Department of Italian
Paper IT A3
Texts and Contexts
Download the Specimen exam paper (the content of this paper was changed for Tripos 2007)
Download the 2007 exam paper
Download the 2008 exam paper
Download the 2009 exam paper
Download the 2010 exam paper
Exam papers which have been set since 2010 can be downloaded from CamTools.
Course description
The course introduces you to texts from three broad historical periods, medieval, Renaissance, and modern, and shows you how to study a text in its historical context, with the aim of developing the skills you will need to tackle the historically-based subject papers later in Tripos. The term 'text' is used elastically to refer to books, paintings and films. The notion of 'historical context' is also given a broad definition. You will be invited to look at the immediate or 'synchronic' environments - social, political, and intellectual - within which the given 'text' was produced; and you will also be encouraged to take account of the 'diachronic', cultural-historical contexts. The length of the 'texts' chosen for study has been deliberately restricted in order to allow time and scope for students to familiarise themselves with the wide range of contextual materials. The fourth element of this paper is an introduction to Italian linguistics.
You may be surprised to find that within a few weeks of arriving at Cambridge you are asked to begin reading selections from a number of Italian classics. What follows is intended to explain why the study of literature has been introduced into the ab initio course, and also to give you a fuller idea of the kind of study (and the kind of examination) you will encounter.
The first important point is that the study of the literary texts is intended to contribute directly to your learning of the Italian language. The chosen extracts - all relatively short - will allow you to examine the ways in which the syntax and vocabulary of Italian have developed over the centuries. At first you will probably have to work through these texts with a dictionary and a grammar book close to hand. But the effort you make will be rewarded by an expansion of your knowledge both of vocabulary and grammar; and features of the language you have to work out for yourself are more likely to stick in your mind than those which are simply taught. At the same time, this kind of close study will begin to give you an idea of the resources of Italian. Complex situations and complex states of mind call for complex expression; and the set texts will allow you from the start to stretch your understanding and appreciation of the Italian language beyond the necessarily simplified material found in your language text-books.
A further aim of this paper is to provide a foretaste of the areas of study on offer in later parts of the course. If you are interested in pursuing the study of the structure and usage of the Italian language at Part IB and Part II, you will begin to gain a sense of the richness and complexity of Italian linguistic history. If you are interested in literature and culture you will have the opportunity to begin or extend your studies in this area in a way which is consistent with the Cambridge syllabus. Furthermore, you will be introduced to Italian cinema, the study of which plays a significant role in our teaching at both Part IB and Part II.
Whether your interests lie mainly in language or literature (most people are interested in both), the method of study recommended for this course will lead you to pay attention to linguistic detail, narrative technique and intellectual content. The study of the film, Il divo, will cover these same areas, as well as considering some of the specific critical approaches necessary to interpret films.
Texts for 2012-13:
- Medieval Dante, Divina Commedia (Selected canti)
- Renaissance Machiavelli, Il principe
- Modern Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo Don't buy this text before you arrive here - we have the recommended edition for sale at a very advantageous price. You can buy your copy from Nan in the departmental office.
- Linguistics Course material will be given out during lectures
Giotto, Cappella degli Scrovegni
(dir.) Paolo Sorrentino, Il divo
Summary of Teaching
Each text will be the subject of a series of four lectures which will place it in its context and suggest possible critical approaches. Lectures will be supplemented by seminars, organised and run by members of the department, as well as by supervisions. You will be asked to submit short essays on individual texts. A selection of contextual materials relating to the various texts (documents, extracts from comparable works, etc.) will be available from the Departmental Office at the beginning of the relevant part of the lecture series.
Examination
One three-hour examination will be set. You will be asked to answer three questions on three different topics. From Tripos 2012, the questions may be chosen from any part of the paper. Tripos 2011 candidates must choose their questions from different sections. You will be expected to draw on contextual material in your answers.
Course advisor
For further information or advice about this course please contact Dr Abigail Brundin (e-mail: asb17@cam.ac.uk)
For the overall structure of Part 1A of the ab initio Italian course, see this page.
