Italian Studies 397T - ST- Ital Short Story 1250-1600

Taught in Italian. The birth of the Italian novella was one of the most significant events ever to shape the course of European literature. Although related to the fabliau and the exemplum, the novella developed a "personality" all its own. From high tragedy to raucous ribaldry, from stories of love and adventure to tales of wit and cruelty, almost every type of literary form has been adapted to the specific exigencies of the Italian short story. In this course students will trace the evolution of the genre from its relatively simplistic beginnings in the late 13th century to the perfectly polished tales that so influenced Rabelais, Shakespeare, Cervantes and others. Students will get to know individual authors as well as a deeper understanding of several characteristic motifs and themes common to novellas such as the beffa, anticlericalism, misogyny and courtly love. Authors to be studied include Boccaccio, Sacchetti, Sercambi, Masuccio, Bandello and Giraldi Cinzio. .