Two Old Postcards of Napoli

a livella TOTO'

BOOKS

Two books that contain a reading of Southern Italian culture within the context of Unification. Bound by Distance especially may help clarify some points re. the construction of southern prejudice. Obviously, the bibliographies of both provide further readings on the subject.


Bound by Distance: Rethinking Nationalism Through the Italian Diaspora (Hardcover)
by Pasquale Verdicchio




Devils in Paradise : Writings on Post-Emigrant Culture by Pasquale Verdicchio (Essay Series, Guernica) (Paperback)

Via dei Tribunali

Wash Hanging in Courtyard, via dei Tribunali, Napoli

Syllabus

Entrance to the Cave of the Sybil and the Oracle of Cuma.


LIT OF THE WORLD 172 SEE NAPLES AND DIE Pasquale Verdicchio
Office Hours: Mondays and Fridays 1-2:30 in Lit Building 3340 pverdicchio@ucsd.edu

See Naples and Die: Naples in the Cultural Imagination

This course will consider how the Italian city of Naples (Napoli), while having influence the image of Italian culture around the world through its culture and culinary tradition, has come to be regarded as representative of what we might consider the most degraded aspects of human society. We will consider how this might have come to be and review the city's cultural heritage and contemporary status through literature, film, travelogues and politics. We will walk through the streets of Naples alongside Goethe, Dickens, Martone, Ramondino and Rossellini to prove that one can indeed see Naples and live.
Assignments for the course will include a 3 page write-up at the end of each three week section: and a 6 page final paper.
Breakdown is as follows:
Write-ups 3 x 15 = 45%; Final 40%; Attendance 10% and participation 5%

WEEK 1
MONDAY INTRODUCTION TO COURSE
WEDNESDAY Naples, Napoli, Neapolis, Partenope: TRAVEL GUIDE
FRIDAY Naples: A Traveller’s Companion. Introduction

WEEK 2
MONDAY HOLIDAY: MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
WEDNESDAY Naples, the South, Italian Unification
FRIDAY From: A Traveller’s Companion – Life Customs and Morals (29-42)

WEEK 3
MONDAY Continue from Life Customs and Morals.
WEDNESDAY Goethe: Italian Journey (43-63)
FRIDAY Goethe: Italian Journey (63-90)

WEEK 4 (I will hand out a reading for this week) 1st Paper Due
MONDAY Viaggio in Italia by Roberto Rossellini
WEDNESDAY Viaggio in Italia by Roberto Rossellini
FRIDAY Walking a Ruined Map

WEEK 5
MONDAY Charles Dickens: Pictures from Italy (91-106)
WEDNESDAY NAPLES (107-136)
FRIDAY Walter Benjamin “Naples” in Reflections (137-143)

WEEK 6
MONDAY Walter Benjamin “Naples”
WEDNESDAY The Gold of Naples by Vittorio De Sica
FRIDAY The Gold of Naples by Vittorio De Sica

WEEK 7 MONDAY HOLIDAY PRESIDENT’S DAY
WEDNESDAY Giuliana Bruno “City Views” (145-158) 2nd Paper Due
FRIDAY Giuliana Bruno “City Views” (145-158)

WEEK 8
MONDAY Pianese Nunzio by G. Capuana
WEDNESDAY Pianese Nunzio by G. Capuana
FRIDAY Mazierska and Rascaroli “A Present and True City” (160-171)

WEEK 9
MONDAY Mazierska and Rascaroli “A Present and True City” (160-171)
WEDNESDAY Iain Chambers “Cities without Maps” (174-189)
FRIDAY Iain Chambers “Cities without Maps” (174-189)

WEEK 10 3rd Paper Due
MONDAY Presentation of Final Papers
WEDNESDAY Presentation of Final Papers
FRIDAY Presentation of Final Papers