72414 - Italian Literature and Philology (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the Course students are able to examine a critical edition of a work of the Italian Literature beginning from basic elements (the literal understanding), and to develop the connections of the text with its tradition. The Course also proposes to find critical relationships among the literary text, its history and its receipt, with particular importance to the commentary.

Course contents

The Course is primarly aimed at giving a clear panorama of the textual criticism, based on  two general guides and on the analysis of champions of critical editions of Italian literature, from the Philology of copy  to digital Philology, with a particular attention to the philology of Italian literature between XIII to XIV Century and examination of the critical editions of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio  (see Texts I part).

The frontal lessons will be devoted to the textual and critical analysis of Dante's Vita nova and of Petrarch's Secretum, this last in Italian translation and with readings of Latin  passages. The readings will be directed particularly to illustrate the autobiographic matter and the origin and characters of this particular literary form, the autobiography, in Early Italian literature (see Texts II part)

Readings/Bibliography

The program is articulated in three sections.

Section a: Notions and examples of Philology of the Italian literature.
The methodological section consists in a study of the guide of B. Bentivogli and P. Vecchi, Filologia italiana, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2002; and of the guide of Paola Italia e Giulia Raboni, Che cos'è la filologia d'autore, Roma, Carocci, 2010.

Section b: Autobiography and Italian Literature: Dante and Petrarch.
Texts:
Dante Alighieri, Vita nova, a c. di Stefano Carrai, Milano, Bur Rizzoli, 2009; Francesco Petrarca, Il mio segreto-Secretum, a c. di Enrico Fenzi, Milano, GUM Mursia.

Section c: A profile of Italian Poetry in XIII-XIV Centuries (Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio), in the perspective of autobiography:

Text: Marco Santagata, Il poeta innamorato. Su Dante, Petrarca e la poesia medievale, Milano, Guanda, 2017.

Not attending students will read:

Andrea Battistini, Lo specchio di Dedalo. Autobiografia e biografia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007.

or

Roberta Antognini, Il progetto autobiografico delle Familiares di Petrarca, Milano, LED, 2008

 

Teaching methods

The Course is organised in thirty frontal lessons of two hours that will be held during the first semester of the Academic Year 2017-2018 (September to December 2017). It primarly concernes the study of theoretical and methodological elements of the critical edition, with a special regard to Dante's, Petrarch's and Boccaccio's works. In the second part of the Course, the methodological knowledges will be applied to the study of the relationships, textual and thematic, between literature and autobiography, crucial in the birth and in the definition of the Italian literature among XIII and XIV Centuries. The teacher will use power point and reproductions of readings (texts and critical books) that will be distibuted to students.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. The examination involves the knowledge of the Philological metodology applied to Italian Literature, with analysis of texts to verify aspects and methods of a modern critical edition.During the examination will be valued the capacity to elaborate a methodological and critical discourse related to the autobiography in the works of Dante and Petrarca, with readings of passages of the two scheduled works. Will be appreciated:

correctness of the answer;

close examination of the theme, with ability of suitable connections among the authors;

correctness of language, with elaboration of an articulated critical discourse.

Teaching tools

In addition to the frontal lessons, the Teacher will propose optional conferences, seminars, information visits, to deepen historical and bibliographical aspects of the program; and will guide written exercises and oral applications of the students.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Vecchi