Eufemia is native of Italy where she received a BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures and a MA in Translation from the University of Turin. Also, in 2016 she received an MA in Italian Language and Literature at the University of Pittsburgh, PA. Eufemia's interests focus on Renaissance Studies, including questions of patronage, the epistolary genre, and the importance of space in the construction of Early Modern identities.
Dissertation: Landscapes of Exile: (Self)-Portrayals of Displacement in Italian Renaissance Literature
Recent Courses in RLL
- ITAL 10200 Beginning Elementary Italian II (Winter 2019)
- ITAL 10300 Beginning Elementary Italian III (Spring 2019)
- ITAL 23321 Writing and Reading Space(s) in the Italian Renaissance (Winter 2021): This course offers an introduction to the study of the Renaissance in Italian literature. A defining movement in the history of European culture and civilization, the Renaissance is best known for its rediscovery of classical antiquity, its achievements in the arts, literature, philosophy, exploration etc., as well as for the rise of a modern sense of self. Italy represents the gateway to the study of the Renaissance as it was the birthplace of many of its key protagonists. In this course, students will become familiar with some of the major male and female representatives of the Italian Renaissance. From Petrarch to Alberti, from Lorenzo de’ Medici to Ficino, from Machiavelli to Michelangelo, from Vittoria Colonna to Moderata Fonte, we will situate their writings against the discrete geographical, political, and cultural backdrops that engendered them. Thematically, the class will focus on the issue of space and the relationship between authors and the built environment. We will compare/contrast the physical milieux in which texts were produced (city/countryside, courts etc.), as well as look at how real and imaginary spaces were represented in literary form in order to examine how location both informs and affects the production of literary works. Lastly, we will engage with manuscripts and early printed editions of these texts during our in-and-off campus visits to the Special Collections at the University of Chicago Library and the Newberry Library. Taught in Italian.