Boccaccio's Decameron

The Decameron is the most famous collection of short stories in European literature. We will read and discuss a selection of tales with subjects that vary from undying love to gross hookups, from generosity and magnificence to pettiness and selfishness. The book's universe of characters is similarly diverse. We'll read about kings and queens, merchants and prostitutes, adventurers and pilgrims as their stories play out in Italy and across the Mediterranean. Course taught in Italian.

Fellini: The Filmmaker as Liar

The works of Italy's most influential filmmaker in the most crucial years of Italy's recent history (1953-1973) are examined to understand the persuasive power of the mise-en-scene that, while presenting itself as totally false, induces a powerful sense of experiential truth in the audience. By understanding how Fellini persuade us with his stories, we understand how we are made of stories ourselves.
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