Clizia Carminati defends new Italian literature guidelines against criticism

Clizia Carminati, associate professor of Italian literature at the University of Bergamo and one of three authors of the new National Guidelines for literature teaching in Italy, explains the reasoning behind the controversial changes. The guidelines, issued by the Ministry of Education and Merit, propose shifting Alessandro Manzoni's 'The Betrothed' from the second to the fourth year of high school, sparking intense debate. Carminati clarifies that Manzoni is not abolished but recommended for the fourth year when students are better prepared. She emphasizes that the guidelines aim to prioritize reading entire books from elementary school onward and focus on texts rather than biographical details or rhetorical figures. The approach is designed to combat superficial learning ('infarinatura') and instead foster deep comprehension of literary works. Carminati illustrates her method with an example of teaching a Baroque sonnet by Giovan Battista Marino in 45 minutes, showing how to engage students with context, language, and meaning. The other authors are Davide Profumo and Claudio Giunta.