Reading Italians: Her Sto

“In Italy, literary fiction has long been considered a man’s game.” So began a 2019 New York Times article discussing the growing international attention being paid to Italian women writers, particuarly on the heels of Elena Ferrante’s phenomenal global success. This course will center the female voice and subjectivity in the Italian literary tradition, with a focus on celebrated prose writers active from the early twentieth century to the present. Some, recently republished and reconsidered for the Italian market, have also been re-translated and re- introduced to a wider English readership. We will trace the reception of female authors within the Italian critical establishment and abroad, and the role translation might play in broadening and amplifying their reputation and reach. We will focus on one author per week, paying special attention to themes of resistance, rebellion, and self-fashioning. All readings will be in English.