To write after postmodern(ism)

obligatory courses

Short description: the class will introduce the student to the contemporary (1995-2021) critical debate, and literary panorama

In one of his well-known essays, To write: an intransitive verb, Roland Barthes argues that the eponymous verb is not anymore an active one. This means that we cannot simply consider the act of writing as the one performed by an I, somebody who exists prior to the text and expresses himself with it. In short, the I of a text is not the same being we could meet in a literary café, or at this hypothetical book’s presentation.

Barthes could be considered one of the most influential thinkers of the past century, and his ouvre to be at the centre of what has been called postmodernism. The latter being a period of cultural and artistic production (1965-1995), that we can consider as closed (Donnarumma, pp. 25-26). As such, we should ask ourselves what to write means today, or even if it is possible to ask this question today.

This ambitious goal will constitute the background of the class. To get close to it, we will need to first define what postmodernism is, how we can think about it and what are its most important artistic and cultural features. We will then proceed to discussing some of the most important works of Italian literature production today, such as Gomorra (2006) by Roberto Saviano and Superwoobinda (1998) by Aldo Nove; the majority of the course will be devoted to such discussions.

Student's grade will be determined taking into consideration: active class participation; final discussion and presentation; final essay.

Details will be discussed during the first class and enrolled students will receive a guide.