Modern Italian Poetry and “Ultimate Questions”

More than in any other tradition, Italian poets of the twentieth century focus on “ultimate questions,” and look all the way back to Dante in doing so: why do we die? is there a God? what does it mean to love? are we responsible for our neighbors? is beauty related to truth? what do we learn from the past? what makes life meaningful? Poets include Ungaretti, Montale, Caproni, Sereni, Rosselli, Pasolini, Luzi, Merini, and Zanzotto. Taught in Italian. Prerequisites: Second-year Italian minimum