20th Century Italian Poetry

This course examines representative poets and poetic movements of Italy from the late 19th through the 20th centuries within and cultural and historical context. We will read works by internationally renowned poets such as D'Annunzio, Montale, Quasimodo, Marinetti, Ungaretti and Pasolini, and look into the development of Italian poetry through the major literary and artistic movements of the 20th century, including Crepuscularism, Futurism, Hermeticism, Neo-Realism and the Neo Avant-garde. We will address issues related to the shaping of a literary canon and consider the ways in which poetry reflects and defines a culture. The course will also incorporate translation and composition exercises as a technique of text analysis. Intensive practice in spoken and written Italian is an essential component of this course. Conducted in Italian. Advanced knowledge of Italian required. Prerequisites: ITAL 0600 or permission by the Director of the Italian Language Program.