Animazione teatrale (2008/2009)

Learning outcomes

A Reading of “Parisina” from Byron to D’Annnzio, from dramatic poetry to poetical drama.

The class will illustrate and apply the main theories and research methods in order to stage a dramatic reading centered around the historical-poetical figure of Parisina Malatesta. From Matteo Bandello’s first complete narrative version of the story in the Renaissance, the quest for Parisina moves on to Byron’s poetical rendition at the beginning of the Nineteenth century, then to the dramatic representation in lyrical verses by Gabriele D’Annunzio. The students are invited to follow this itinerary through different literary genres in order to create their own multi-media text on the legend of Parisina which will be the subject of their final exam.

Required Reading

M. Bandello, Novella XLIX , first part of the Novelle (ed. Bari, Laterza, 1928, vol. I, pp. 138-146), or any good modern edition.
Lord Byron, Parisina, ed. by R. Severi, Rimini, Raffaelli, 2007 (bilingual text).
G. D’Annunzio, Parisina, ed. Newton Compton or any good modern edition.

Some Topics Discussed in Class
-The myth of Dyonisos and classical theatre
-The evolution of theatrical genres
-Parisina and her legend
-Matteo Bandello, Novella XLIX (first part of the Novelle)
-Reading and discussion of the novella
-Relevant sequences or segmentation of the novella
-Actantial theory (A. Greimas) applied to the text
-Byron’s theater and Romantic theatre
-Parisina by Lord Byron: a dramatic poem
-Kinetics and prossemics in Byron
-From Byron to D’Annunzio: from Romantic theatre to melodrama (Donizetti), to Symbolist theatre
-Parisina by D’Annunzio: drama and melodramma ( Mascagni)
-Words, music and images - Theatre as Gesamkunstwerk
-Painting the scenes of the play
-Variables and invariables in the versions of Parisina

Critical Reading

Aristotle, Poetics, Milano, Rizzoli-BUR

Those students who will not attend class and all those who wish to prepare an excellent exam will have to chose one (1) extra text to read from a list that will be published on the teacher’s web page.

The students will have to represent their “readings” with adequate comments.