Department of French and Italian

In this course we will analyze in depth the Italian commedia erudita, from Ludovico Ariosto to Giordano Bruno. We will pay attention to the classical models and the humanist antecedents, the style and the themes of the genre. We will also discuss the role played by this genre in what has been defined the “great comic culture” of the Italian Renaissance. We will do so by engaging the current scholarship and in conversation with key theoretical reflections on comedy from classical antiquity, the Renaissance, and the modern era. Students will give a presentation, take a final exam, write a short review article as well as a research paper. The course will be conducted in English.