Three hours of lectures, readings, and discussion per week on major authors, themes, and movements in Italian literature.

This course will present some of the key play texts, theatrical genres, and dramatists of unified (post-1861) Italy, covering such playwrights as Verga, D'Annunzio, the Futurists, and Pirandello and exploring the traditions of dialect theatre and movements such as verismo, symbolism, and futurism. What makes the plays characteristically Italian? What makes them masterpieces? Seeking to answer such questions, our approach will be both literary and historical: while we will engage in in close readings of the texts -- analyzing the way conflict, character, environment, and action are constructed -- we will also explore key aspects of theatre history, such as the changing relationship between State and Theatre, the rise of the theatrical director, conflicts between authors and actors, and competition with the cinema.

Taught in English.

Upper-division Italian Studies classes with instruction in English may be taken in Italian (by completing readings and written work in Italian) if the student has completed Italian 101, and with permission of the instructor.

Repeat Rules

Requirements class fulfills