| CODE | ATS5119 | ||||||
| TITLE | Sympathy for the Devil: The Representation of Satan in Western Literature and Popular Culture | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Arts | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This Study-unit will analyze the literary evolution of the figure of Satan, from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century. Considered as an embodiment of antagonism in the main monothematic religions, from Judeo-Christian tradition to Islamic belief, Satan has been a primary literary character, in particular from the Middle Ages with the development of Christianity. The first seminar will be theoretical: the advantages of thematic criticism will be taken into consideration through the analysis of the works of Sollors (1993) and Orlando (2006). The Study-unit will then be divided into two main sections. The first section will be introductory and it will mainly focus on Medieval literature. We will analyze the medieval Christian roots of Satan with a particular attention to the writings of Giordano da Pisa, Jacopo Passavanti and Giovanni Boccaccio; the critical readings for the first seminars will be the works of Krueger (1992), Schmitt (1999) and Bakhtin (2009). The core of the first section of the Study-unit will be represented by Dante Alighieri’s Divina Commedia. We will analyze Dante's representations of the devils in the Malebolge and of Satan; the main critical references for these seminars will be the studies of Auerbach on "creatural realism" (Auerbach, 2003). We will refer to the Malleus Maleficarum and to the general context of the Christian Inquisition. In this vast array of reading the core of the Study-unit will be the theme of the pact with the devil. In fact, in the second section of the Study-unit we will provide an in-depth analysis of three main texts: Dr. Faustus (Marlowe); Faust: A tragedy (Goethe) and Doctor Faustus (Mann).The Faustian temptation of the hero and the subsequent loss of the soul will represent the fulcrum of the comparison between these authors, with a constant attention to the evaluation of their different historical and cultural backgrounds. The closing seminars will focus on the presence of Satan in contemporary popular culture, with a specific attention to comics and video games. The Study-unit will take the form of seminars, students will be asked to participate with oral presentations. Study-unit Aims - To allow students to develop a method of research in the field of comparative literature. - To introduce students to the current debate on theory of literature, particularly in the light of thematic criticism. - To trace the evolution of a literary theme from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century. - To reflect on the evolution of European culture, history and society through the analysis of the character of Faust. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Reflect on the evolution of the representation of Satan in the European literary canon. - Use the critical tools useful to read and interpret literary texts. - Reflect on the European popular culture and its influence on the literary canon. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss the relevance of the figure of Satan in the European literary canon. - Explain the main differences and the common features between different European literary works. - Compare a wide variety of literary texts taken from different historical periods and cultures. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings Required readings: A course-pack with a selection of works of Dante, Boccaccio, Tasso, Malleus Maleficarum, Milton, Beckford, Von Chamisso will be provided at the beginning of the Study-unit. - J.W. von Goethe, Faust, translated, with an introduction, by Philip Wayne, Penguin, 1958-59. - J.W. Smeed, Faust in literature, Oxford University Press, 1975. - P. Borner & S. M. Johnson, Faust through four centuries: retrospect and analysis, Max Niemeyer, 1989. - C. Marlowe, Dr. Faustus, edited by Roma Gill, A. & C. Black, 1989. - T. Mann, Doctor Faustus: the Life of the German Composer Adrian Leveruhn As Told by a Friend, translated by H.T. Lowe-Porter, Everyman's Library, 1992. - W. Sollors, The Return of Thematic Criticism, Harvard University Press, 1993. - C.S Hyatt and S. J. Black, Pacts with the Devil: A Chronicle of Sex, Blasphemy & Liberation, Falcon Press, 2010. Recommended readings - H. B. Garrod, Dante, Goethe's Faust and other lectures, Macmillan, 1913. - A. Debezies, Le myth de Faust, Colin, 1972. - M. Praz, The Romantic Agony, Oxford University Press, 1978. - S.F. Krueger, Dreaming in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 1992. - D. L. Pike, Passages Through Hell: Modernist Descents, Medieval Underworlds, Cornell University Press, 1997. - J.C. Schmitt, Ghosts in the Middle Ages: The Living and the Dead in the Medieval Society, University of Chicago Press, 1999. - E. Auerbach, Mimesis. The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, Princeton University Press, 2003. - F. Orlando, Obsolete Objects in the Literary Imagination: Ruins, Relics, Rarities, Rubbish, Uninhabited Places, and Hidden Treasures, Yale University Press, 2006. - A. Von Chamisso, Peter Schlemil, BiblioBazaar, 2007. - M. Bakhtin, Rebelais and His World, Indiana University Press, 2009. - W. Beckford, Vathek: An Arabic Tale, General Books LLC, 2012. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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