The course aims to deepen the theoretical aspects and practical solutions relating to the critical edition vulgar for which the stemmatic method (also called Lachmann's method) proves ineffective or unenforceable. This course aims to make students aware that philological work does not coincide with the mere mechanical application of a method but with the editor's ability to make choices motivated critically, varying from time to time, depending on the text and the author at hand. At the end of the course, the student must properly know the main problems connected with poetical texts by analyzing specific cases.

Through directly examining manuscripts and printed witnesses, the student will acquire advanced philological tools and practical skills to address the main ecdotic, exegetical, and interpretative issues related to Italian literary texts. Through the analysis of case studies drawn from the works of Niccolò Machiavelli, Lorenzo di Filippo Strozzi, and Luigi Alamanni, topics such as attributive philology, the editing of texts with mixed traditions (manuscript and printed), the editing of texts with a single witness (autographs and apographs), and, more generally, the methodological approach to sources will be explored and refined.

It is highly recommended, though not mandatory, to have passed an exam in this discipline.

• Knowledge and understanding: The student must demonstrate mastery of the basic knowledge related to the origins and functioning of the stemmatic method and the Bédierian or non-reconstructive method, the construction of a critical apparatus, and, more generally, the dynamics of text production and transmission in the Middle Ages and the age of print.

• Applied knowledge and understanding: The student must demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and theories covered in the course, including the ability to discuss the main limitations of the stemmatic method and familiarity with non-reconstructive approaches. In particular: using philological tools to navigate single- or multi-witness manuscript traditions; critically reading a vernacular text from the medieval or Renaissance period, identifying its linguistic, metrical, and stylistic features; using major digital bibliographic tools relevant to philological analysis (reference works, dictionaries, concordances, databases, etc.).

• Autonomy of judgment: The student must be able to read a critical edition with awareness, evaluate the editor’s choices, and discuss possible alternative interpretations proposed by scholarship.

• Communication skills: The student must be able to convey the specific features of the discipline using appropriate terminology.

• Learning skills: The student must demonstrate the ability to work independently on seminar topics proposed by the teacher.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

An initial self-assessment test is scheduled to take place on the Quiz Moodle platform. Its purpose is to provide students with the tools to identify and address any gaps in their knowledge and skills related to the subject.

Teaching

Classes, including collective discussion of the texts and editions examined, guided research using repertories, archives, and digital libraries, consultation, and compilation of critical apparatuses.

Seminar activity. If the number of students allows, they will be asked to prepare analyses of critical editions or parts included in the exam syllabus, with the help of commentaries, relevant critical bibliography, repertories, and print and online research tools. The results of this work will be presented and discussed in class in a seminar format.

Innovative teaching methods

Seminar-based teaching inspired by the principles of cooperative learning.

Attendance

For students intending to take the exam as attendees, attendance of at least 80% of the total class hours is required, i.e., 29 out of 36 hours.

Although not mandatory, the knowledge of Latin is strongly recommended.

Course books

In addition to texts and materials analyzed during classes, the students will have to study:

• NICCOLO' MACHIAVELLI, Lettere, coord. Francesco Bausi, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2022, pp. IX-LX and letters nn. 248, 249, 262, 264.
• NICCOLO' MACHIAVELLI, De principatibus, testo critico a cura di Giorgio Inglese, Roma, Istituto Storico Italiano per il Medio Evo, 1994 pp. 69-159.
• LORENZO STROZZI, Pistola fatta per la peste, edizione critica a cura di Enrico De Luca, Alessandria, Edizioni dell'Orso, 2020.
• NICOLETTA MARCELLI, Le ‘Egloghe’ di Luigi Alamanni: appunti di filologia e critica letteraria per una nuova edizione, in Lirica in Italia 1494-1530. Esperienze ecdotiche e profili storiografici. Atti del convegno di Friburgo, 8-9 giugno 2016, a cura di Uberto Motta e Giacomo Vagni, Bologna, Casa editrice Emil di Odoya, 2017, pp. 249-73.

***

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY (not mandatory)

- P. ITALIA-G. RABONI, Che cos'è la filologia d'autore, Roma, Carocci, 2010.

- M. ZACCARELLO, L'edizione critica del testo letterario. Primo corso di filologia italiana, Milano, Mondadori, 2017.

- P. STOPPELLI, Filologia della letteratura italiana. Nuova edizione, Roma, Carocci, 2019.

- F. BAUSI, La filologia italiana, Bologna, Il Mulino 2022.

