| Unit name | Reading Medieval Culture |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ITAL10025 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lombardi |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Italian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
This unit aims to acquaint students with the political, cultural and social framework of medieval Italy and the manner in which recent criticism and historiography have discussed concepts such as the notion of the 'middle ages' itself, or the notion of 'courtly love'. The unit will focus primarily on the social and cultural importance of lyric poetry as a medium of literary expression within medieval Italian society, and on the slower development of prose writing. The principle text for studdy, Dante's Vita nuova, will permit examination of both prose and verse, illustrate broader thematic concerns, and provide an introduction to Italy's most famous literary and intellectual figure of the period.
