Learning objectives
The specialistic course of italian philology will provide the student with an undestanding of the critical methods of author philology. In particular the study of the evolution of some of the greatest masterpeices of the Italian literature will allow an understanding of the relationship between the evolution of a work and its historic and linguistic context
Prerequisites
A good knowledge of the history of the italian language and of the history of italian literature is required.
Course unit content
After an introduction to the methods and purposes of author philology, the course will be dedicated to the analysis of paradigm cases (Petrarca, Ariosto, Leopardi, Manzoni). During the lessons the students will be guided in the reading and transcription of autographs and in the formalization of critical apparatuses. Besides, the students will have to prepare a short presentation about one of the cases discussed during the lessons, with autonomous research. The presentations will be considered part of the final exam.
Bibliography
All the students are required to study the following texts:
Si richiede a tutti gli studenti lo studio dei seguenti testi:
P. Italia, G. Raboni, Che cos’è la filologia d’autore, Roma, Carocci, 2010;
C. Giunta, Prestigio storico dei testimoni, “Anticomoderno”, 3, 1997, pp. 169-98.
Attending students will receive supplemetary bibliography for their presentation during the first lessons.
Non-attending students will have to prepare, in addition to the aforementioned bibliography the following texts:
G. Contini, Come lavorava l’Ariosto, in Esercizi di lettura, Torino, Einaudi, 1982, pp. 232-41
Conor Fahy, L’Orlando furioso del 1532. Profilo di una edizione, Milano, 1989;
C. Segre, Introduzione a L. Ariosto, Orlando furioso, Milano 2004 e successive
Stella, Note sull’evoluzione linguistica dell’Ariosto, in L. Ariosto: Lingua stile e tradizione, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1976, pp. 49-64
McLaughlin, L'ambigua freschezza dell'Orlando Furioso del 1516, Italianistica, XXXVIII, 3, 2008, pp. 159-166.
Moreover they will have to be able to comment four cantos of their choice fron the Orlando Furioso, using for the critical apparatus the Debenedetti.Segri edition, (Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando furioso, secondo l’edizione del 1532 con le varianti delle edizioni del 1516 e del 1521, a c.
di Santorre Debenedetti, Cesare Segre, Bologna, Commissione per i testi di lingua, 1960) and if necessary the critical edition by M. Dorigatti: Orlando Furioso secondo la princeps del 1516, Firenze, Olschki, 2006. We recommend the use of the commented edition by Emilio Bigi, recently republished by Cristina Zampese, rich in linguistic and stylistic suggestions.
Teaching methods
In addition to the frontal lessons dedicated to an introduction of the authors examined and the literary context, the students will be will be guided in the reading and transcription of autographs and in the formalization of critical apparatuses. Every student will have to prepare a presentation consisting in the transcription of one or more texts from a chosen work, in a proposal for the formalization of the variants, and in their evaluation. The presentations will be discussed during the final lessons,
Assessment methods and criteria
The final exam will be an oral interview in which the students will have to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the methods and purposes of author philology. For attending students the evaluation of the presentation will be part of the final judgement. For non-attending students the exam will start with the discussion of one of the cantos chosen by the student. A student who will demonstrate deficiencies in the knowledge of the literary context or in the methodology of philology will not be considered sufficient. A student proving basic knowledge of the fundamental concepts will be considered sufficient (18-21), a good (22-26) or very good (27-30 cum laude) evaluation will come in proportion to the ability of autonomous elaboration.
Other information
Attendance is strongly reccomended. Students who are unable to attend must contact the professor.
