ITAL30300 Italian literary adaptations

Academic Year 2022/2023

This module examines the adaptation of contemporary Italian literature to the screen. Through the analysis of three key literary texts and their corresponding adaptations, we will draw on the theories of adaptation studies to explore the process of adaptation, the challenges it can present and the strategies used in the creation of an adapted work. We will also consider the reception of each text and examine how the meanings attached to individual texts vary depending on the reading/viewing context. Spanning from the late 1950s to today, the key texts - Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini (novel and film), Lo spazio bianco (novel and film) and La profezia dell’armadillo (graphic novel and film) / Strappare lungo i bordi (Netflix series) – will allow us to explore the evolution of the relationship between literary and screen culture in Italy in the 20th and 21st centuries. In addition to discussing the ways these texts inform our understanding of the history of Italian literary adaptation, we will also conduct close textual analysis of the novels and their adaptations. Dealing with themes and issues that include fascism, race, the Holocaust, gender, motherhood, identity and precarity our analysis of each text will also consider how these topics relate to the wider context of Italy’s social, political and cultural history. Assessment will consist of an in-class presentation (in groups of 2/3), three discussion board activities and a final essay due in week 12.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

1. Apply key theories and concepts of adaptation studies to their analysis of individual texts.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of some of the key debates in literary adaptation and the way that they relate to the Italian context.
3. Examine the reception of adaptations.
4. Conduct close textual analysis of both literary and screen texts.
5. Identify and examine the ways that literary and screen texts are shaped by the wider social, cultural and political context.
6. Research, design and deliver a collaborative presentation.
7. Research and write a final essay using a range of theoretical and critical sources to ground their argument.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Introduction to the key concepts and theories of adaptation studies. An overview of the tradition of literary adaptation in Italian cinema.
Part 1: Literary adaptations of the historical novel
Week 2: Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini: Novel background, film background and socio-political context: fascism, 1938 racial laws, deportation of Italian Jews.
Week 3: Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini: Analysis of adaptation and reception.
Week 4: Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini: Further textual analysis and group presentations

Part 2: Literary adaptations across genres and forms in the 21st century:
Week 5: Lo spazio bianco: Novel background, film background and socio-cultural context: motherhood, post feminism,
Week 6: Lo spazio bianco: Analysis of adaptation and reception
Week 7: Lo spazio bianco: Further textual analysis and group presentations
Week 8: BREAK
Week 9: La profezia dell’armadillo/Strappare lungo i bordi: Zerocalcare and graphic novel background, film adaptation background
Week 10: La profezia dell’armadillo/Strappare lungo i bordi: Netflix series adaptation, analysis of adaptation and reception
Week 11: La profezia dell’armadillo/Strappare lungo i bordi: Further textual analysis, multimodal adaptation
Week 12: Conclusions

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Tutorial

11
Practical

20
Specified Learning Activities

10
Autonomous Student Learning

50
Total

102
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The module consists of two classes every week, which take place on the same day in a two-hour bloc. The first hour is a lecture, while the second is a tutorial during which students will be asked to complete task-based activities based on the texts and secondary readings assigned for each week. Group presentations will take place during the tutorials in weeks 4, 6 and 10. The presentation schedule and relevant task will be organized in week 1. The in-class group presentation is an important part of the module’s assessment and students will be required to work collaboratively with the other members of their group. Students are expected to actively participate in the module by engaging fully with the readings made available on Brightspace and the activities assigned in tutorials. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

A good command of spoken Italian, with adequate reception skills, is required in order to follow film screenings.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: 2,500 word final essay drawn from a list of titles provided in week 2. Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

50
Presentation: Group presentation. To be delivered in class. Presentation schedule will be determined in Week 2. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

20
Continuous Assessment: Discussion Board Activities. Write a short response (250 words) to 3 discussion board activities which will be spread throughout the term. Activities are based on the key texts and secondary readings Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

30

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

-For the Discussion Board Activities: written and oral feedback will be provided by the module coordinator. -For the Group Presentation: written and oral feedback will provided by the module coordinator. Students will also have the opportunity to peer-review each other's presentations. -For the final essay: written feedback will be provided to each Individual student.


Key texts
Novels
Giorgio Bassani, Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini, Feltrinelli Edizioni, 1962
ISBN: 9788807881084

Valeria Parella, Lo spazio bianco, Einaudi, 2008
ISBN 9788806239404

Zerocalcare, La profezia dell’armadillo, BAO Publishing, 2017
ISBN 978-8865438534



Films/Series

Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini, dir. Vittorio De Sica (Documento Film, 1970)
Lo spazio bianco, dir. Francesca Comencini (Fandango/RAI Cinema, 2009)
La profezia dell’armadillo dir. Emanuele Scaringi (Fandango/RAI Cinema, 2018)
Strappare lungo i bordi, dir. Zerocalcare (Netflix, 2021