Philology of Italian literatures I

Course objectives

The student has to know the fundamental principles of textual criticism and how to use the most important literature; he/she has to be able to use the aforementioned knowledge to study texts of Italian literature written in Latin and Italian; he/she has to acquire skills and competences for reading a critical edition, especially as regards the methods used in the constitutio textus; he/she has to manage to communicate, also to non-scholarly audiences, what he has learnt, to illustrate the main philological problems of a text and the possible solutions; he/she has to prove that he will manage to deal adequately with more advanced studies in the field of textual philology.

Channel 1
GEMMA DONATI Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Introduction to the study of the philology of Italian literature. We begin with basic informations on the materiality of the texts (manuscripts, prints, scripts, language) and move on to the modes of transmission of texts and the problems of critical edition. The characteristics and peculiarities of the texts of Italian literature and their tradition are highlighted (multiplicity of reworkings, proximity of specimens to the author's desk, etc.) and specific publishing problems are addressed through the study of exemplary cases, taken from the works of the protagonists of literature (Petrarch, Boccaccio, Ariosto, Manzoni, Calvino). Specific issues related to the philology of copying, the philology of the original and the philology of printed texts are addressed. The analysis of texts and discussion of problems is made more effective by the opportunity to study these issues on (reproductions of) manuscripts, incunabula and prints.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of Italian and a basic knowledge of Latin is required. The course is aimed at those who are inexperienced in philology so that they may acquire notions, methods and tools to be able to critically approach texts of Italian literature
Books
The student have to study handouts which contain the texts treated in class and the materials necessary for their analysis, their commentary and their translation. Reference bibliography is also included. To study the general principles and fundamental aspects of the discipline the student have to use a philology manual of the Italian literature, for example G. Inglese, Come si legge un’edizione critica, Roma, Carocci, 2016 (6a 2022) or P. Stoppelli, Filologia della letteratura italiana, Roma, Carocci, 2019 (5° 2022); or A. Stussi, Introduzione agli studi di filologia italiana, Bologna Il Mulino, 2015.
Frequency
Attendance is recommended due to the work that takes place in the classroom with the collaboration of all students
Exam mode
the exam is oral. The student will have to demonstrate to understand and examine the contents and formal choices, contextualize, and interpret some passages of the texts included in the program. The student must demonstrate knowledge of the concepts learned during the course and individual study and be able to explain them with sufficient clarity. The student must possess the elementary notions of philology and the knowledge of the methods and tools for reading a critical edition (also of the critical apparatus), especially the texts discussed in class. To pass the exam it is necessary to obtain a mark of not less than 18/30. To achieve a score of 30/30 laude, the student must instead demonstrate that he has acquired an excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course, being able to connect them in a logical and coherent way.
Lesson mode
The lessons are about reading, analyzing, and commenting on texts and deepening case studies. The reading is also carried out on reproductions of manuscripts and incunabula to learn how read critically a text, to know the main issues of philology and to put into practice through direct experience methods and tools of philology, to acquire the skills and technical skills necessary to read and prepare the edition of texts.
Channel 2
MONICA BERTÉ Lecturers' profile
  • Lesson code10592984
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • Coursecorso|33531
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year2nd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDL-FIL-LET/13
  • CFU6
  • Subject areaLetterature moderne