Course description
This course proposes a study of some of the most important aspects of Venice in relation to its cultural and political history and to the arts (historic buildings, carnival, opera, the annual art and film expositions, the representations of the city in film) that even today fire the western imaginary and determine what and how Venice signifies for today’s visitor.

The themes and topics will range from early renaissance times through the 20th century, and in each instance be grounded in historic buildings and monuments in the city. We will begin with a study of the relations between Venice and the Levant, through the prism of Edward Said’s Orientalism and a visit to the Fondaco dei Turchi, the inn for traveling merchants from Constantinople to the city. From there we will proceed to Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice with the History of the Ghetto and an examination of the way medieval society sequestered its minority communities, and sociological studies of the ways in which neighborhoods develop their specific flavor and culture, through this example of the Jews in Venice; Venice in painting and the actual buildings that William Turner, Canaletto, Monet, and other great artists painted through the 19th century; the story behind and appreciation of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, Rigoletto and the famous opera house, the Ridotto.

We will do this by viewing the opera and reading the libretto in translation, and the criticism the opera generated. We will study the history of the Venice Art Biennale, and some of its more momentous exhibits and moments. We will be able to view some of these works and read the commentary they inspired; we will study the history and spirit of the Venice Carnival from the medieval period up through today, and examine the artistic production built up around it; and finally we will study the city or phenomenon of Venice as represented in Film today, with a view to studying the way the city is mythologized on the screen and the idea of Venice as city of melancholy, of loss, of love, of past and present glory is perpetuated and disseminated. We will visit the factory and its showroom on the Giudecca where exquisite brocades, such as are seen in Rubens and Tintoretto, are still produced and sold today. We will visit Murano and learn about the glass-blowing tradition so important to the Venetian esthetic and economy. Students will read, view, listen to, and visit these features of the Venetian myth. We will complement the readings with excursions and walking tours of key parts of the city.

The students will write essays on three out of the six topics; they will take a midterm exam and a final exam. They should complete the course having learned the history of Venetian cultural production and related artistic traditions, and having developed a rich appreciation of the city.