"Conspiracy, plot"

The second meeting of Synapsis, the European School of Comparative Literature, hosted by the Universities of Bologna and Siena - and with the collaboration of the Universities of Copenhagen, Aix-en-Provence and Tübingen, the Association for the Comparative Study of Literary Theory and History (Cotepra) and the Advanced School of Humanist Studies (Scuola Superiore di Studi Umanistici) - was held at the University of Bologna's Conference Centre at Bertinoro (Forlì), between 26 August and 1 September 2001.

The topic of this second encounter, "Conspiracy and plot", was debated by sixty young scholars in Comparative Literature from numerous Universities, both Italian and foreign, who had been selected from among a large number of applicants. Many of the lectures and joint meetings were also attended by interested external students, university lecturers and professors as well as by high school teachers and visitors with a personal interest in conspiracies.

Important guiding ideas for the definition of the theme (rich in implications not only in the field of literature, but also in the realms of politics and ideology) emerged from the morning lectures held by researchers and professors of international repute (Remo Ceserani, Djelal Kadir, Franco La Polla, Bertrand Westphal, Helena Buescu, Danièle Chauvin, Piero Boitani, Claude Cazalè, Elizabeth Rallo, Beatrice Alfonzetti). Foundational texts for the formation of the conspiratorial imagination included the biblical tale of the conspiracy of Absalom, the conspiracy against Julius Caesar and the "plot" of Judas. Many of the attending scholars stressed the relevance of historical manifestations of conspiracy, such as the heroic, Romantic struggle "for freedom" and the paranoia of the plot typical of the Postmodern. Furthermore, the discussion touched upon possible metaphorical extensions of the theme including the connections between conspiratorial and literary plots and the idea of conspiracy as the constituent and foundational act of every culture. Social and political aspects of the conspiratorial imagination were also taken into account in an evening lecture by Maurizio Boldrini of the Faculty of Communication Studies at Siena University.

In addition to the lectures, seminars took place every afternoon. While last year's summer school offered four seminars in Italian, English and French, this year's course additionally included a seminar in German, thereby increasing the range of opportunities available to participants. The students, divided into small groups, prepared their research projects under the guidance of their seminar supervisors (Mario Domenichelli, Monica Spiridon, Marcello Conati, Djelal Kadir and Jòrgen Wertheimer). These research projects were then presented and discussed in a plenary session on the final morning of the school. A selection of essays by the participants will be published in the second issue of the Quaderni di Synapsis (Proceedings of Synapsis) together with the guest speakers' lectures, following the format of the first volume of the series, due to be published shortly by Le Monnier.

The programme of Synapsis 2001 was further embellished by a concert of Verdian arias and the showing of two cinematic masterpieces, Orson Welles' Othello and the X-files by Rob Bowman as well as by Laura Caretti's wonderfully staged theatrical representation of a collage of conspiratorial monologues from Shakespeare, delivered by the participants themselves.

As is confirmed by the questionnaires filled in by the students at the end of the course, this second encounter of Synapsis matched and even surpassed the success obtained from the first. An increasing number of non-Italian participants, both among lecturers and students, contributed to reinforce the European and international outlook of the school. Significantly, many students had been advised to participate by colleagues and friends who had attended Synapsis 2000 and the great majority hoped to repeat the experience next year. All participants judged the course useful for their professional training and considered the contents assimilated during the course to be positive or very positive. Besides, all students declared their intention of continuing with the work embarked upon. The professors who took part expressed great satisfaction and will be active in promoting Synapsis at their own Universities. They hope to encourage students who might wish to participate by providing study grants and by recognising the credits obtained through participation in the course.

It was felt that some aspects of the organisation could be further improved. In order to leave more space for spontaneous or guided discussions, for exchanges between students and teachers, and for group activities such as the viewing of films or excursions, we hope to extend the course by at least a day. There will be additional emphasis on the preparation of the courses: students shall be supplied in advance with general bibliographical indications and detailed abstracts of the lectures as well as with introductory reading suggestions and guidelines for the seminars. Furthermore, we deem it important to help participants who are unable to receive study grants from their universities and to improve the diffusion of information about the course.

All in all, the success of this second meeting and the satisfaction of the participants will encourage us to continue the work in progress, to perfect further the organisation of the school and to work towards expanding the scope and diffusion of Synapsis.