Literary Multilingualism in Cross-Border Contexts

To consolidate competencies for the comparative treatment of literary multilingualism in the Alps-Adriatic region;
To deepen the understanding of the dynamics of literary contacts and cultural transfers in cross-border contexts;
To deepen the understanding of the historical and social context and of the causes of literary multilingualism;
To appreciate the multifaceted relationship between multilingualism and literature.

The course is linked to the following courses: Multilingualism, Literature and Creativity from an Intercultural Perspective, and Intercultural Approaches to Literary Studies.

Knowledge of Italian and/or German is desirable.

Literary multilingualism is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon in ethnically and ethnically mixed areas, reflecting the imaginary of belonging to a particular community or communities, and at the same time requiring a rethinking of nationally conceived literary histories and the concept of regional literature.

The course will therefore focus on literary works in cross-border spaces, introducing students to various examples of literary multilingualism, with a focus on the Alps-Adriatic region.

The course will introduce students to contemporary theoretical reflections on literary multilingualism and the history of research on this topic in the Alps-Adriatic region. The course is comparatively oriented, so that in the seminar, through discussion, critical reflection and independent analysis of literary works, students will compare the phenomena of literary multilingualism in different geographical contexts (Istria, Trieste, Venetian Slovenia, Austrian Carinthia, etc.) and they will expand their knowledge by learning about the complex social context that underlies literary multilingualism.

Knowledge and understanding:
(Students ...)

• are able to identify different degrees of literary multilingualism in selected literary works from the Alps-Adriatic region and to consider them from a comparative perspective;
• understand the characteristics of the literature of linguistic minorities;
• are able to explain the specificities of literary systems in different cross-border spaces;
• are able to explain and analyse the factors that lead to literary multilingualism.

Skills:
(Students ...)

• Develop a comparative understanding of the specificities of literary systems and sub-systems in cross-border contexts.
• Develop understanding of international and cross-border identity imaginaries.

• David Bandelj, 2008: Večjezičnost v sodobni poeziji Slovencev v Avstriji: medkulturnost ali asimilacija. Slovenščina med kulturami. 159-176. Catalogue
• Jadranka Cergol, 2020: Izbira jezika pri avtorjih mlajše generacije Slovencev v Italiji. V: VOGEL, Jerica (ur.). Slovenščina - diskurzi, zvrsti in jeziki med identiteto in funkcijo, (Obdobja). Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete. 331-336. E-version
• Roberto Dapit, 2007: Slovenska literatura na večjezičnem območju Furlanije. Jadranski koledar. 81-91.
• Andrej Leben in Felix Oliver Kohl, 2021: Literatura in nacija : kako slovenska je slovenska literatura?
• Razprave in gradivo : revija za narodnostna vprašanja. 253-277. E-version
• Andrej Leben in Alenka Koron (ur.) 2021: Literarna večjezičnost v slovenskem in avstrijskem kontekstu. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU. (izbor) Catalogue
• Andrej Leben, 2013: Slovenska literatura na avstrijskem Koroškem : manjšinska - regionalna? Jezik in slovstvo. 5-15, 81. E-version
• Aneta Pavlenko, 2005: Emotions and Multilingualism. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (priporočena literatura) Catalogue
• Irena Novak Popov, 2015: Senjam beneške piesmi kot dejavnik prenove narečne poezije v Slovenski Benečiji. Primerjalna književnost. 157-174, [238]. E-version
• Vilma Purič: Izbira italijanščine v pisanju slovenskih avtorjev : zatajitev ali odprtost do drugega? Mladika. 4-15.
• Marija Jurić-Pahor, 2015: Od starih k novim imaginarijem pripadanja : nacionalna in etnična identiteta onkraj binarnih o/pozicij. Annales : anali za istrske in mediteranske študije = annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei = annals for Istrian and Mediterranean studies. Series historia et sociologia. 183-196. E-version
• Johann Strutz, 1990: Casarsa, Mat(t)erada, Vogrče/Rinkenberg ali medregionalnost in literatura - koncept regionalnega težišča celovške komparativistike. Primerjalna književnost. 1-14. E-version
• Johann Strutz, 1996: Istrska polifonija - večjezičnost in literatura. Annales : anali Koprskega primorja in bližnjih pokrajin = annali del Litorale capodistriano e delle regioni vicine. 187-196. E-version
• Ana Toroš, 2017: Minority writing : the case of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), Goriška and Coastal-Karst regions (Slovenia). Slavia Centralis. 50-65. E-version
• Vladka Tucović, 2007: Istrska izkušnja sodobne slovenske književnosti. Živeti mejo. 120-128.
• Nives Zudič Antonič in Andrej Antonič, 2020: Frontiera e convivenza nell'opera di Fulvio Tomizza. Confini, identità, appartenenze : scenari letterari e filmici dell'Alpe Adria. 95-107. (priporočena literatura)
• Annual selection of literary works on the topic of literary multilingualism.

Oral examination
Seminar
Tutorials

Dr Ana Toroš is Associate Professor and Director of the Doctoral Programme in Humanities at the University of Nova Gorica. Her main research interests are comparative studies of minority literature, literary imagology, cross-border didactics of literature, trauma studies and literature. Her research focuses on multicultural and multilingual literature in the border areas between Slovenia, Italy and Croatia (Trieste, Venetian Slovenia, Rhesia, Istria).

Bibliografija (Bibliography):
TOROŠ, Ana. Potovanje po neznanih poteh tržaškosti in Gradnikove poezije : izbrani spisi. Trst: Mladika: Slovenski raziskovalni inštitut, 2019.
TOROŠ, Ana. O zemlja sladka: kamen, zrno, sok : Alojz Gradnik ter romanski in germanski svet. Ljubljana: Slovenska matica, 2013. 186 str., ilustr. Razprave in eseji, 65.
TOROŠ, Ana. Podoba Trsta in Tržaškega v slovenski in italijanski poeziji prve polovice 20. stoletja. V Novi Gorici: Univerza, 2011.
TOROŠ, Ana. Teaching minority literature : the case of Trieste. Razprave in gradivo : revija za narodnostna vprašanja. Dec. 2019, št. 83, str. 83-93.
TOROŠ, Ana. The role of migrations and cultural hybridity in literary systems : studying the case of Alojz Gradnik in Argentina. Annales : anali za istrske in mediteranske študije. Series historia et sociologia. 2018, vol. 28, no 1, str. 65-76.
TOROŠ, Ana. Slovene-Friulian-Italian literary connections at the beginning of the 20th century : the case of Alojz Gradnik and select Friulian and Italian authors. Interlitteraria. 2017, vol. 22, no. 2, str. 386-396.
TOROŠ, Ana. Minority writing : the case of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), Goriška and Coastal-Karst regions (Slovenia). Slavia Centralis. [Tiskana izd.]. 2017, letn. 10, št. 2, str. 50-65.