Modern Philology

Dialogue as a philosophical genre and as a way of life in Peter Abelard Like many authors of his time, Peter Abelard (1079-1142) wrote a philosophical work explicitly in the form of a dialogue, the Dialogue Between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian (or Collationes). Furthermore, several of his other writings have forms that in various ways are like that of a dialogue: certainly his Letter collection, to a certain extent the sermons, the Carme ad Astrolabium and the two Confessiones, in which the author interacts with the recipients and at the same time addresses third-party readers. The Soliloquium is a short dialogue resulting from a sort of splitting of Abelard's persona, since the interlocutors are referred to one as Peter Abelard and the other as Abelard Peter. Furthermore, exegetical writings, such as the Commentary on the Hexameron, the Commentary on the Epistole of st Paul to the Romans, and the Sic et non, also have characteristics that in some respects can be traced back to those of dialogue. In any case, these works by Abelard are always, explicitly or implicitly, deeply rooted in the author's existential and emotional experience: they reflect Abelard's intense and sometimes turbulent experiences in his relationships with his teachers, his students, Héloïse, his critics and accusers, and his fellow monks. This course aims to present Abelard's philosophical and theological production, focusing on Abelard's most clearly "dialogical" texts, in the belief that they best express the "relational" and "existential" nature of his figure and thought.

A knowledge corresponding to the level of the bachelor’s degree in philosophy is required. General knowledge of the history of philosophy with special focus on history of ancient and medieval philosophy.

General part: 1. L. Valente, con la collaborazione di Massimiliano Lenzi, Filosofie del medioevo. Essere, felicità, linguaggio, Le Monnier Università, Milano, 2023 (selection of chapters that will be publiched on the classroom platform) Monografic part: 2. A. Crocco, Abelardo. L’altro versante del medioevo, Napoli, Liguori, 1979 (hard to find: a PDF copy will be made available). 3. J. Jolivet, Abelardo, Dialettica e mistero, Milano, Jaca Book, 1996 (hard to find: a PDF copy will be made available). 4. Pietro Abelardo, Epistola XIII, in G. Allegro, Apologia della dialettica. L’epistola XIII di Pietro Abelardo. Introduzione, testo e traduzione, “Pan” 24 (2008), pp. 181-196. 5. Pietro Abelardo, Soliloquium, ed. Charles Burnett, Peter Abelard: Soliloquium: A Critical Edition, “Studi Medievali” 25 (1984), pp. 885-891. Please note: Students who have already taken an exam in History of Medieval Philosophy and have studied the textbook for the general part of the course may, if they wish, replace it with a different reading. Please contact the professor.

Attending the course is highly recommended

The evaluation consists of an oral examination. The following will be assessed (also during the course) 1. Knowledge and understanding of the text covered by the course, from its most general aspects to its details; in particular, the students' ability to confront a philosophical text and to critically and personally analyse specific aspects of it will be assessed (evaluation points 1-12). 2. The students' ability to express themselves and to master, even in detail, the vocabulary (evaluation points 1-8). 3. Knowledge of the historical context (in relation to the thought of the authors covered by the course and in relation to the history of philosophy in general) (evaluation points 1-5). 4. The capability of original elaboration and personal exploration of the issues addressed (evaluation points 1-5)

- J. Marenbon, The Philosophy of Peter Abelard, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999. - J. Marenbon, Abelard in four dimensions. A Twelfth Century Philosopher in His Context and Ours, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 2013. - La filosofia come dialogo. A confronto con Agostino, a cura di L. Alici e altri, Roma, Città Nuova, 2005. - B. Hellemans (ed.), Rethinking Peter Abelard. A collection of critical essays, Leiden, Brill, 2014 - L. Valente, Exhortatio e recta vivendi ratio. Filosofi antichi e filosofia come forma di vita in Pietro Abelardo, in L’antichità classica nel pensiero medievale. Atti del XIX Convegno internazionale di studi della Società Italiana per lo Studio del Pensiero Medievale, Trento, 27-29 settembre 2010, a cura di Alessandro Palazzo, Porto, FIDEM, 2011, pp. 39-66. - L. Valente, Il desiderio di filosofia nel pensiero filosofico e teologico di Pietro Abelardo, in Il desiderio nel Medioevo. Atti del convegno Il desiderio nel pensiero medievale, Trento 4-5 ottobre 2013, a cura di A. Palazzo, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2014 (Temi e Testi, 132), pp. 185-206. - J. Marenbon, Abelard in four dimensions. A Twelfth Century Philosopher in His Context and Ours, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 2013. - G. Allegro, Teologia e metodo in Pietro Abelardo, OSM, Palermo, 2010. - B. Hellemans (ed.), Rethinking Peter Abelard. A collection of critical essays, Leiden, Brill, 2014

Lectures with reconstruction of the context and reading, analysis and commentary of the texts. The original texts will be constantly taken into account. Seminar discussion of the topics covered and possibility of “flipped classroom” experiments.

