| Unit name | Desire in Medieval and Renaissance Culture |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ITAL30048 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Kay |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Italian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Early Italian literary culture was dominated by the question of desire and its transformative effects upon the individual, as numerous writers formulated elaborate and diverging theories of love. The tensions between these competing notions served to fertilize the rapid development of early Italian literature, as authors sought to develop distinctive and persuasive theories in order to consolidate their poetic authority. These theories were articulated through diverse literary genres, often with great linguistic skill and psychological sophistication.
This course will explore some of the most important treatments of desire from medieval and Renaissance Italy, situated in their cultural and intellectual contexts. Readings will range from the earliest Italian vernacular poetry, in thirteenth-century Sicily and Tuscany, to major literary figures such as Dante, Petrarch, and Ariosto; female poets such as Colonna; and visual artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Titian.
Alongside these important literary and artistic works, several influential modern texts on desire will be considered, from theorists such as Freud, Barthes, Lacan and Girard. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon both the tensions and the continuities between modern and pre-modern notions of desire, and to consider the extent to which modern critical theories and methodologies may be used to shed light upon medieval and renaissance cultural works.
Aims:
To introduce students to the rich and multifaceted topic of desire in medieval and renaissance culture, as witnessed in some especially important literary and artistic works. To explore the extent to which modern theoretical paradigms can be used to shed light upon medieval and renaissance culture. To engage with contemporary critical literature concerning the topic and texts under consideration. To develop broader skills of cultural inquiry and criticism, building on those acquired in Years 1 and 2. To equip students with the skills required to undertake postgraduate study in a relevant field.
Successful students will: a) Become confident, sophisticated, and critical readers of medieval and renaissance texts in their cultural and intellectual context; b) Reflect upon methodological as well as thematic questions; c) Engage with contemporary critical debates concerning medieval and renaissance culture; d) Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; e) Develop broader skills of cultural inquiry, analysis and criticism.
Two seminar hours per week across one teaching block (20 contact hours).
One oral presentation (25%) testing ILOs a, b, c, d and e plus one written assignment of 1500 words (25%) testing ILOs a-e, plus one written assignment of 3000 words (50%) testing ILOs a-e.
Core primary texts will be carefully selected from the writers, artists, and theorists detailed in the course description. Key critical texts will include: Teodolinda Barolini, Dante and the Origins of Italian Literary Culture (New York: Fordham University Press, 2007) [First section entitled ‘A Philosophy of Desire’] Desire in Dante and the Middle Ages, ed. by Manuele Gragnolati, Tristan Kay, Elena Lombardi and Francesca Southerden (Oxford: Legenda, 2012) Elena Lombardi, The Wings of the Doves: Love and Desire in Dante and Medieval Culture (Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 2012) Lino Pertile, La punta del disio (Florence: Cadmo, 2005)
