Italian 120: Time, Memory, And The Short Story In The Novecento

In this course we will study the unique and fascinating tradition of the Italian short story as it was reinvented and transformed in the twentieth century. We will examine the evolution of this genre against the backdrop of political and cultural developments of the time. Building on an analysis of the formal features of the short story, we will investigate the particular interest, if not outright obsession, that modern Italian short story writers entertain with the theme of time including but not restricted to: historical time, subjective time, biological time, cosmic time, time-travel, memory, and forgetting. Authors will include Dino Buzzati, Italo Calvino, Natalia Ginzburg, Elsa Morante, Luigi Pirandello, Italo Svevo, and Antonio Tabucchi. Texts will be read and discussed in English translation, though attention to the Italian originals will be encouraged wherever possible. Taught in English.