Dialogue as a philosophical genre and as a way of life in Peter Abelard Like many authors of his time, Peter Abelard (1079-1142) wrote a philosophical work explicitly in the form of a dialogue, the Dialogue Between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian (or Collationes). Furthermore, several of his other writings have forms that in various ways are like that of a dialogue: certainly his Letter collection, to a certain extent the sermons, the Carme ad Astrolabium and the two Confessiones, in which the author interacts with the recipients and at the same time addresses third-party readers. The Soliloquium is a short dialogue resulting from a sort of splitting of Abelard's persona, since the interlocutors are referred to one as Peter Abelard and the other as Abelard Peter. Furthermore, exegetical writings, such as the Commentary on the Hexameron, the Commentary on the Epistole of st Paul to the Romans, and the Sic et non, also have characteristics that in some respects can be traced back to those of dialogue. In any case, these works by Abelard are always, explicitly or implicitly, deeply rooted in the author's existential and emotional experience: they reflect Abelard's intense and sometimes turbulent experiences in his relationships with his teachers, his students, Héloïse, his critics and accusers, and his fellow monks. This course aims to present Abelard's philosophical and theological production, focusing on Abelard's most clearly "dialogical" texts, in the belief that they best express the "relational" and "existential" nature of his figure and thought.

A knowledge corresponding to the level of the bachelor’s degree in philosophy is required. General knowledge of the history of philosophy with special focus on history of ancient and medieval philosophy.

General part: 1. L. Valente, con la collaborazione di Massimiliano Lenzi, Filosofie del medioevo. Essere, felicità, linguaggio, Le Monnier Università, Milano, 2023 (selection of chapters that will be publiched on the classroom platform) Monografic part: 2. A. Crocco, Abelardo. L’altro versante del medioevo, Napoli, Liguori, 1979 (hard to find: a PDF copy will be made available). 3. J. Jolivet, Abelardo, Dialettica e mistero, Milano, Jaca Book, 1996 (hard to find: a PDF copy will be made available). 4. Pietro Abelardo, Epistola XIII, in G. Allegro, Apologia della dialettica. L’epistola XIII di Pietro Abelardo. Introduzione, testo e traduzione, “Pan” 24 (2008), pp. 181-196. 5. Pietro Abelardo, Soliloquium, ed. Charles Burnett, Peter Abelard: Soliloquium: A Critical Edition, “Studi Medievali” 25 (1984), pp. 885-891. Please note: Students who have already taken an exam in History of Medieval Philosophy and have studied the textbook for the general part of the course may, if they wish, replace it with a different reading. Please contact the professor.

Attending the course is highly recommended

The evaluation consists of an oral examination. The following will be assessed (also during the course) 1. Knowledge and understanding of the text covered by the course, from its most general aspects to its details; in particular, the students' ability to confront a philosophical text and to critically and personally analyse specific aspects of it will be assessed (evaluation points 1-12). 2. The students' ability to express themselves and to master, even in detail, the vocabulary (evaluation points 1-8). 3. Knowledge of the historical context (in relation to the thought of the authors covered by the course and in relation to the history of philosophy in general) (evaluation points 1-5). 4. The capability of original elaboration and personal exploration of the issues addressed (evaluation points 1-5)

- J. Marenbon, The Philosophy of Peter Abelard, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999. - J. Marenbon, Abelard in four dimensions. A Twelfth Century Philosopher in His Context and Ours, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 2013. - La filosofia come dialogo. A confronto con Agostino, a cura di L. Alici e altri, Roma, Città Nuova, 2005. - B. Hellemans (ed.), Rethinking Peter Abelard. A collection of critical essays, Leiden, Brill, 2014 - L. Valente, Exhortatio e recta vivendi ratio. Filosofi antichi e filosofia come forma di vita in Pietro Abelardo, in L’antichità classica nel pensiero medievale. Atti del XIX Convegno internazionale di studi della Società Italiana per lo Studio del Pensiero Medievale, Trento, 27-29 settembre 2010, a cura di Alessandro Palazzo, Porto, FIDEM, 2011, pp. 39-66. - L. Valente, Il desiderio di filosofia nel pensiero filosofico e teologico di Pietro Abelardo, in Il desiderio nel Medioevo. Atti del convegno Il desiderio nel pensiero medievale, Trento 4-5 ottobre 2013, a cura di A. Palazzo, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2014 (Temi e Testi, 132), pp. 185-206. - J. Marenbon, Abelard in four dimensions. A Twelfth Century Philosopher in His Context and Ours, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 2013. - G. Allegro, Teologia e metodo in Pietro Abelardo, OSM, Palermo, 2010. - B. Hellemans (ed.), Rethinking Peter Abelard. A collection of critical essays, Leiden, Brill, 2014

Lectures with reconstruction of the context and reading, analysis and commentary of the texts. The original texts will be constantly taken into account. Seminar discussion of the topics covered and possibility of “flipped classroom” experiments.