3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

The course will explore the notion of ‘voice’ in order to show how poetry, literature, philosophy, and music have been dealing with it throughout the ages. In particular, by focusing on classical figures such as the Sirens, Circe and Echo, as well as by considering the seminal discussions of the 'voice' in Plato and Aristotle, the course will address the gendered nature of the voice as a tool to seduce and manipulate the human mind. More specifically, the course will discuss the ways in which male, female, queer, gendered and un-gendered voices embody different functions. Course materials include classical, medieval and early modern sources as well as later rewritings of myths concerned with the voice by authors such as Jules Verne, Karen Blixen, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, and Italo Calvino. A selection of theoretical works (e.g. Cavarero, Silverman, Dollar, Butler) will also be discussed. The course is taught in English and all materials will be available in English translation; Italian majors and minors should enroll in section 2.