Masterpieces of Italian Literature at Penn
“Masterpieces of Italian Literature at Penn” aims to develop a thriving community of graduate students of all schools and specializations that will consider some of the texts of Italian literature that played a pivotal role in global history. Although the group will focus on Italian texts, we intend to involve as many Penn students as possible, and therefore our conversations about primary and secondary readings will be in English and the texts might be read either in Italian or in English. Moreover, this reading group plans to use the many resources available in Van Pelt library and its vast collections of Italian manuscripts and prints. While reading some of the most influential works in Italian history, the group will circulate knowledge about Italian culture in the United States, with the help and collaboration of scholars from the University of Pennsylvania and external guests.
This group is led by the graduate students of the department of Italian and intends to meet regularly during the year. |
Leopardi's Operette MoraliLife, Death, Nature, Humanity, Gnomes, these are only some of the themes of Giacomo Leopardi’s Operette Morali!
The graduate students of the Department of Italian are proud to announce the third year of “Masterpiece of Italian Literature @ Penn,” a graduate-led group that aims to read literary texts that have played a pivotal role in global literature. This year we will venture into Giacomo Leopardi’s Operette Morali, written between 1824 and 1832. Although not widely known and often underestimated, this collection of twenty-four stories and dialogues discusses themes including humankind, the meaning of life, our relationship with nature and history, and the depth of morality. Some of these stories are fun (and funny), others are thought-provoking, but all of them are perfectly written and dense. They are in dialogue with the century of European Romanticism, and yet they express the unique philosophy of the poet known for (and sometimes reduced to) his pessimism. MIL@P is a graduate student-run organization that welcomes all graduate students from any department and background. We particularly encourage those from history, political science, cultural studies, economics, romance languages, philosophy, and law, but all are welcome. For Fall 2020, we will meet every other Wednesday from 11 am to 12 pm via Zoom. The link will be provided through our newsletter. For any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at: [email protected] Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/ital-milap |