ITAL 3300

Save the Story!

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

In Italy's most famous novel, I promessi sposi (1840), Alessandro Manzoni offers us an unforgettable story of young lovers (Renzo and Lucia) whose plans to marry are disrupted by a powerful lord (Don Rodrigo) who wants the young woman for himself.  Evil has plenty of helpers (thugs and bullies, a spineless clergyman, an incompetent and worthless lawyer, a nun of questionable morals, and an unscrupulous robber baron), but there are also those who come to the young lovers' aid (including the robber baron called "l'nnominato" or "He-Who-Remains-Nameless," who experiences a miraculous conversion just in time).  Evil gets its due and Love wins out.  The story of I promessi sposi  is crucial for the way that Italians understand their national character and the social and ethical dilemmas that they face.  It is a tale that Italians love to retell and to parody.  Read the novel this semester, try your hand at writing about it (including creatively!) and discover why Italians like Umberto Eco say that this story is worth saving.

When Offered Spring.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: ITAL 2202 or permission of instructor.

Distribution Category (LA-AS)
Language Requirement Satisfies Option 1.

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