116-063 Images of Sicily: Fate, Fact or Fiction?

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

A First Year subject in either Italian, French, History, Fine Arts, English or Cultural Studies.

Semester

Subject Description

This subject contrasts images of Sicily developed by 19th and 20th century Sicilian authors with present day historical and sociological descriptions of Sicily, and investigates the degree to which the popular image of Sicily has been determined by this literary output. The image of Sicily in the world's imagination is of an island which has been unable to extricate itself from the traditional patterns of the past and embrace the future. Sicilians are perceived as a people at war with themselves, unable to cure the ills of their island and transcend the curses of resignation, exploitation, corruption and fatalism, all of which appear as themes of the novels. Students will explore the link between the literature and the urban and rural landscapes through the study of themes such as memory of place, decadence and the pervasiveness of pagan mythology.