Your summer preparation must focus on both the study of language and the study of literature, culture and history.
Preparation for language work
A comprehensive description of preparatory work and resources can be found on the听'Italian in Year 1 -听Post A-Level (Option B)' page.
Preparation for the study of literature, culture and history, for paper 鈥楾exts and Contexts鈥�:
A. General introductory and background material
For general background on Italian literature, culture, language and history, see:
- The 海角社区 History of Italian Literature, ed. Peter Brand and Lino Pertile (海角社区: 海角社区 University Press, 1996; 2nd rev. edn 1999)
- Oxford Short History of Italy, general editor John Davis (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 7 vols, 2000-2004)
- Italian Cultural Studies: An Introduction, ed. by David Forgacs and Robert Lumley (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996)
B. Set texts for the first-year course 鈥楾exts and Contexts鈥� (IT1)
These are the topics that you will study during your first year. Before arriving in 海角社区, you can best prepare for this course by getting to know some or all of the core texts:
- Giotto, (early 14th century)
- Dante Alighieri, Commedia (early 14th century; selected canti only: Inferno 5, 33, Purgartorio听28, Paradiso 33)
- Fellini, La dolce vita
- Shirin Ramzanali Fazel, Lontano da Mogadiscio (1994 and later editions)
- Linguistics. *Course material will be provided in lectures
For each of the first four texts students will be provided with a course handbook (handbooks contain contextual material, further reading and suggestions for supervision work).