- Filologia della letteratura italiana, a cura di G. Ruozzi e G. Tellini, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2024.

Assessment

Oral examination.
This format has been chosen to enhance students' oral argumentative skills about a highly technical subject that requires mastery of a specific vocabulary.

The evaluation criteria are as follows:

• Relevance and accuracy of the answers concerning the course content;

• Degree of complexity and structure of the response;

• Appropriateness of the disciplinary language used.

Each criterion is assessed using a four-level rating scale, as specified below. The final grade is expressed on a scale of thirty.

- They will give rise to evaluations of excellence (28-30/30): the student's possession of good critical and in-depth skills, the ability to connect the main topics dealt with in the course, and the use of appropriate language concerning the specific nature of the discipline.

- They will give rise to discrete evaluations (24-27/30): the student possesses a mnemonic knowledge of the contents, a relative critical capacity, and a connection between the themes dealt with, as well as the use of appropriate language.

-  They will give rise to sufficient evaluations (18-23/30): the achievement of minimal knowledge on the subjects dealt with by the student, even if there are some training gaps; the use of inappropriate language.

- They will give rise to unfavorable evaluations, such as difficulty in orientation of the student concerning the topics dealt with in the exam texts, training gaps, and inappropriate language.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Students have to prepare, through individual study, the program listed below in the 'Course books' section.

Attendance

Knowledge of the Latin language is highly recommended, although not compulsory. 

Course books

The examination will require knowledge of the following:

• NICCOLO' MACHIAVELLI, Lettere, coord. Francesco Bausi, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2022, pp. IX-LX and letters nn. 248, 249, 262, 264.
• NICCOLO' MACHIAVELLI, De principatibus, testo critico a cura di Giorgio Inglese, Roma, Istituto Storico Italiano per il Medio Evo, 1994, pp. 69-159. 
• LORENZO STROZZI, Pistola fatta per la peste, edizione critica a cura di Enrico De Luca, Alessandria, Edizioni dell'Orso, 2020.
• FRANCESCO BAUSI, Il 'Principe' dallo scrittoio alla stampa, Pisa, Edizioni della Normale, 2015, pp. 93-119.
• NICOLETTA MARCELLI, Le ‘Egloghe’ di Luigi Alamanni: appunti di filologia e critica letteraria per una nuova edizione, in Lirica in Italia 1494-1530. Esperienze ecdotiche e profili storiografici. Atti del convegno di Friburgo, 8-9 giugno 2016, a cura di Uberto Motta e Giacomo Vagni, Bologna, Casa editrice Emil di Odoya, 2017, pp. 249-73.

The above texts refer to the content of the syllabus taught in class to compensate for self-study and promote complete understanding by non-attending students.

***

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY (not mandatory)

- P. ITALIA-G. RABONI, Che cos'è la filologia d'autore, Roma, Carocci, 2010.

- M. ZACCARELLO, L'edizione critica del testo letterario. Primo corso di filologia italiana, Milano, Mondadori, 2017.

- P. STOPPELLI, Filologia della letteratura italiana. Nuova edizione, Roma, Carocci, 2019.

- F. BAUSI, La filologia italiana, Bologna, Il Mulino 2022.

- Filologia della letteratura italiana, a cura di G. Ruozzi e G. Tellini, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2024.

Assessment

Oral examination.
This format has been chosen to enhance students' oral argumentative skills about a highly technical subject that requires mastery of a specific vocabulary.

The evaluation criteria are as follows:

• Relevance and accuracy of the answers concerning the course content;

• Degree of complexity and structure of the response;

• Appropriateness of the disciplinary language used.

Each criterion is assessed using a four-level rating scale, as specified below. The final grade is expressed on a scale of thirty.

- They will give rise to evaluations of excellence (28-30/30): the student's possession of good critical and in-depth skills, the ability to connect the main topics dealt with in the course, and the use of appropriate language concerning the specific nature of the discipline.

- They will give rise to discrete evaluations (24-27/30): the student possesses a mnemonic knowledge of the contents, a relative critical capacity, and a connection between the themes dealt with, as well as the use of appropriate language.

-  They will give rise to sufficient evaluations (18-23/30): the achievement of minimal knowledge on the subjects dealt with by the student, even if there are some training gaps; the use of inappropriate language.

- They will give rise to unfavorable evaluations, such as difficulty in orientation of the student concerning the topics dealt with in the exam texts, training gaps, and inappropriate language.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.