Sumários
Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe
19 Março 2024, 14:00 • Chiara Nifosi
Today, I introduced Edgar Allan Poe and the main features of his short-stories. We talked about the reception of Poe's work in the US and in France, especially its rich legacy for the development of a variety of genres (popular genres such as adventure novels and detective stories, the high-brow reception in the Symbolist milieus, and the psychological turn in the conte fantastique). We also discussed the construction of Poe's negative myth in the attempt to find some continuity between the author's biography and the themes developed in his short fiction, following a biographical approach to literary criticism that was well spread in the 19th century (cf. the case of Sainte-Beuve in France).
Balzac, "L'élixir de longue vie" /3
14 Março 2024, 14:00 • Chiara Nifosi
During today's class, we finished to discuss Balzac's story. Particularly, we discussed the role of religion and the moral undertone of the story, especially in view of the ending, which blends social satire and a certain taste for the grotesque. Moreover, we discussed in detail the transformation of Don Juan after he takes possession of the elixir. Namely, cf. the passage where the narrator compares him to a lineage of precursors (we also read an excerpt from Molière's "Don Juan", where the protagonist shows his talent in manipulating one of his creditors).
Balzac, "L'élixir de longue vie" /2
12 Março 2024, 14:00 • Chiara Nifosi
Today we finished to comment on the introduction, "Au lecteur", namely the moral implications that it sets for the reader and its insertion into the larger frame of the Comédie Humaine. We also analyzed the first part of Balzac's short story, namely the setting, the opening situation, and the dialogue that the seven women at the party entertain with Don Juan. We also discussed the use of meta-theatrical vocabulary, which speaks at once to the origin of the character of Don Juan and to the moral corruption that animates the protagonist. Finally, we mentioned the oppositional structure in the spatial organization of the story (the chronotope of the feast and celebration vs. the chronotope of the death / resurrection in the room where Don Juan's father is kept).
Balzac, "L'élixir de longue vie" /1
7 Março 2024, 14:00 • Chiara Nifosi
Today, I introduced Balzac by highlighting some key features of the wider project where the short story is inserted, "La Comédie Humaine." We read some excerpts from Balzac's "Avant-propos" in order to highlight the direct connection that the author wishes to establish between the genre of the novel and natural sciences (Buffon, Cuvier, Saint-Hilaire), as well as the structure of society and the classification of the species in the natural world.