Students can attend the course after the enrollment interview scheduled for June or September. Students who are completing their BA course may also attend the course after an admission interview.
The students who attended the previous module, preparatory to the present, have acquired the critical-theoretical tools necessary to frame the novel that is analyzed in this module as the main text. The objective of this module is to learn to critically master the reading and interpretation of Ilse Aichinger's novel, Die größere Hoffnung (1948), grasping its stylistic, metaphorical and symbolic peculiarities and being able to explain how it develops in the novel. the relationship between the narrator's point of view, the historical scenario and the theme of "hope".
This didactic module aims to explain how the first literary phase following the end of the Second World War was characterized by a great human and cultural bewilderment, the result of the trauma which, in this case, especially concerns the relationship of Jews with the Shoah. This phase can be considered as that of the "epiphany of the modern word" in which the "fragmented" existence of the survivor is expressed with a pain wrapped in allusions and metaphors or tries to represent itself in allegorical form. Therefore, during the course - on the centenary of the birth of the writer Ilse Aichinger (1921-2016) - the great constellation of existential themes concerning her novel, written close to 1945, Die größere Hoffnung (1948), are created connections with his other writings and the peculiarity of his poetics is considered more closely, consisting mainly of aphorisms, stories and reflections on the word. of the Second World War was characterized by a great human and cultural bewilderment, the result of the trauma which, in this case, especially concerns the relationship of Jews with the Shoah. This phase can be considered as that of the "epiphany of the modern word" in which the "fragmented" existence of the survivor is expressed with a pain wrapped in allusions and metaphors or seeks the allegorical dimension of representation. Therefore, during the course - on the centenary of the birth of the writer Ilse Aichinger (1921-2016) - the great constellation of existential themes concerning her only novel, written close to 1945, Die größere Hoffnung (1948), is investigated. they create links with his other writings and the peculiarity of his poetics is considered more closely, consisting mainly of aphorisms, stories and reflections on the word.
Teaching takes place through lectures, held in German, but paying particular attention to confrontation and direct dialogue with students, who will be able to formulate proposals for in-depth analysis and debate during the lessons. The texts are read for the salient passages, commented on and examined on the basis of current theories concerning the tendencies of German-language literature in the second post-war period and in particular the narrative strategies of Ilse Aichinger.
NB: Should the teaching come
given in mixed or remote mode, changes may be introduced with respect to what
declared in the syllabus to make the course and exams usable also in these ways.
The exam will be taken by the student orally. There are three questions in German, which concern
1) the presentation of the historical and cultural context of the novel;
2) the analysis of some steps of the work, identifying some links with the topics covered in the first half of the course
3) a more widespread reflection on the poetics of the author Ilse Aichinger and on her critical position towards the era in which she lived.
To obtain a positive judgment, students must be able to place the texts analyzed during the course in their historical and cultural context and know the salient aspects of the bibliographic material. To obtain a good judgment, students must demonstrate that they have a thorough knowledge of the texts analyzed during the course, commenting on them from a linguistic and philological point of view, correlating them to the bibliographic material provided. To obtain an excellent judgment, students will have to demonstrate that they have a homogeneous vision of the topics discussed in class, that they master the bibliographic material in a critical way, that they know how to connect the topics with each other and that they have an expressive command and that they can make summary considerations on relationship between history and memory.
Erasmus students and Double degree students are kindly requested to contact the Professor at the beginning of the course to discuss how to prepare for the exam. Students who have not followed the lessons of this module can obtain supplementary support materials by contacting the lecturer during office hours. First-year students who intend to apply for the Double degree programme with Bochum, are expected to have successfully passed a 10 CFU exam by the closing date of the call for applications. This exam also refers to other courses that have been completed in December. Students attending the Double degree programme are strongly recommended to attend the course.
NB: students are required to take the texts and materials required by the course program to the exam.