Gender studies, cultures and policies for media and communication

MONICA CRISTINA STORINI

The course aims to develop the ability to read and interpret Italian literary texts through a gender perspective, with particular attention to the national and European historical-cultural context. Analysis will be based on close reading of key works, with a focus on authors who have opened critical debates on gendered approaches within the Italian literary tradition.

Knowledge and understanding

To acquire an in-depth knowledge of Italian literary production, especially works and authors who engage with gender-related themes.
To understand the main theoretical and methodological tools for gender-oriented literary analysis, placing texts within their historical and cultural contexts.

Applying knowledge and understanding

To apply the acquired knowledge to the critical interpretation of literary texts, using appropriate analytical tools and gender-aware methodologies.
To read and comment on literary texts with critical awareness and a firm grasp of the cultural and historical frameworks.

Making judgements

To develop an autonomous capacity for interpreting literary texts, with particular attention to identity constructions and representations of gender.
To formulate well-argued personal reflections on the course topics, also in connection with current theoretical debates.

Communication skills

To clearly and accurately express analyses and interpretations, both in written and oral form, using appropriate disciplinary terminology.
To participate in critical discussions and debates, demonstrating strong argumentation and synthesis skills.

Learning skills

To strengthen independent study skills, through engagement with critical texts and specialised bibliography.
To build connections between course content and other areas of literary, cultural, or interdisciplinary study.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• identify and critically discuss the principal modes of representation of bonds among women in twentieth-century Italian women’s writing;
• interpret the selected works in light of critical categories related to identity, the body, and power;
• evaluate the impact of women’s writing on the transformation of literary genres.

The course presupposes a sound knowledge of twentieth-century Italian literature, to be reinforced, where appropriate, by reference to a reputable high-school anthology.

Course Title
Representations of Bonds among Women in Twentieth-Century Italian Women’s Writing
Learning Objectives
The course aims to:
• analyze the modes of representation of bonds among women in twentieth-century Italian women’s writing;
• examine relational dynamics such as those between mothers and daughters, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, as well as ties of friendship, conflict, and lesbian relationships;
• explore how these representations contribute to the elaboration of themes such as identity, the body, and power relations;
• reflect on the impact of these themes on the construction, transformation, and contamination of literary genres.
Course Content
Through analyzing a selected corpus of texts, the course will investigate the narrative strategies, forms, and tools employed by twentieth-century women writers to represent bonds among women. Particular attention will be devoted to subversion, hybridization, and redefinition of literary genres, historically associated with women’s writing.

Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• identify and critically discuss the principal modes of representation of bonds among women in twentieth-century Italian women’s writing;
• interpret the selected works in light of critical categories related to identity, the body, and power;
• evaluate the impact of women’s writing on the transformation of literary genres.

1. Careful reading and in-depth analysis of the following literary works:
a) G. Deledda, Canne al vento, Mondadori edition
b) A. Banti, Artemisia, Mondadori edition
c) E. Stancanelli, Benzina, Einaudi edition
2. In-depth study of M. C. Storini, Women’s Writings: Theories, Narratives, Hypotheses for the Third Millennium, Rome, Independent Publisher, 2021 (available for online purchase)
3. Careful reading and in-depth analysis of a selection of texts to be made available on the Classroom platform: course code: oetg755i
4. In-depth study of a selection of essays to be made available on the Classroom platform: course code: oetg755i

M. C. Storini, Women’s Writings: Theories, Narratives, Hypotheses for the Third Millennium, Rome, Independent Publisher, 2021

The course will be structured in lectures and exercises, consisting of attendance at seminars and specific conferences, papers, case studies, and so on.

Attendance is optional but, given the peculiarity of the interpretative methodology to which the literary works and tradition will be submitted, it is strongly recommended.

Students who attend the course can undergo either an intermediate educational test consisting of a paper and a final written test that will take place on the last day of the lesson. These elective tests control the correct achievement of the specific purpose.
For all students, the final test will be oral. For students who will also undergo the written tests, the oral examination will partly consist of discussing the above-mentioned written tests.

1. What typical features can be identified in depicting relationships among women in the case studies under consideration?
2. What modes of representing the feminine and the masculine does the author employ in constructing her characters?
3. Identify specific aspects concerning the representation of the body in the literary work.
4. What mechanisms of power are at play, and what functions do they perform within the narrative?
5. Discuss some of the gender stereotypes that emerge in the texts.

• Lectures
  1–2:
  Introduction to literature from a gender perspective
  • Books: M. C. Storini, "Women’s Writings: Theories, Narratives,
    
    Hypotheses for the Third Millennium"Course Packet2


• Lectures 3–6: Analysis and interpretation of women’s relationships in Canne al
  vento by G. Deledda
  • Books: 1. G. Deledda, "Canne al vento"2. Course Packet 1 and 2


• Lectures 7–12: Analysis and interpretation of women’s relationships in short stories
  and anthologized texts
  • Books: Course Packet 1 and 2


• Lectures 13–16: Analysis and interpretation of women’s relationships in Artemisia
  by A. Banti
  • Books: A. Banti, "Artemisia", Course Packet 2 


• Lectures 17–20: Analysis and interpretation of women’s relationships in Benzina
  by E. Stancanelli
  • Books: E. Stancanelli, "Benzina", Course Packet 2 


• Lecture
  21:
  Course conclusion