Romantic literature and theories on translation
Romanticism in Italy features peculiar traits, due to classical tradition and illuminist culture, which differentiate it from the European one. The debate around Romanticism is articulated indeed on the relationship with classical tradition and illuminist culture as the basis, and also on the language question, therefore on the translation issue. Late 18th century and early 19th century maximum literature exponents (Foscolo, Leopardi, Manzoni) are interested in translation, even though in different ways. Giacomo Leopardi in particular, in the Zibaldone, offers copious considerations about the sense and properties of translation from a language to another, always entwined with thoughts about the taste and strength of opinions. In his thinking the concepts of language, translation, metaphor, are in fact connected with the ones of society, public, trend.
Objectives: the course aims to provide an overview on Romantic literature in Italy, and at the same time a picture of the main translation theories that get developed in the period under exam.
This will allow thinking about historical, linguistical, and methodological data in parallel, under a multidisciplinary and international perspective.
Texts to study:
- A. Del Gatto, "Aspetti della mimesi nella modernità letteraria. Premesse petrarchesche e realizzazione romantica", Firenze, apice libri, 2015 (capitoli da 1 a 4)
- F. Laurenti, "Tradurre. Storie, teorie, pratiche dall’antichità al XIX secolo", Roma, Armando Editore, 2015 (L’Ottocento).
- G. Leopardi, "Discorso di un Italiano intorno alla poesia romantica", qualunque edizione.
Readings:
- G. Leopardi, "Il gusto. Bellezza, sapori, mondanità nello Zibaldone", a cura di A. Malagamba, Roma, Edizioni Estemporanee, 2015.
- U. Foscolo, Sonetti (quattro sonetti a scelta
