Italian Literature Curriculum Shifts: 'I Promessi Sposi' Moved to Fourth Year

Italy's new National Guidelines for literature, authored by Claudio Giunta, Clizia Carminati, and Davide Profumo, propose moving the study of Alessandro Manzoni's 'I Promessi Sposi' from the second to the fourth year of high school. The guidelines, currently under debate, emphasize reading full texts, reducing contextual information, and focusing on post-unification literature in the final year. Giunta argues that the novel is too linguistically and conceptually challenging for 15-year-olds, citing low reading comprehension and cultural gaps. The changes also recommend reading Dante's 'Commedia' over two years instead of three, and dedicating the fifth year to contemporary literature, including essays, screenplays, and song lyrics. The guidelines were informed by feedback from 50 primary and secondary school teachers. Giunta stresses that teachers retain discretion to adapt the curriculum to their classes.