ITAL 158X: CROSSREAD FRIT CULT

University of California, Santa Barbara

Ever since the Renaissance, when the notion of a national culture had taken hold, the historic, literary and intellectual trajectories of France and I taly have been intimately entangled. Taking a chronological approach from t he Renaissance to the post-modern period, this course will embark on a numb er of comparative readings from these two countries: from Rabelais’ carniva lesque uptake of Boccaccio’s humor and vulgarity; to Italy’s attempt at emu lating the French Revolution; to Giuseppe Ungaretti’s debt to avant-garde l iterary figures, and more. Our goal will be to reveal that cultures and int ellectual traditions exist not in isolation but emerge out of a perpetual c onversation with—and translation of—each other. Taught in English.