Theatrical literature of the eighteenth century

The theatre scenario of the 18th century is very rich and full of new proposals and experimentations (mainly, but not only, in Venice) especially in comic genre. The course will aim at a comparative study of the leading dramatic authors, framing Goldoni’s reform of comedy within the wider neoclassical and illuminist literary renovation and the new forms of the modern theatre, with the change of dramatic text structure, audience’s reception, actor’s role, and comic language. Leading Venetian playwright (Goldoni, Chiari, Gozzi) will be studied, with readings from some exemplary texts. They will be analyzed with regard to all their components and functions, also intertextual, and in relation to modern and classical, even cultured, literature.

Objectives: the course aims to offer an overview of the history of theatrical literature of the eighteenth century; to provide the main analysis tools of the literary text, highlighting both gaps and similarities between comic and dramatic texts especially in order to the performance; and to provide the critical and methodological instrumentation (difference between diegesis and mimesis, methods of intertextuality, etc.)

Texts to study:
Gino Tellini, "Letteratura italiana. Un metodo di studio", Firenze, Le Monnier, 2014 (il Settecento)

A. Del Gatto, G. Cappello, W. Breitenmoser, "L’annodamento degl’intrighi. Studi di sintassi drammatica", Napoli, Liguori, 2017 (capitoli 1 e 2).

P. Vescovo, "Goldoni e il teatro comico del Settecento", Roma, Carocci, 2019.

Readings:
Le seguenti commedie di Carlo Goldoni: La locandiera, La bottega del caffè, Il teatro comico, Il campiello (qualunque edizione).

Le seguenti favole di Carlo Gozzi: L’amore delle tre melarance, L’augellin Belverde (qualunque edizione)