LITR 280 / INTS 280 / WSGS 297 Masterpieces of italian literature: mediterranean women writers:Loyola University Chicago

Rome Center
- IFMS 263 Fall 2012

LITR 280 / INTS 280 / WSGS 297 Masterpieces of italian literature: mediterranean women writers

Spring

A comparative study of 20th century women writers from diverse Mediterranean countries, historical eras and cultures. We will begin with the Catalonian writer, Mercè Rodoreda. Her novel, The Time of the Doves (1962) (La Plaça del Diamant ) treats the dramatic events leading up to the Spanish Civil War—the II Spanish Republic, the war itself, and the Franquist dictatorship—through the eyes of a young working class woman from Barcelona. In addition to the novel, we will be viewing the film version of the work that came out in 1981, after the death of the Spanish dictator, Francisco Franco, and during the re-birth of Catalonian culture, especially in Barcelona.

The second part of the course will treat two women-authored texts from the Middle East and the Maghreb: First, we will study The Story of Zahra (1980) by the Lebanese author, Hanan Al-Shaykh, who was born in Beirut in 1945 to a strict Shi’a family. Then we will proceed to Morocco and the contemporary author Fatema Mernissi’s Shererazade Goes West (2002), a humorous examination of the popular stereotypes of Muslim women propagated in both West and East. As part of that segment of the course we will view Enough (Barakat!), the powerful film by the Algerian woman director, Diamila Sahraoui. The movie filmed in 2006 treats the Algerian Civil War of the 1990s. This segment of the course will be an apt preparation for those of you who are going on the Tunisia Study Trip.

The final portion of the course will be devoted to two Italian women writers from different regions and periods: (Cosima, published posthumously in 1937), a story of life among Sardinian peasant families by the Nobel-Prize winning Sardinian writer, Grazia Deledda; and finally, Family Sayings (originally published in 1963 and translated into English in 1989), the fictionalized family memoir of the late Natalia Ginzburg, one of Italy’s greatest contemporary authors.

The women’s conference sponsored by the JFRC, “The Changing Face of the Mediterranean: Migrant Women’s Creativity and Constraints,” March 31-April 2, will allow us to incorporate into our course materials a series of events—lectures, art exhibit, film and dramatic presentations—which will extend our class discussions and materials into the lives of today’s Mediterranean women of varying ethnicities, nationalities, social and economic backgrounds, and religious traditions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

To identify the many differences among women who hail from different parts of the Mediterranean—Spain, Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia and Italy—and different socio-economic, educational, religious and cultural backgrounds.

To ascertain the differences and similarities between women who share a common heritage—the Mediterranean—but live, and lived, in different societies and countries.

To understand in basic terms the principal problems facing many women in the Mediterranean today—poverty, racism, institutionalized discrimination, sexual and physical abuse, gender stereotyping, forced migration, etc.

To understand that gender cannot be considered except relationally. In all the writers we will study, female identity is fluid, dynamic and protean. For all of these women, no matter their origin, family is the central organizing principle. Religion, nationality, educational level, geography whether rural or urban—all are conditioned first and foremost by the specific family unit portrayed in each of the works. . . , and hence by the lives of men, as well.

To perform close readings of texts.
To discuss orally and in writing the salient thematic and formal aspects of texts.
To distinguish among different literary genres and styles.
To recognize the hallmarks of texts from different historical periods.
To write a convincing, argumentative essay.

TEXTS

The Story of Zayra, Hanan Al-Shaykh
Cosima, Grazia Deledda.
Family Sayings, Natalia Ginzburg
Schererazade Goes West, Fatema Mernissi
The Time of the Doves, Mercè Rodoreda

REQUIREMENTS

There will be a mid-term and five short 2-3 page papers on each text (or movie, if you choose), as well as a final, 4-6 page comparative paper. Directions for each of these assignments will be given by the instructor. The first two papers can be done in draft form. All students, and especially WS/GS students are encouraged to use works from other disciplines as a frame for their study. They may also compare one of the works with texts read in other classes, including, of course, male-authored texts, or the writings of other ethnic communities.

Finally, a class is a community. You are responsible for attending all class meetings, for coming prepared to discuss the materials, and for active participation. In addition, you will be assigned frequent short oral presentations; or you will be asked to lead the opening discussion for one of the readings.

Only ONE excused absence is permitted. Each additional absence will result in a 5% lowering of the final grade.

GRADING

Class participation: 20%

Mid-Term: 20%

5 Short Papers: 30%

Final Paper: 30%

OFFICE HOURS

JFRC 305 (Tel: 306). M & W 1:30-2:30pm. (Other hrs. by appt.) Email: scavall@luc.edu.

CALENDAR

Jan 20 Introduction & Film: La Plaza del Diamante

Jan 27 Novel, The Time of the Doves

Student-led Discussion & In-Class Essay