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There are several reasons for which Verga's reputation is still struggling today. His language and formal devices can be perceived by contemporary readers as too regional or too outworn and predictable; while the subject of his books might be perceived as too remote and context-dependent. To put all this in a couple of questions the modern reader, whether or not from Italy, may think something like "What does a Sicilian writer of the 19th century, writing about the plotless economic difficulties of a Sicilian family have to say to me today? What do I have to learn from, or how can I relate to the stubborn psychologies of characters resisting technological transition of modernity, or being devoured by it?" This course aims to argue for Verga's relevance and actuality, both at the aesthetic and political level. By elaborating on the formal and psychological construction of characters, in particular 'Ntoni in "I Malavoglia" (The House by the Medlar Tree), we will try to highlight that Verga's fictional minds are not just conventional representatives of a specific reality, but also tools for analysis. In our discussions, we will explore notions such as "borders", "border crossing", "internal migration," and "exilic writing". Readings and discussions will be in Italian. COURSE IS OPEN TO UPPER LEVEL UNDERGRADUATES.