, enlighten and empower us to understand abuses of power, the aspiration to justice and happiness, and other aspects of the human condition. This course includes a field trip to the Norton Simon Museum. HUMANITIES DOMAIN

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.antioch.edu

Phone Number:

(937) 769-1372

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

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