Study-unit ENGLISH LITERATURE

Course name Philosophy and psychological science and techniques
Study-unit Code 40A00038
Curriculum Comune a tutti i curricula
Lecturer Annalisa Volpone
Lecturers
  • Annalisa Volpone
Hours
  • 54 ore - Annalisa Volpone
CFU 6
Course Regulation Coorte 2023
Supplied 2024/25
Learning activities Affine/integrativa
Area Attività formative affini o integrative
Sector L-LIN/10
Type of study-unit Opzionale (Optional)
Type of learning activities Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction Italiano
Contents This course explores the evolution of the ghost story within the Modernist literary movement, focusing on works by James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield, Elizabeth Bowen, and May Sinclair. We will examine how these authors incorporate elements of the supernatural to address themes such as memory, trauma, identity, and the boundaries of reality. Through close readings and critical analysis, students will gain an understanding of how the ghost story was adapted to reflect the complexities of early 20th-century life and thought.
Reference texts Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (Norton Edition)
Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South (Norton Edition)
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (Norton Edition)
Selected readings will be uploaded to Unistudium.

Students with disabilities
and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to the University services, can request the compensatory tools provided by the law (for example, textbooks in digital format; teaching materials
in accessible formats: presentations, handouts, exercise books, provided if necessary in advance of the lessons), for which see the page
https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa
. For the request, the student is invited to contact the teacher, who will
put him in contact with the Disability and/or SLD Representative of the Department (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla:
alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it
Educational objectives By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Identify and discuss the characteristics of the "New Woman" as portrayed in 19th-century English literature.
Analyze the ways in which Bronte, Gaskell, and Austen critique and subvert traditional gender roles.
Engage critically with primary texts and relevant scholarly criticism.
Develop coherent arguments in written and oral forms about the portrayal of women in the selected works.
Contextualize the "New Woman" within broader historical, cultural, and literary frameworks.
Prerequisites A general understanding of the representation of the New Woman in the Victorian Age.
Teaching methods Lectures: Each class will begin with a lecture that provides context, background information, and an overview of key themes and concepts related to the day's readings.
Close Readings: Detailed analysis of selected passages to uncover deeper meanings and stylistic techniques.
Class Discussions: Active participation in discussions, sharing insights and interpretations of the texts.

Students with disabilities and/or with SLD, after consultation with the lecturer, can request any teaching materials in accessible formats (presentations, handouts, exercise books), provided if necessary in advance of the lessons, as well as the use of other technological facilitation tools in the study phase. For general information, consult the University Services at the page
https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa
and get in touch with the Department Representative (prof.ssa A. Di Pilla).
Other information Students with disabilities and/or SLD: for any information on University services, consult the page https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or DSA Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it)
Learning verification modality A 2500 word essay in English to be submitted at least 10 days before the exam session, and a brief oral discussion of the themes and texts explored in the course (15 minutes max). Students with disabilities and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to University services, can apply for compensatory tools, dispensatory measures and inclusive technologies ensured by law, to be requested and agreed with the teacher well in advance of tests and exams. For general information, consult the page https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or SLD Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it).

The essay accounts for 70% of the final exam result, the oral part for the remaining 30%.
Extended program Introduction to Modernism and the Ghost Story

Overview of Modernist literature and its themes
Introduction to the ghost story genre
James Joyce

Dubliners: "The Dead"
Discussion on memory and the supernatural in Joyce’s work
Virginia Woolf

Mrs Dalloway (selected excerpts focusing on Septimus Warren Smith)
A Haunted House and Other Short Stories: "A Haunted House"
Virginia Woolf

Continued discussion on Woolf’s use of ghostly imagery
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile 4 and 5