Italian 316 - Apocalyptic Thinking: Italy

'Italy is a land of active volcanoes, seismic zones, and miles of vulnerable coastline. Its geographical position at the crossroad of the Mediterranean has exposed it to military and microbial invasions. This class investigates the literary, sociological, and historical representations of the natural and social disasters that have affected Italy since 1350. We examine how novels, poems, essays, short videos, and movies grapple with disaster. Particular attention will be given to the representation of disaster as apocalypse, expression of adverse fate (disstrum from Latin 'bad star'), and historical catastrophes such as wars.'

Prereq: Italian 209