Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
a) Recognize the phonetic evolution of Indo-European forms into Germanic and of Germanic forms into Old English and Old High German.
b) Situate certain ancient English and German texts (particularly Old English Elegies) within their production and reception contexts.
c) Identify the main stylistic and cultural characteristics of such texts.
d) Identify and discuss the main philological and interpretative challenges posed by such texts.
Prerequisites
Passive proficiency in at least one Germanic language.
Course unit content
The course aims to provide fundamental knowledge on Germanic linguistics, the transmission of medieval texts in Germanic languages, and the culture of Germanic populations - particularly English and German - during the early medieval period.
Full programme
Lecture 1: Introduction to Germanic Philology
Lecture 2: Germanic Linguistics: From Indo-European to Germanic
Lecture 3: Germanic Linguistics: From Germanic to Old English and Old High German
Lecture 4: Germanic Culture: Sources, Society, and History up to the Late Empire
Lecture 5: Germanic Culture: Religion, Cults, and Myths
Lecture 6: Old English: Key Historical and Literary Developments
Lecture 7: Old High German: Key Historical and Literary Developments
Lecture 8: Philology: The Text in the Middle Ages and the Concept of Edition
Lecture 9: Philology: Principles of Stemmatology, Part 1
Lecture 10: Philology: Principles of Stemmatology, Part 2
Lecture 11: Texts: The Hildebrandslied
Lecture 12: Texts: The Battle of Brunanburh
Lecture 13: Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Elegies
Lecture 14: Texts: The Wanderer, Part 1
Lecture 15: Texts: The Wanderer, Part 2
Lecture 16: Texts: Deor; Course Conclusion
Bibliography
Alessandro Zironi, Filologia germanica. Lingua, storia, cultura, testi, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2022.
Maria Grazia Cammarota e Gabriele Cocco, Le elegie anglosassoni. Voci e volti della sofferenza, Milano, Meltemi, 2020.
Uploaded files on Elly (ppt and summaries).
Teaching methods
Lectures.
Assessment methods and criteria
The examination will be oral and will cover:
1) Linguistic phenomena characterizing the Germanic language and Germanic languages (specific cases previously addressed during the course).
2) Characteristics of Medieval textual transmission (basics of philology).
3) Culture and history of Germanic peoples in late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, with particular attention to the texts studied during the course.
An unsatisfactory evaluation is assigned to an oral examination that reveals: a severe lack of knowledge regarding the contents of the course in at least two of the three questions asked; the student's inability to express themselves adequately in the Italian language; a total inability to interpret the literary text in light of the secondary materials found. A satisfactory evaluation (18-23/30), instead, is given to an examination in which the student demonstrates having acquired the minimum and essential contents of the course; the ability to express themselves in Italian adequate to the topic; a sufficient ability to decode the literary text based on the secondary materials read. The student receives an average evaluation (24-27/30) if they demonstrate possessing a level that is more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) in the aforementioned indicators. Excellent evaluations (from 28/30 to 30/30 with honors) are obtained if the student completely satisfies the requirements expressed by the indicators.
Other information
During the first semester, informal seminar-style meetings will take place to learn how to read and translate Old English texts. These meetings will occur once a week (with dates and times to be determined) and are entirely optional; however, attendance at at least three-quarters of the sessions will be recognized as a substitute for studying the textbook "Elegie anglosassoni" by M.G. Cammarota and G. Cocco, which would otherwise be part of the examination material. Additional information will be provided to course registrants during Fall months.
