Gregory Dowling, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia

The course will focus on four major works by writers from the 16 th to the 20 th century, all of which make use of the setting of Venice. The course will begin with The Merchant of Venice , in order to study how Shakespeare makes use of the reputation of Venice as a place of thriving international commerce in a drama based on the clashing interests of love, money and ethnic differences. We will then study the Venetian poem, "Beppo", in which Byron undercuts romantic views of Venice (including those of his own earlier work, Childe Harold IV ), presenting a complex picture of a living city, one that offered a stimulating contrast in terms of social customs and morality to his own world. The relationship between romantic and realistic views of Venice will be further explored in our study of Henry James's short but intriguing novel, The Aspern Papers . We will conclude the course with a study of Anthony Hecht's narrative poem, "Venetian Vespers", in which the poet brilliantly exploits the tradition of the double-vision of the city – both romantic dream-scape and sinister labyrinth - , making it serve as an instrument of psychological exploration.

The aim of the course will be to explore the development of the myth (and anti-myth) of Venice, connecting it with the historical and social circumstances within which the writers worked, and also to examine how the writers consciously or unconsciously made use of the myth in their works. It will offer the opportunity to consider how Venice, a city poised between East and West, provides a perfect setting for writers interested in exploring encounters and conflicts between different forms of culture and modes of thought.

Students will be encouraged to observe how these authors, writing in different ages and adopting widely different genres, often worked against the grain, resisting the pressure of conventional views of the city. We will examine not only the way the writers reacted to the works of their predecessors or contemporaries within their own culture but also, where pertinent, the influence of Italian literature and the visual arts. Our reading of the literary works will be backed up by viewing relevant films.

Texts:

William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice (Arden edition);

Lord Byron: Beppo ;

Henry James: The Aspern Papers ;

Anthony Hecht: "Venetian Vespers".

Criticism: