This paper will develop skills in linguistic and stylistic analysis of Italian poetry and prose in order to understand the author’s style when translating the text into another language. You will closely analyse the language and style of a corpus of selected texts of modern Italian literature with a focus on lexical, grammatical, syntactical, rhetorical features and linguistic structures in order to evaluate the literary effects they create and how they can be rendered in translation. You will give a sample translation of a text of your choice together with a commentary focussing particularly on problems posed by the language and style of the author.

Sessions will offer a chance to:

• become familiar with approaches to linguistic and stylistic analysis of works in Italian and English.
• learn the literary, rhetorical and linguistic tools for stylistic analysis in order to evaluate the creative implications of style for writing and translating.
• write commentaries on stylistic, linguistic and rhetorical features of either an Italian text to be translated into English, or of an English text to be translated into Italian.
• compare different translations of the same author with a focus on how stylistic and rhetorical features have been rendered in the translation.
• translate poems and prose of your own choice within the modern period and write a self-reflective commentary on your practice.

Submission for this paper will be EITHER a critical commentary on two or more translations of the same poems or sample prose with a focus on language and style; OR stylistic analysis and translations of sample sections of poems or fiction with a piece of self-reflective prose setting out your approach choices; OR an essay on a specific issue pertaining to this paper.